11-0533. Licensing of guides.1. As used in this section, the term "guide" shall mean a person who offers services for hire part or all of which includes directing, instructing, or aiding another in fishing, hunting, camping, hiking, white water canoeing, rafting or rock and ice climbing.
2. All guides engaging in the business of guiding on all lands and waters of the state shall possess a license issued by the department, except for any persons operating or assisting upon a public vessel for hire (passenger carrying vessels), licensed by the United States Coast Guard or New York state, upon the Atlantic Ocean and all other marine and coastal waters, tidal waters including the Hudson river up to the Troy barrier dam, St. Lawrence river, Great Lakes and the navigable portion of their tributaries, and other navigable waters, as determined by the department.
3. Except while guiding for the purposes of hunting and/or fishing, no license as defined in section 11-0701 is required for such acts.
4. Employees of children's camps as defined in subdivision one of section one thousand four hundred of the public health law shall be exempt from the provisions of subdivisions one and two of this section, provided such activities are carried out within the scope of said employment.
5. A license as required under subdivision two of this section shall be issued for a period of five calendar years and the fee therefor shall be established by the department, not to exceed two hundred dollars.
6. Every licensed guide while engaged in guiding shall wear in plain sight identification furnished by the department. Licensed guides shall be at least eighteen years of age. They shall be skilled in the use of boats and canoes whenever use of these craft is required and shall be persons competent to guide one or more of the following: camping, hunting, fishing, hiking, white water canoeing/rafting, rock or ice climbing or other similar activities. The department shall by regulation establish standards and procedures for testing and licensing of guides.
7. Any licensed guide who violates any provision of this chapter or who makes any false statement in his application for a license shall in addition to any other penalties, immediately surrender his license to the department, which may be revoked by the department for up to one year following the date of such surrender.
8. The department shall publish a list of guides annually.
Last modified: February 3, 2019