A national framework set by the Code de l'environnement, implemented at departmental level
OFB and Légifrance form the national framework; details are set by departmental hunters' federations and prefectures.
In France, hunting is governed nationally by Title II 'Chasse' of the Environmental Code (Code de l'environnement), which covers articles L420-1 to L429-40 on the official Légifrance platform. The Office français de la biodiversité (OFB) is the national reference body for implementing this framework: permit issuance, safety, management of huntable species and wildlife management fall within its remit. This national base is not, however, applied uniformly across the country: at regional level, thirteen regional federations and one interdepartmental structure for the Île-de-France region relay information; at departmental level, 94 departmental hunters' federations (FDC) and the prefectures publish the opening and closing orders, the departmental game management scheme (SDGC), and the arrangements for local permit validation. A hunter active in France must therefore combine two levels: the national text on Légifrance and the OFB for the general framework, then the departmental federation and the prefecture of the department where they hunt for the rules actually applicable, which vary from one department to another.