California Fishing License
California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW)
Contact
- Address
- P.O. Box 944209
Sacramento, CA 94244-2090 - Headquarters
- 916-445-0411
- License and Revenue Branch
- 800-549-6868
- LRB@wildlife.ca.gov
- Hours
- Mon-Fri 8am-5pm PT (License and Revenue Branch phone line 4am-midnight PT daily)
- Website
- wildlife.ca.gov
At a glance
- Licences and permits
- 21
- Of which specialty
- 11
- Cheapest listed licence
- $0.00
- Fees verified
- 4 Sep 2026
Who does not need one
A sport fishing licence is required for anyone age 16 or older. California licences are 365-day licences valid one year from the start date the buyer selects rather than calendar-year licences.
Specialty licences 11
Extra items an angler must hold on top of the base licence. These are the ones most often missed — a base licence alone does not cover them.
| Licence | Type | Who needs it | Applies to | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recreational Crab Trap Validation (365-day) | Endorsement | Anglers using crab traps recreationally | Any · annual · 16+ | $2.98 |
| Ocean Enhancement Validation (365-day)Not required when fishing under a One-Day or Two-Day sport fishing licence. | Endorsement | Anglers fishing in ocean waters south of Point Arguello | Any · annual · 16+ | $7.30 |
| Second-Rod Validation (365-day)Add-on validation to a sport fishing licence. | Endorsement | Anglers using a second rod or line in inland waters where allowed | Any · annual · 16+ | $20.26 |
| SHARE Fishing Multi-Choice Application | Permit | Anglers applying for SHARE program access to private land fishing opportunities | Any · season · 16+ | $15.12 |
| Sturgeon Fishing Report Card 2025/26Listed as free on the 2026 fee schedule. | Harvest / catch record card | Any angler fishing for sturgeon during the 2025/26 card year | Any · annual · all | Freestill required |
| Sturgeon Fishing Report Card 2026/27Mandatory; must be carried and returned. | Harvest / catch record card | Any angler fishing for sturgeon during the 2026/27 card year | Any · annual · all | $8.13 |
| North Coast Salmon Report Card | Harvest / catch record card | Anglers fishing for salmon in designated north coast rivers | Any · annual · all | $9.21 |
| Steelhead Trout Report CardMandatory and commonly missed; required regardless of whether fish are kept. | Harvest / catch record card | Any angler fishing for steelhead in California inland waters; must be carried and returned | Any · annual · all | $10.29 |
| Spiny Lobster Report Card 2026/27A 21.60 non-reporting fee applies if the card is not returned. | Harvest / catch record card | Anyone taking spiny lobster recreationally | Any · annual · all | $12.70 |
| One-Day CDFW Lands Pass | Access or habitat fee | Single-day access to CDFW-managed lands without a licence | Any · 1-day · 16+ | $5.97 |
| Annual CDFW Lands PassNot needed if you already hold a valid CDFW fishing licence. | Access or habitat fee | Access to CDFW-managed lands by anglers who do not hold a valid hunting or fishing licence | Any · annual · 16+ | $33.48 |
Every licence and fee 21
| Licence | Residency | Term | Ages | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base licence 10 | ||||
| Free Sport Fishing License - Blind, Mobility Impaired or Developmentally Disabled Qualifying anglers who are visually, mobility or developmentally impaired | Any | annual | 16+ | Freestill required |
| Free Sport Fishing License - Low-Income Native American Qualifying low-income Native American California residents | Resident | annual | 16+ | Freestill required |
| Reduced-Fee Sport Fishing License - Low-Income Senior Qualifying low-income California residents age 65 and older Listed on the CDFW licensing page; income limits apply. | Resident | annual | 65+ | $10.04 |
| Reduced-Fee Sport Fishing License - Disabled Veteran / Recovering Service Member Qualifying disabled veterans and recovering service members | Any | annual | 16+ | $10.54 |
| One-Day Sport Fishing License Any angler 16+, resident or nonresident, fishing for one day Ocean Enhancement Validation is not required when fishing under a One-Day or Two-Day licence. | Any | 1-day | 16+ | $21.09 |
| Two-Day Sport Fishing License Any angler 16+, resident or nonresident, fishing for two days | Any | short-term | 16+ | $32.40 |
| Resident Sport Fishing License (365-day) California residents age 16 and older California licences are now 365-day licences valid one year from the date chosen, not calendar-year licences. | Resident | annual | 16+ | $64.54 |
| Resident Sport Fishing License Gift Voucher Purchasers buying a resident licence as a gift; redeemed free by the recipient Voucher redemption is free. | Resident | annual | 16+ | $64.54 |
| Ten-Day Nonresident Sport Fishing License Nonresidents fishing for up to ten consecutive days | Non-resident | short-term | 16+ | $64.54 |
| Nonresident Sport Fishing License (365-day) Nonresidents age 16 and older | Non-resident | annual | 16+ | $174.14 |
| Endorsement 3 | ||||
| Recreational Crab Trap Validation (365-day) Anglers using crab traps recreationally | Any | annual | 16+ | $2.98 |
| Ocean Enhancement Validation (365-day) Anglers fishing in ocean waters south of Point Arguello Not required when fishing under a One-Day or Two-Day sport fishing licence. | Any | annual | 16+ | $7.30 |
| Second-Rod Validation (365-day) Anglers using a second rod or line in inland waters where allowed Add-on validation to a sport fishing licence. | Any | annual | 16+ | $20.26 |
| Permit 1 | ||||
| SHARE Fishing Multi-Choice Application Anglers applying for SHARE program access to private land fishing opportunities | Any | season | 16+ | $15.12 |
| Harvest / catch record card 5 | ||||
| Sturgeon Fishing Report Card 2025/26 Any angler fishing for sturgeon during the 2025/26 card year Listed as free on the 2026 fee schedule. | Any | annual | all | Freestill required |
| Sturgeon Fishing Report Card 2026/27 Any angler fishing for sturgeon during the 2026/27 card year Mandatory; must be carried and returned. | Any | annual | all | $8.13 |
| North Coast Salmon Report Card Anglers fishing for salmon in designated north coast rivers | Any | annual | all | $9.21 |
| Steelhead Trout Report Card Any angler fishing for steelhead in California inland waters; must be carried and returned Mandatory and commonly missed; required regardless of whether fish are kept. | Any | annual | all | $10.29 |
| Spiny Lobster Report Card 2026/27 Anyone taking spiny lobster recreationally A 21.60 non-reporting fee applies if the card is not returned. | Any | annual | all | $12.70 |
| Access or habitat fee 2 | ||||
| One-Day CDFW Lands Pass Single-day access to CDFW-managed lands without a licence | Any | 1-day | 16+ | $5.97 |
| Annual CDFW Lands Pass Access to CDFW-managed lands by anglers who do not hold a valid hunting or fishing licence Not needed if you already hold a valid CDFW fishing licence. | Any | annual | 16+ | $33.48 |
Fees as published by California Fish and Wildlife and read on 4 September 2026. Agencies change fees without notice and vendors add issuing charges, so confirm the current price at the point of sale. We do not reproduce seasons, limits or gear rules — see the agency's regulations page for those.
Notes on this listing
Prices came from the official CDFW '2026 Sport Fishing Items and Fees' schedule (nrm.dfg.ca.gov DocumentID 46114) and the CDFW Sport Fishing Licenses and Report Cards page, both loaded 2026-09-04. Direct curl to nrm.dfg.ca.gov was blocked by the egress proxy, so the document was read through WebFetch. BAY-DELTA: no Bay-Delta Sport Fishing Enhancement Stamp or validation appears anywhere in the 2026 fee schedule or on the CDFW licensing page; the only ocean/water-specific validation currently sold is the Ocean Enhancement Validation (7.30) for waters south of Point Arguello. No entry was invented for a Bay-Delta item. Abalone report cards were not listed in the 2026 fee schedule (the recreational abalone fishery remains closed) and are therefore omitted rather than priced. Lifetime sport fishing licence tiers exist in statute but no dollar figures appeared on the pages loaded, so no lifetime entry was included. CDFW's contact page references social accounts via a Connect page but does not print handle URLs, so social fields are blank.
About California Fish and Wildlife
California Department of Fish and Wildlife is the agency that issues fishing licences in California and sets what every angler on its water has to carry.
Base and combination licences run from $0.00 to $174.14 depending on residency, term and age.
Beyond the base licence there are 11 specialty items to watch for, including the Recreational Crab Trap Validation (365-day), Ocean Enhancement Validation (365-day), Second-Rod Validation (365-day) and the SHARE Fishing Multi-Choice Application. These are separate purchases and a base licence does not cover them.
The fee table below was read from official sources on 4 September 2026. We list what each item is called, who needs it and what it costs, and link out for the rules themselves — seasons, limits and gear regulations live on the agency’s own page and change too often to mirror.