2026 regulation year
Non-Resident Fishing License Fees by State 2026
Cross-state comparison of 2026 non-resident fishing license fees — what you'll pay when fishing outside your home state. Aggregated from each state's official fish & wildlife agency. Click any column header to sort.
Among the 48 states with deep coverage so far, a non-resident annual licence ranges from $13 in District of Columbia to $174 in California. Coverage is expanding to all 51 jurisdictions over the 2026 season.
License fee comparison table
A “—” means deep coverage for that jurisdiction is still rolling out for 2026. Each state page links to its official agency where current fees can always be verified. Rows with missing values sort to the bottom regardless of sort direction.
Closure-risk channel for every state above
Non-resident fees are non-refundable. Before you pay any annual or short-term license, watch the destination agency's emergency-order channel — in-season closures (king-salmon escapement shortfalls, drought steelhead heat-stress pauses, harmful-algal-bloom red-tide events) can shut down the fishery you bought the license for, hours after purchase. Each covered state's direct emergency-order link is below; 24 of the agencies also publish anapplication/rss+xmlfeed you can subscribe to, and 48 agencies run an email-alert sign-up that delivers the same notifications by inbox.
Emergency-order feeds — 48 of 48 covered states · 48 email sign-ups
- AlabamaAlabama Wildlife & Freshwater Fisheries Division — emergency orders →
- AlaskaAlaska Department of Fish and Game — emergency orders →
- ArkansasArkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) — emergency orders →
- CaliforniaCalifornia Department of Fish and Wildlife — emergency orders →
- ColoradoColorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) — emergency orders →
- ConnecticutConnecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP) — Inland Fisheries + Marine Fisheries Divisions — emergency orders →
- DelawareDelaware Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Control (DNREC) — Division of Fish & Wildlife — emergency orders →
- District of ColumbiaDistrict of Columbia Department of Energy & Environment (DOEE) — Fisheries and Wildlife Division — emergency orders →
- FloridaFlorida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission — emergency orders →
- GeorgiaGeorgia Department of Natural Resources — Wildlife Resources Division — emergency orders →
- HawaiiHawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) — Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) — emergency orders →
- IdahoIdaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) — emergency orders →
- IllinoisIllinois Department of Natural Resources — emergency orders →
- IndianaIndiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) — Division of Fish & Wildlife — emergency orders →
- IowaIowa Department of Natural Resources (Iowa DNR) — emergency orders →
- KansasKansas Department of Wildlife & Parks (KDWP) — emergency orders →
- KentuckyKentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources — emergency orders →
- LouisianaLouisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries — emergency orders →
- MaineMaine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife (MDIFW) — freshwater; Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) — saltwater — emergency orders →
- MarylandMaryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) — Fisheries Service (Inland + Tidal) — emergency orders →
- MassachusettsMassachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife (freshwater) + MA Division of Marine Fisheries (saltwater) — emergency orders →
- MichiganMichigan Department of Natural Resources — emergency orders →
- MinnesotaMinnesota Department of Natural Resources — emergency orders →
- MississippiMississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries & Parks — emergency orders →
- MissouriMissouri Department of Conservation — emergency orders →
- NebraskaNebraska Game & Parks Commission (NGPC) — emergency orders →
- NevadaNevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) — emergency orders →
- New HampshireNew Hampshire Fish & Game Department (NHF&G) — Inland Fisheries Division + Marine Fisheries Division — emergency orders →
- New JerseyNew Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife (freshwater) + NJ Marine Fisheries Administration (saltwater) — emergency orders →
- New MexicoNew Mexico Department of Game and Fish (NMDGF) — emergency orders →
- New YorkNew York State Department of Environmental Conservation — emergency orders →
- North CarolinaNorth Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission — emergency orders →
- North DakotaNorth Dakota Game & Fish Department (ND G&F) — emergency orders →
- OhioOhio Department of Natural Resources — Division of Wildlife — emergency orders →
- OklahomaOklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) — emergency orders →
- OregonOregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) — emergency orders →
- PennsylvaniaPennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission — emergency orders →
- Rhode IslandRhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) — Division of Fish & Wildlife — emergency orders →
- South CarolinaSouth Carolina Department of Natural Resources — emergency orders →
- South DakotaSouth Dakota Game, Fish and Parks (SDGFP) — emergency orders →
- TennesseeTennessee Wildlife Resources Agency — emergency orders →
- TexasTexas Parks and Wildlife Department — emergency orders →
- UtahUtah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) — emergency orders →
- VermontVermont Fish & Wildlife Department — emergency orders →
- VirginiaVirginia Department of Wildlife Resources (freshwater) + Virginia Marine Resources Commission (saltwater) — emergency orders →
- West VirginiaWest Virginia Division of Natural Resources — Wildlife Resources Section — emergency orders →
- WisconsinWisconsin Department of Natural Resources — emergency orders →
- WyomingWyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) — emergency orders →
How to read this table
- Non-resident annual is the headline yearly fee for anglers without state residency. Most states sell separate freshwater and saltwater (or all-water) flavors — the figure shown is the most common all-water annual where available, freshwater otherwise.
- Non-resident short-term is the shortest-duration non-resident option each state publishes (1-day, 3-day, 5-day, or 7-day) — pick the shortest stay that covers your trip.
- Saltwater endorsements, trout / two-pole / boat stamps, and youth / senior discounts are detailed per state.
- Processing surcharges at point of sale are added by each state's online vendor and are not reflected above.
Related views
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need a fishing license to fish from shore in the US?
- Yes, in nearly every US state. Most state freshwater regulations require a valid license whether you fish from a boat, a bank, or a pier. A handful of coastal states grant narrow exceptions — for example, Florida residents fishing in saltwater from a public pier or shoreline are exempt from the saltwater shoreline license (non-residents are not), and California waives the license requirement on most public ocean piers. For freshwater anglers, assume a license is required and check your destination's state page for any pier or stocked-pond exception.
- Do kids need a fishing license?
- Usually not until they reach the state's resident-youth threshold. Texas, Florida, California, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New York, North Carolina, and Arkansas exempt anglers under 16 from buying a license. Alaska also uses age 16. Michigan exempts anglers under 17. Children fishing in tribal or federal waters, or holding species-specific stamps (trout, salmon), may have separate rules — verify on the relevant state page.
- Can I use my home-state fishing license in another state?
- No. Each US state requires its own non-resident license to fish its waters, with a few border-water reciprocity exceptions: Kentucky and Indiana share the Ohio River; Maryland and Virginia honor each other's licenses on the Potomac; and a handful of small boundary lakes between Maine/New Hampshire and the Dakotas have reciprocal agreements. For everywhere else, the comparator table above shows what you will pay as a non-resident.
- Are there free fishing days in the US?
- Yes — almost every state designates one to three license-free fishing days per year, typically on a June weekend (the National Fishing and Boating Week). On those days the license requirement is waived for residents and non-residents, but every other regulation — bag limits, size limits, slot limits, special-water rules, and required stamps such as trout or salmon endorsements — still applies. Check your destination state's regulation page for the exact dates.