If you are a ginseng harvester or thinking about going digging wild ginseng, be sure to follow your state's basic rules and regulations of ginseng, especially if you are harvesting on private land.
Use the Ginseng State Laws on this web site as a guideline only. No way we can keep up with all the laws of each state change. Growing Wild Ginseng as a Business Stewardship Harvesting of American Wild Ginseng | 
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** For Regulations to export American wild ginsengs, please click here NEVER: Take anything from public land or parks. All animals, plants, seeds, trees, herbs, and everything else belongs to the public and it is illegal to remove anything. If you get caught you will probably get the maximum fine. NEVER: Dig ginseng outside of the harvest season. Find out the harvest season for your state and only take it in this time frame. Since ginseng is protected as an endangered species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES, which also regulates trade in rare animals), harvesters need to understand some simple rules.
While federal policies guide state ginseng management programs, each state tends to have different guidelines that are reflective of their different contexts such as dates of open harvest season, minimum age of plants at harvest, replanting of seeds, etc.. State Ginseng Laws and Regulations
| State | Harvest season | Harvest permitted on State lands | Require seeds to be planted at site | Minimum age (number of leaves/prongs) required for harvested plants | | Alabama | Sept 1 - Dec 13 | yes with permit | yes | 3 prongs | | Arkansas | Sept 1 - Dec 1 | no | yes | 5 years, 3 prongs | | Georgia | Aug 15 - Dec 31 | no | yes | 3 prongs | | Illinois | Last Saturday in August- Nov 1 | no | encouraged | no requirement | | Indiana | Sept 1 - Dec 31 | no | no | 3 prongs, a flowering or fruiting stalk, or 4 internodes on root | | Iowa | Sept 1- Oct 31 | no in State parks or preserves;
yes in State forest and wildlife areas | yes | 3 prongs | | Kentucky | Aug 15 - Dec 1 | yes in State forests;
no in State parks | yes | 5 years, 3 prongs | | Maryland | Aug 20 - Dec 1 | yes in State forests;
no in State parks | yes | 5 years, 3 prongs | | Minnesota | Sept 1 - Dec 31 | yes in some State forests | yes | 3 prongs | | Missouri | Sept 1 - Dec 31 | no | yes | 3 prongs or plants with fruiting stems | | New York | Sept 1 - Nov 30 | no | yes | 3 prongs | | North Carolina | Sept 1 – April 1 | no | yes | 5 years, 3 prongs | | Ohio | Sept 1 – Dec 31 | no | yes | 3 prongs | | Pennsylvania | Aug 1 - Nov 30 | no | yes | 3 prongs | | Tennessee | Aug 15 - Dec 31 | only on Royal Blue Wildlife Management Area | yes | 5 years, 3 prongs | | Vermont | Aug 20 - Oct 10 | no | yes | 5 years, 3 prongs | | Virginia | Aug 15 - Dec 31 | yes | no | 3 prongs | | West Virginia | Aug 15 - Nov 30 | no | yes | 3 prongs | | Wisconsin | Sept 1 – Nov 1 | no | yes | 3 prongs and mature fruits |
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Ginseng Laws 
