A resident annual runs from $5.00 in Hawaii to $64.54 in California, with the median around $27.97. Visitors pay anywhere from $20.00 to $174.14. Sort the table by any column: the useful comparison is rarely the headline price, it is what your own situation costs in the state you are standing in.
The table
Annual adult licence, no concessions, compulsory stamps and passes included. Click a heading to sort.
| Alabama ADCNR · freshwater | $17.00 | $66.25 | 3.9× | — | 18 |
| Arizona AZGFD · all waters | $37.00 | $55.00 | 1.5× | 10 | 20 |
| Arkansas AGFC · all waters | $10.50 | $60.00 | 5.7× | 16 | 18 |
| California CDFW · all waters | $64.54 | $174.14 | 2.7× | 16 | 58 |
| Colorado CPW · all waters | $57.63 inc. $12.76 stamp | $136.77 | 2.4× | 16 | 37 |
| Connecticut CT DEEP · freshwater | $28.00 | $55.00 | 2.0× | 16 | 14 |
| Delaware DNREC · all waters | $8.50 | $20.00 | 2.4× | 16 | 13 |
| Florida FWC · freshwater | $17.00 | $47.00 | 2.8× | 16 | 33 |
| Georgia GA DNR · all waters | $15.00 | $50.00 | 3.3× | 16 | 22 |
| Hawaii DAR · freshwater | $5.00 | $25.00 | 5.0× | 9 | 13 |
| Idaho IDFG · all waters | $35.50 inc. $5.00 stamp | $118.00 | 3.3× | 14 | 26 |
| Illinois IDNR · all waters | $15.00 | $31.50 | 2.1× | — | 13 |
| Indiana DNR · all waters | $23.00 | $60.00 | 2.6× | — | 15 |
| Iowa Iowa DNR · all waters | $22.00 | $48.00 | 2.2× | 16 | 14 |
| Kansas KDWP · all waters | $27.50 | $77.50 | 2.8× | 16 | 15 |
| Kentucky KDFWR · all waters | $23.00 | $55.00 | 2.4× | 16 | 14 |
| Louisiana LDWF · freshwater | $17.00 | $68.00 | 4.0× | 18 | 13 |
| Maine MDIFW · all waters | $25.00 | $64.00 | 2.6× | 16 | 15 |
| Maryland MD DNR · freshwater | $32.00 | $55.00 | 1.7× | 16 | 13 |
| Michigan DNR · all waters | $26.00 | $76.00 | 2.9× | 17 | 27 |
| Minnesota DNR · all waters | $25.00 | $46.00 | 1.8× | 16 | 21 |
| Missouri MDC · all waters | $14.00 | $57.00 | 4.1× | 16 | 14 |
| Montana FWP · all waters | $31.00 inc. $10.00 stamp | $117.50 | 3.8× | 12 | 26 |
| Nebraska NGPC · all waters | $38.00 | $84.00 | 2.2× | 16 | 13 |
| Nevada NDOW · all waters | $40.00 | $80.00 | 2.0× | 12 | 14 |
| New Hampshire NHFG · freshwater | $45.00 | $63.00 | 1.4× | 16 | 15 |
| New Mexico NMDOW · all waters | $49.00 inc. $14.00 stamp | $104.00 | 2.1× | 12 | 13 |
| New York DEC · freshwater | $25.00 | $50.00 | 2.0× | 16 | 30 |
| North Carolina NCWRC · freshwater | $32.00 | $56.00 | 1.8× | 16 | 21 |
| North Dakota NDGF · all waters | $29.00 inc. $2.00 stamp | $73.00 | 2.5× | 16 | 14 |
| Ohio ODNR · all waters | $25.00 | $76.96 | 3.1× | 16 | 19 |
| Oklahoma ODWC · all waters | $31.00 | $81.00 | 2.6× | 18 | 20 |
| Oregon ODFW · all waters | $50.00 | $138.00 | 2.8× | — | 23 |
| Pennsylvania PFBC · all waters | $27.97 | $60.97 | 2.2× | 16 | 22 |
| Rhode Island RI DEM · freshwater | $24.00 | $41.00 | 1.7× | 15 | 14 |
| South Carolina SCDNR · freshwater | $10.00 | $35.00 | 3.5× | 16 | 13 |
| South Dakota SD GFP · all waters | $41.00 inc. $10.00 stamp | $105.00 | 2.6× | 16 | 13 |
| Tennessee TWRA · all waters | $33.00 | $49.00 | 1.5× | 13 | 21 |
| Texas TPWD · freshwater | $30.00 | $58.00 | 1.9× | 17 | 76 |
| Utah UDWR · all waters | $40.00 | $120.00 | 3.0× | 12 | 20 |
| Vermont VTFW · all waters | $28.00 | $54.00 | 1.9× | 15 | 13 |
| Virginia DWR · freshwater | $23.00 | $47.00 | 2.0× | 16 | 15 |
| Washington WDFW · freshwater | $39.95 | $115.85 | 2.9× | 16 | 24 |
| West Virginia WVDNR · all waters | $24.00 inc. $5.00 stamp | $50.00 | 2.1× | 15 | 13 |
| Wisconsin WI DNR · all waters | $20.00 | $55.00 | 2.8× | 16 | 29 |
| Wyoming WGFD · all waters | $48.50 inc. $21.50 stamp | $123.50 | 2.5× | 14 | 13 |
Where a state sells fresh and salt separately, the freshwater fee is shown and both are broken out on the state page. Each state page carries the date we last read its fees off the agency.
Not in this table: New Jersey, Mississippi, Massachusetts. Their agencies do not publish a fee schedule we can read, and we would rather leave a gap than print a figure we have not verified.
Where the price is not the price
8 of the 46 states do not sell a fishing licence on its own. They sell the licence and then a compulsory stamp, pass or certificate alongside it, and the advertised fee is only the first half.
| State | Licence | Compulsory extra | What you pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wyoming | $27.00 | +$21.50 | $48.50 |
| New Mexico | $35.00 | +$14.00 | $49.00 |
| Colorado | $44.87 | +$12.76 | $57.63 |
| Montana | $21.00 | +$10.00 | $31.00 |
| South Dakota | $31.00 | +$10.00 | $41.00 |
| Idaho | $30.50 | +$5.00 | $35.50 |
| West Virginia | $19.00 | +$5.00 | $24.00 |
| North Dakota | $27.00 | +$2.00 | $29.00 |
Resident rates shown. Several of these states charge visitors more for the same stamp: South Dakota charges $25.00 against $10.00, and Montana $7.50 against $2.00.
Cheapest and dearest
Cheapest for residents: Hawaii $5.00, Delaware $8.50, South Carolina $10.00, Arkansas $10.50, Missouri $14.00.
Dearest for residents: California $64.54, Colorado $57.63, Oregon $50.00, New Mexico $49.00, Wyoming $48.50.
Dearest for visitors: California $174.14, Oregon $138.00, Colorado $136.77, Wyoming $123.50, Utah $120.00.
The resident-to-visitor ratio is the more interesting number. Arkansas charges visitors about 5.7 times the resident rate, Hawaii about 5.0 times. In those states a short-term licence is almost always the better buy for a trip.
Questions
Which state has the cheapest fishing licence?
Hawaii at $5.00 for a resident, then Delaware at $8.50 and South Carolina at $10.00. For visitors the cheapest is Delaware at $20.00.
Which state has the most expensive fishing licence?
California at $64.54 for a resident, and for visitors California at $174.14. The median resident licence across the states we have verified is about $27.97.
Why are some figures higher than the state advertises?
Because 8 states do not sell the licence on its own. Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, West Virginia, Wyoming each require a stamp, pass or certificate alongside it, so the figure at the till is higher than the licence fee. Every price in this table includes those.
Which state charges visitors the most compared with residents?
Arkansas: a visitor pays $60.00 against $10.50 for a resident, about 5.7 times more. Hawaii and Missouri are close behind.
Is a fishing licence valid in more than one state?
Almost never. A few border waters have reciprocal arrangements written into both states’ regulations, and a handful of states sell a specific border-water licence, but as a rule crossing a state line means buying another licence.