A. Except as provided in this chapter a person shall not take, transport or possess any protected native plant taken from the original growing site in this state without possessing a valid permit issued by the division. The division shall issue permits in either a name or business name. A permit to take, transport or possess native plants is nontransferable, except that a permittee, by subcontract or otherwise, may allow its agents to work under the permit if the permittee remains primarily responsible for the actions of persons acting under his expressed or implied authority.

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B. In addition to the requirements prescribed by this section, a person who moves or salvages a saguaro cactus (cereus giganteus) that is more than four feet tall, from other than its original growing location, must purchase a permit, tag and seal from the department. A person may move a saguaro cactus without obtaining a permit, tag and seal only if the person maintains documentation of a previous legal movement or if the department has record of a previous legal movement of the cactus by the person. Saguaro cacti that are propagated by humans are exempt from the requirements of this subsection.

C. Permits applicable to highly safeguarded native plants may be issued only for collection for scientific purposes or for the noncommercial salvage of highly safeguarded native plants whose existence is threatened by intended destruction, or by their location or by a change in land usage, and if the permit may enhance the survival of the affected species.

D. Permits issued for the salvage of salvage assessed native plants shall be issued for a period of one calendar year without respect to the land from which the plants will later be taken. The associated tags and seals shall be issued individually or in bulk on payment of any fees required under section 3-913, subsection A, without respect to the specific plants for which they will be used. All such tags and seals remain valid for use in subsequent years as long as the permit is renewed.

E. The division shall provide tags and seals for each permit issued for taking, transporting or possessing highly safeguarded, salvage restricted or salvage assessed native plants. The director by rule shall establish procedures and forms for permits, tags and seals to be issued for the collection and salvage of highly safeguarded native plants and the salvage of salvage restricted and salvage assessed native plants. The director by rule may establish and modify the form and character of the tags and seals described in this section. All such tags and seals shall be attached to the plants at the time of taking and before transporting. It is unlawful to remove a tag or seal from a protected native plant that has been taken and tagged pursuant to this article before the plant has been transplanted at its designated site. A tag or seal may be removed only by a designated agent of the division or by the owner of the plant.

F. This section does not apply to the transporting of protected native plants by a landowner or his agent from one of his properties to another if the plants are not offered for sale.