How to keep hunters out of your garden in France

They can enter your land unless you take steps to explicitly state that you do not want them to

Hunters can enter land that is more than 150m away from homes unless you take steps to prevent it
Richard Henshell
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Hunters in France have a presumptive right to enter your land unless you explicitly say that you do not want them to. We look at how you can stop them from coming onto your property.

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Hunting is banned in close proximity to homes, but if your land stretches to more than 150m from your home, hunters can enter it without your permission.

There are ways to prevent this, however the right way to do so depends on the type of hunting association active in your commune.

The two types of hunting group

The hunting group in your area could either be part of a simple association (société de chasse) or an organisation approved by the prefecture, called an ACCA (association communale de chasse agréée) or AICA.

You can check with your mairie to find out.

In areas covered by a société de chasse, you can ban hunting on your property by sending a letter to the president of the association and a copy to your mayor.

Before sending the letter, you should talk to the hunters. They may simply be unaware of the limits of your property or how close your home is. 

The process is more complex where an ACCA is concerned unless the land in question is within a 150m perimeter of your house or is entirely fenced off, in which case it is automatically prohibited.

In both cases, you can get advice from the Ligue pour la protection des oiseaux (LPO) or the Association Protection des Animaux Sauvages (Aspas) nature charities.

These wildlife protection groups encourage people to declare their land as LPO or Aspas ‘refuges’ as part of the process.

Read more: New bid to ban hunting in France on Sundays and within 3km of homes

Send a letter to your local hunting federation

The LPO has a suggested model letter that we have translated and which you can find below.

In 2019, a new procedure was put in place requiring landowners to send their letter with recorded delivery to the president of the departmental hunting federation (Fédération départementale des chasseurs), and not to their local prefecture.

Once validated, the letter will be forwarded to the president of the ACCA, who will have two months to respond. In all, the hunting federation has four months from the reception of the letter to make their decision.

It should also be noted that this process can only be undertaken a maximum of six months before the administration of your local ACCA is renewed, an event that only happens every five years. The ban will only come into effect after this renewal.

You will also need to provide details of the location of your land and a printout of the cadastre land registry plans (see cadastre.gouv.fr).

Cadastre details consist of letters showing the ‘section’ and then a specific ‘parcel’ number (or numbers if the area is large).

Read more: How to send a registered letter online from home in France

Letter to the Fédération départementale des chasseurs to ban hunters from your land:

Objet : Demande de retrait de terrain(s) du territoire de chasse de l’ACCA au titre des articles L. 422-10 5° et L. 422-14 du code de l’environnement

Pièces jointes : plans cadastraux et actes de propriété

__/__/____ [date]

Monsieur le Président,

Les articles L. 422-10 5° et L. 422-14 du code de l’environnement nous autorisent à demander le retrait de nos terrains de l’ACCA (ou de l’AICA selon le cas) et d’y interdire la chasse au nom de convictions personnelles.

En conséquence, je vous demande de prendre acte du retrait de l’ACCA de la commune de………….. des terrains suivants :

- adresse, n° de cadastre et surface + plan cadastral + acte de propriété en pièces jointes pour chaque parcelle

Je certifie sur l’honneur qu’il s’agit là de la totalité de mes propriétés.

Je vous demande également de rayer mon nom de la liste des membres de l’ACCA de la commune de……………………….. [name of commune]

Cette décision de retrait étant motivée par mon engagement vis-à-vis de la protection de la nature. Je m’engage à interdire toute pratique de la chasse et à ne pas la pratiquer moi-même sur ces parcelles.

Je m’engage à signaler mon terrain en matérialisant ainsi l'interdiction de chasser pour autrui en apposant des pancartes portant la mention « chasse interdite »

Enfin, je connais ma responsabilité, en tant que propriétaire, en cas de dégâts qui pourraient être causés par le gibier provenant de mon fonds.

(A ne mettre que si vos terrains sont inscrits en Refuge LPO) : je tiens également à vous informer que ces terrains sont inscrits comme Refuge LPO (Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux), dont le principal objectif est de préserver la faune et la flore sauvages.

J’ai bien pris note que mon retrait sera effectif au prochain renouvellement de votre ACCA et/ou AICA. Et je vous demande donc de me transmettre la date de création ainsi que la/les dates de renouvellement de l’ACCA et/ou AICA dont mes parcelles dépendent afin de connaître la date de sortie effective de l’ACCA/AICA.

Comptant sur votre diligence, je vous prie d’agréer, Monsieur le Président, l’expression de mes plus respectueuses salutations.

Signature

Copie pour information à :

Monsieur le Président de l’ACCA de la commune de……………………………………

Monsieur le Maire de la commune de……………………………………………………

Copie à la préfecture /DDT/Service chasse

TRANSLATION:

Subject: Request for the withdrawals of land(s) from the hunting grounds of the ACCA under articles L.422-10 5° and L.422-14 of the Environmental Code.

Attached documents: Land registry plans and property deeds.

Date:

Mr President,

Articles L. 422-10 5° and L. 422-14 of the Environmental Code authorise us to request the withdrawal of our lands from the ACCA (or AICA) and to prohibit hunting on our property on account of our personal beliefs.

I, therefore, request that you begin the process of withdrawing the following lands from the ACCA of [TOWN]:

[ADDRESS, CADASTRE NUMBERS, LAND REGISTRY PLANS and PROPERTY DEEDS for each parcel of land to be attached]

I declare on my honour that the above details cover my property in its entirety.

I also ask that you remove my name from the list of ACCA members in [TOWN].

Since this decision to withdraw is motivated by my commitment to the protection of nature, I undertake to prohibit all hunting and not to hunt myself on this land.

I will also undertake to signal my land as off-limits to hunters by installing signs reading: “Hunting prohibited.”

I understand that as the landowner I am responsible for any damage that might be caused by the game which comes from my land.

(Only if your land is listed as an LPO Refuge) I would also like to inform you that this land is listed as a refuge of the Ligue de la Protection des Oiseaux, whose main objective is to preserve wild fauna and flora.

I have noted that my lands’ withdrawal will take effect from the next renewal of your ACCA/AICA. I, therefore, request that you let me know the date of this renewal so that I know when my lands will cease to be part of the ACCA/AICA.

I trust that you will be in agreement and I would ask you to accept, Mr President, the expression of my most respectful sentiments.

Signature

Final steps

After writing your letter, you should also send a copy to the president of your local ACCA, as well as the mayor and prefecture of your town.

Keep a dated copy of your letter in case you do not receive a response within the four-month time limit.

You must put up signs around the perimeter of your property that clearly state ‘CHASSE INTERDITE’.

If your land is withdrawn from the list of permitted hunting areas but you notice that hunters are ignoring the ban, collect proof of this (such as photographs) and contact the French office for biodiversity, L’Office français de la biodiversité or the local gendarmerie.

Aspas says it will take legal action against hunters that ignore hunting bans on Aspas refuges.

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