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Airboat Quota

General Information

An Airboat Quota Permit is a type of limited entry permit that is required in order to participate in the General Gun Vehicle Season on Everglades and Francis S. Taylor Wildlife Management Areas. Click "Application Worksheet" at the bottom of this page for specific Wildlife Management Areas and dates.  

Application Dates and Worksheet

Cost: $0.00 - $2.50.  Airboat Quota permits issued in the Phase I or Phase II random drawings are posted to your customer account online and can be printed from the web site for no cost. The service of printing the permit issued in Phase I, Phase II or reprints at a Tax Collector or retail agent location will cost $2.00 or $2.50 respectively. Permits issued in Phase III are printed online, by a Tax Collector or by a retail agent for no cost

Requirements to Apply: Unless exempt, you must have a valid Management Area Permit or a license that includes a management area permit in order to apply. Children age 15 that will turn 16 before or during the hunts should purchase a Management Area Permit and apply as a nonexempt hunter. You must be the registered owner of an airboat that has been registered as “Air Prop” with a current Florida Vessel Registration in order to apply. 

Exemptions: There are no exemptions to the Airboat Quota permit. Your airboat must have an Airboat Quota permit to participate in the general gun vehicle hunt. 

Group Applications: Group applications are only accepted in Phase I. A group application assures that all airboats in the group (5 maximum) go through the random drawing as one application. If successful, all airboats in the group receive an Airboat Quota permit, even if there is only one permit left. Each airboat owner in the group must submit an Airboat Quota application and join the group during the Phase I application period. Passengers on a permitted airboat should not be included in a group application. You cannot add airboats to a group application after the Phase I application period ends. The group's preference rank in the Phase I random drawing will be determined by the owner with the lowest number of Airboat Quota preference points among the members.

Preference Points: If you apply during Phase I and are unsuccessful, you will be awarded one Airboat Quota preference point for next year (even if you get issued a permit in Phase II or Phase III). Preference points are cumulative and you will receive one additional Airboat Quota preference point each year you apply in Phase I and are unsuccessful. If you apply during Phase I next year, and are drawn for a permit, your preference points will be reset to zero. No preference points are awarded if you fail to apply in Phase I. If you fail to apply during Phase I for 2 consecutive years, your preference points will be reset to zero. Successful applicants who return their quota permit 10 or more days before the first day of the hunt can have their preference points re-instated. See Returned Permits below.

Transferability: Airboat Quota permits are NOT transferable and are only valid for the airboat whose FL numbers appears on the permit.  The owner does not have to be present on the airboat, but only the permitted airboat may be used.

How to Apply: You can apply online sign on and choose “Apply for Limited Entry/Quota Permit”) or complete the Application Worksheet (click "Application Worksheet" at bottom of page) and present it to any license agent or tax collector office. Children and resident management area permit holders who do not hold a Florida drivers license or Florida ID must apply as non-residents to use the online system. Resident disabled, residents age 65 or older and resident active duty military that do not have a Florida driver's license or Florida ID cannot use the online system and must apply at a license agent or tax collector and show another proof of residency.

Application and Permit Issuance: Airboat Quota permits are issued by random drawing during Phases I and Phase II. Leftover permits are issued on a first-come, first-served basis during Phase III. In the Phase I random drawing, applicants are selected based on their preference points. Applicants with the highest number of Airboat Quota preference points are selected before those with less Airboat Quota preference points.

Drawing Results: Drawing results are typically posted within about two weeks after the end of the application period. If you are successful in a drawing and you have provided a valid, non-blocked, email address, your permit will be emailed to you as well as posted to your record online. 

How to Get the Permit: If successful in the Phase I or Phase II random drawings, you can print your permit online at no cost or at a license agent or tax collector office for $2.50 or $2.00 respectively. Your legal game tags will be mailed to you. Permits issued in Phase I or Phase II will be available in the system for printing online, by a license agent or tax collector until the last day of the hunt. In Phase III (First-Come, First-Served Leftovers) you are immediately awarded your permit, and the license agent or tax collector will immediately print your permit one time for no cost. If applying online in Phase III, you can immediately print your permit. The permit will remain available online until the last day of your hunt. If you choose to pick up your permit online, be sure you have access to a printer and to disable your browser’s pop-up blocker, so that you can print or save your receipt directly from the website.

Guest Permits: Guest permits are not available for this permit type. Passengers hunting from a permitted airboat do not need a guest permit.

Reprints: You can reprint lost or destroyed non-transferable Airboat Quota permits online at no cost or at a license agent or tax collector office for about $2.50.  Lost legal game tags can only be replaced by the FWC Office of Licensing and Permitting upon written request by the permit holder.  You will need to allow at least 10 days to receive the replacement tags. Receipts, temporary license numbers and printed copies of Internet pages may not be used as an Airboat Quota permit.

Returned Permits: If you are unable to use your permit you can return it for re-issuance. When you login to apply, click on "Apply for Reissued Permits"  We are now reissuing returned permits by random-draw. The application period for reissues will be Saturday at 12 noon ET through Tuesday at 12 noon ET.

  • Only one application per permit type may be submitted per customer with up to five choices per application.
  • The drawings will be conducted on Tuesday afternoons, and the results will be posted by 10 am on Wednesdays.
  • Left-over permits will be available first-come first-served on Wednesday mornings at 10 am.

If a permit is returned during the open application period and before deadline and there are other permits available for that same hunt, the returned permit is added instantly to the quota for the current drawing.

If a permit is returned after the application deadline or if there are no other permits available for that specific hunt in the current drawing, it is placed in the next scheduled drawing.

Returned permits will show on the Permit Availability page as they are returned.

There will be a separate column in the list of available permits that will display the returned permits as they are returned.

Restrictions: You may submit one Airboat Quota application for each airboat you own, but only one of your airboats can receive an Airboat Quota permit in Phase I or Phase II. You can only apply in Phase II if you have not already been awarded an Airboat Quota permit during Phase I. You can have no more than one Airboat Quota permit per hunt. The selling or purchasing of any quota permit is prohibited.  Airboat owners selected for a Track Vehicle Quota permit are not eligible for an Airboat Quota permit.