Politics & Government

DEC to Shut Down Stony Brook Sporting License Office

Land access permit applications will be available online, while hunting and fishing licenses can be purchased at numerous other locations on Long Island.

Local sportsmen and women will have to turn elsewhere for hunting and fishing licenses and land access permits after the state Department of Environmental Conservation announced Tuesday it will permanently shutter its Region 1 Office of Sporting License starting Feb. 1.

DEC regional director Peter Scully cited an increase in licenses sold through private vendors along with the need to reallocate resources in light of the state's fiscal condition.

“The decision to close this office was not an easy decision,” Scully said. “But it was a decision that had to be made given the state’s current fiscal situation and the need to redeploy resources within the regional office.”

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An online application process has streamlined the old state land access permit approval system, in which applications – of which the DEC processed around 5,000 per year – had to physically be filled out. The DEC would then approve them and mail cards to the applicants granting access to state lands.

Scully called the update "a much-needed change," saying the new online process would reduce the amount of time it takes to grant a land access permit.

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The original office phone number will be maintained for residents with questions about land access permits: 631-444-0273.

Additionally, he said, interested persons can turn to 37 other Suffolk County locations and 15 Nassau County locations where a sporting license can be purchased.

“We believe the ample amount of sporting license sale locations in Suffolk and Nassau counties will make this transition relatively smooth,” Scully said.

According to the DEC website, nearby places where a sporting license can be purchased include:

  • Dick's Sporting Goods in Lake Grove
  • in Stony Brook
  • Town of Brookhaven clerk's office
  • Walmart in Commack

For more information on how to purchase a license, click here.


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