Every spring, commercial and municipal properties across Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Illinois rely on federal gull egg depredation permits to keep gull populations from taking over rooftops, parking structures, and lakefront sites. In the 2026 gull permit season, the process changed more than it has in the past fifteen years. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) restructured how it issues and manages permits nationally, and the ripple effects reached every property manager who depends on this permit to keep gulls in check. Here is what changed, and what it means for anyone renewing or applying for a permit heading into 2027.
A National System Replaced a Regional One
For over a decade, USFWS processed gull depredation permits through regional offices, each with its own staff and its own pace. In 2026, staffing and budget reductions at USFWS pushed the agency to consolidate permit processing into a single national system. That consolidation came with a new digital platform, ePermits, which replaced the paper applications properties and their contractors used for years. A federal government shutdown in the fall further delayed the rollout, pushing back the timeline for anyone trying to get ahead of the season.
Account Access Now Matters as Much as the Application
The move to ePermits means permit holders need to grant their pest management provider access to their USFWS account through a letter of authorization. This is not a legal transfer of authority. It is simply what allows a provider to submit applications and annual reports on a property’s behalf inside the new system. The good news is that once this authorization is on file, it should carry forward year to year, so properties that complete this step for their 2027 renewal do not need to repeat it in future seasons.
Take Numbers Came Down
USFWS also reduced the number of gull nests properties are authorized to remove under each permit, in some cases well below what properties have historically needed to keep pace with their gull population. In 2026, Wild Goose Chase and Migratory Bird Management saw requests to amend a permit for a higher number routinely denied. Properties that depend heavily on egg depredation should expect this ceiling to factor into their overall management plan and should not assume take numbers will return to prior levels, with the potential of take numbers even getting smaller for 2027 and beyond.
Deterrents Are Becoming Part of the Approval, Not an Afterthought
USFWS has made clear that egg depredation is meant to be a last resort, not a first response. The USFWS are increasingly asking what non-lethal deterrence a property has already tried before approving nest removal. Rooftop grid systems are one option, though they are not practical at the scale of most commercial roofs. Laser deterrence has shown measurable results against Ring-billed gull colonies and is worth evaluating for larger properties as part of a combined strategy, both to strengthen a permit application and to reduce reliance on removal alone. While there is no set amount of money or deterrents, a practical effort needs to be made each year to move the gulls to another location outside of egg depredation alone.
Processing Times Stretched Well Past 60 Days
USFWS has historically quoted a 60-day turnaround for permit review. In 2026, properties that applied after March 1 saw wait times closer to 90 days, with some permits still pending well into the nesting season. Applications submitted in February and March, timing that worked in past years, were not processed in time to cover the bulk of this year’s nesting activity. Properties that waited on their own to apply were greatly affected by these changes and delays.
What We Recommend Heading Into 2027
The clearest lesson from this season is timing. Renewals and applications should be submitted during the fall, shortly after the current nesting season ends and before the permits expire at the end of the year. Expired permits will require additional paperwork that can be avoided by submitting a renewal 30 days before its expiration. Starting early gives USFWS the runway it needs even with a slower national system, and it gives your property the best chance of holding a valid permit before gulls begin nesting again in late March.
If your account access and authorization are already on file with your provider, take advantage of it. That step alone is what will make renewals faster going forward. If you manage this process on your own, build in significantly more lead time than you have in past years, and confirm your submission meets the USFWS’s current formatting requirements before it goes in, since incomplete or incorrectly formatted applications were a common source of delay this season.
Have more Questions?
Wild Goose Chase and Migratory Bird Management are here to guide you through the process as well. Through our services, we can help fill out the forms and questions to the USFWS’s standards and send it to you to submit, or we can walk you through answers it in person.
Gull management still works. The permitting process just requires more patience and more advance planning than it used to. Properties that start the 2027 process early and pair egg depredation with deterrence where appropriate will be in the best position heading into next spring.
Tom Kupkovits is a lead biologist for Migratory Bird Management and Wild Goose Chase. He specializes in staying up to date on bird management laws and regulations and works closely with federal and state agencies to navigate permitting requirements.