Written public comments will be accepted through Oct. 12, 2025

The Arizona Game and Fish Commission and department (AZGFD) have issued a draft Notice of Exempt Rulemaking to amend rules within Article 8 (wildlife areas and department properties) to enact amendments developed during the preceding Five-year Review Report.

The proposed amendments are designed to increase the effectiveness of the rules to meet the department’s mission, ensure consistency with state and federal statutes, and to increase the clarity of the existing rules. AZGFD does not believe any of the proposed changes will increase the regulatory burden beyond that which is already required, and will instead serve the goal of simplifying processes, increasing the understandability of the rules, and increasing public accessibility for department services.

The department will accept written public comments through Oct. 12, 2025. Comments may be submitted via email to rulemaking@azgfd.gov or through the online comment form. The commission will accept oral comments at its public meeting Dec. 5 at AZGFD headquarters in Phoenix.

For questions about the rulemaking, contact: Aaron Hartzell, Pinetop regional supervisor, ahartzell@azgfd.gov.

To track the progress of other commission rulemakings, view the regulatory agenda and all previous Five-year Review Reports, and to learn about any other agency rulemaking matters, visit https://www.azgfd.com/agency/rulemaking/.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department receives no general fund tax dollars. The majority of funding to manage more than 800 native wildlife species comes from Arizona's hunters and anglers.