• No permit is required to harvest wild ginseng on private land in the state of Kentucky

• A certificate of registration as a Kentucky Ginseng Dealer must be obtained by anyone who buys ginseng in the state for resale or who sells ginseng in interstate commerce.

• The harvest season for wild ginseng in Kentucky is from August 15 to December 1.

• Kentucky state law requires all harvested ginseng plants to be at least 5 years old and to have at least 3 prongs.

• Kentucky requires that seeds adhering to harvested wild ginseng be planted within 50 feet of the location of the plant, “with no tool used other than the finger.”

• The Kentucky Department of Agriculture, serves as the state’s ginseng coordinator. This office can be reached at

(502) 564-0290 or:

100 Fair Oaks Lane, 5th floor
Frankfort, KY 40601

• A permit is required to collect ginseng in Daniel Boone National Forest. Contact the Forest Supervisor’s Office in Winchester, KY at

(859) 745-3100, or any of the four district offices for more information:

Cumberland District, Morehead, KY:
(606) 663-2852

London District, London, KY:
(606) 864-4163

Stearns District, Whitley City, KY:
(606) 376-5323

Red Bird District, Big Creek, KY:
(606) 598-2192