Surety Bond Encyclopedia

Hunting License Agent (Corporation or LLC) Bond - Pennsylvania Game Commission in Pennsylvania

Brief Summary

No corporation or LLC sells Pennsylvania hunting licenses through PALS until Game Commission legal counsel has approved its security. A surety bond of at least $11,000 on the Commission's own form PGC-L-5 satisfies that step and leaves your bank credit line free, where an irrevocable letter of credit for the same amount would tie it up.

A corporation or LLC appointed as a Pennsylvania hunting license issuing agent must give the Pennsylvania Game Commission security of at least $11,000 under 58 Pa. Code 143.27, either a surety bond or an irrevocable letter of credit. The bond names the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as obligee on form PGC-L-5 and is reviewed by Commission legal counsel before the agency can sell licenses. The application fee is $200 for each location.

We can help with all Pennsylvania bonds!

How to Apply for a Hunting License Agent (Corporation or LLC) Bond:

Submit the Game Commission issuing agent application, in state or out of state version, with the $200 fee for each location.
Wait for the approval notice, then sign the PALS Hunting License Issuing Agent Agreement.
Have the surety write the bond on Commission form PGC-L-5 for at least $11,000, with the company named exactly as registered.
Send the signed bond, or an irrevocable letter of credit for the same amount, for review by Game Commission legal counsel.
Provide a computer that meets the Commission's requirements, install the WebPOS equipment and complete training.
Keep daily sales records and file the monthly report within five days after the first of each month.

Detailed Information About the Pennsylvania Hunting License Agent (Corporation or LLC) Bond:

The $11,000 is a minimum, not a fixed figure

58 Pa. Code 143.27(6) requires an agent to provide security to the Commission in an amount of at least $11,000. The Commission also publishes a bond rider, form PGC-L-5a, that raises or lowers the penal sum or changes the principal's name or address after the bond is issued. An increase applies only to hunting licenses sold after the rider's effective date. Ask the Hunting License Division what figure belongs on your bond before the surety writes it.

Who has to post it

Section 2723 of the Game and Wildlife Code, 34 Pa.C.S., says that every agent must furnish security in a form satisfactory to the Commission, except agents already under bond to receive and disburse public funds. A corporation or LLC selling licenses from its store posts this bond unless it already holds that kind of public funds bond.

Conditions for a corporation or LLC

Under 143.27 the applicant must be a Pennsylvania resident or an entity registered to do business in Pennsylvania. It must run a bona fide sporting goods outlet where the public expects to find license service, stay open reasonable daylight and evening hours, operate year round rather than seasonally or part time, and keep the records the Commission and the statute require. The Commission publishes a separate application for out of state applicants. On form PGC-L-5 the company signs in the corporation block through its president or member, and the surety signs through its attorney in fact.

Steps and fees

The application fee is $200 for each location, paid by check or money order to the Pennsylvania Game Commission under 143.21. After approval, the agent signs the PALS Hunting License Issuing Agent Agreement and provides the bond or letter of credit. Once legal counsel approves both, the agent receives an agency license to display, WebPOS equipment from Tyler Technologies to connect to its own computer, and a training session. An agent that wants more locations must meet the same Subchapter B requirements for each one under 143.31.

What the bond guarantees

The bond is conditioned on the agent faithfully performing its duties and accounting for and paying, according to law, all money it receives as an agent. Each agent keeps a daily record of license sales and sends a monthly report within five days after the first of each month under 2724. License money goes to the Game Fund under 2725, and an agent that stays delinquent for 30 days is recalled. To keep the appointment, the agency must sell at least 25 hunting licenses each license year under 143.23. The bond stays in force until the agency's authority is revoked unless the surety is released as the law allows.

Eligibility and Requirements for a Pennsylvania Hunting License Agent (Corporation or LLC) Bond:

A Pennsylvania resident or an entity registered to do business in Pennsylvania.
A bona fide sporting goods outlet open to the public year round, with daylight and evening hours.
Security of at least $11,000 by surety bond or irrevocable letter of credit.
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as obligee on bond form PGC-L-5, with rider form PGC-L-5a for later changes.
At least 25 hunting licenses sold each license year to keep the appointment.

Pennsylvania Hunting License Agent (Corporation or LLC) Bond FAQs:

Is $11,000 the exact bond amount?

It is the minimum. 58 Pa. Code 143.27 says security of at least $11,000, and the Commission uses rider form PGC-L-5a to raise or lower the amount after a bond is issued. Confirm the figure with the Hunting License Division at pgcagent@pa.gov or 717-787-2084 before the bond is written.

Our LLC is based outside Pennsylvania. Can we still be an agent?

The rule allows an entity registered to do business in Pennsylvania, and the Commission publishes a separate out of state application. The store still has to be a bona fide sporting goods outlet that meets the hours and year round requirements in 143.27.

Can we use a letter of credit instead of a bond?

Yes. The Commission accepts an irrevocable letter of credit for the same amount and posts a sample on its issuing agent page. Either one is reviewed and approved by Game Commission legal counsel before sales begin.

Does this bond cover fishing licenses too?

No. Fishing licenses are issued under the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, which requires its own agent application and a bond in favor of that Commission under 58 Pa. Code 51.37.

What could lead to a claim on the bond?

The bond backs the agent's duty to account for and pay over the money it collects. Section 2725 sends license money to the Game Fund and recalls agents that are delinquent for 30 days, and unpaid amounts are what a claim would pursue.