11-0535-a. Illegal ivory articles and rhinoceros horns.1. As used in this section:
a. "Distribute" means a transfer or change in possession with an accompanying change in legal ownership.
b. "Ivory article" means any item containing worked or raw ivory from any species of elephant or mammoth.
c. "Raw ivory" means any elephant or mammoth tusk, and any piece thereof, the surface of which, polished, or unpolished, is unaltered or minimally carved.
d. "Worked ivory" means any elephant or mammoth tusk, and any piece thereof, which is not raw ivory.
2. Except as otherwise provided in subdivision three of this section, no person shall sell, offer for sale, purchase, trade, barter or distribute an ivory article or rhinoceros horn.
3. Unless such activity is prohibited by federal law, rule or regulation, the commissioner may issue licenses or permits for the sale, offering for sale, purchase, trading, bartering or distribution of ivory articles or rhinoceros horns, provided that:
a. the ivory article or rhinoceros horn is part of a bona fide antique and is less than twenty percent by volume of such antique, and the antique status of such antique is established by the owner or seller thereof with historical documentation evidencing provenance and showing the antique to be not less then one hundred years old;
b. the distribution or change of possession of the ivory article or rhinoceros horn is for bona fide educational or scientific purposes, or to a museum chartered by the board of regents pursuant to the education law or to a museum authorized by a special charter from the legislature of this state; or
c. the distribution of the ivory article or rhinoceros horn is to a legal beneficiary of a trust or to an heir or distributee of an estate; or
d. the ivory article or rhinoceros horn is part of a musical instrument, including, without limitation, string and wind instruments and pianos, and the owner or seller provides historical documentation as the department may require, demonstrating provenance and showing the item was manufactured no later than nineteen hundred seventy-five.
Last modified: February 3, 2019