Florida Fishing License
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC)
Contact
- Address
- Farris Bryant Building, 620 S. Meridian St.
Tallahassee, FL 32399 - FWC main office
- 850-488-4676
- Fishing licence customer service (888-FISH-FLORIDA)
- 888-347-4356
- Hunting licence customer service (888-HUNT-FLORIDA)
- 888-486-8356
- Wildlife Alert violation hotline
- 888-404-3922
- Website
- myfwc.com
At a glance
- Licences and permits
- 32
- Of which specialty
- 9
- Cheapest listed licence
- $0.00
- Free fishing days
- Freshwater: first consecutive Saturday and Sunday in April, and the second consecutive Saturday and Sunday in June. Saltwater: first consecutive Saturday and Sunday in June, the first Saturday in September, and the Saturday following Thanksgiving. Snook and spiny lobster permits are also waived on these days.
- Fees verified
- 4 Sep 2026
Who does not need one
Anglers under 16 are exempt (freshwater and saltwater). Florida residents 65+ are exempt with proof of age/residency (a no-cost certificate is available at GoOutdoorsFlorida.com or county tax collector offices). Residents fishing in their county of residence for noncommercial purposes with live or natural bait on poles or lines with no line-retrieval mechanism (cane poles) are exempt. Also exempt: totally and permanently disabled Florida residents with documentation; clients of the Agency for Persons with Disabilities; freshwater fishing in a private pond of 20 acres or less; saltwater anglers fishing from a licensed for-hire/charter vessel, from a vessel with a recreational saltwater vessel licence, or from a pier with a valid pier licence; and residents receiving food stamps, temporary cash assistance or Medicaid when fishing from land or a structure fixed to land.
Specialty licences 9
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State Reef Fish Angler DesignationNo-cost but must be added to the licence/registration record annually. | Endorsement | Anyone fishing for or harvesting designated reef fish from a private vessel in Gulf or Atlantic state or federal waters | Any · annual · all | Freestill required |
| Recreational Blue Crab Trap RegistrationNo-cost registration. | Permit | Recreational harvesters using blue crab traps | Any · annual · all | Freestill required |
| Recreational Stone Crab Trap RegistrationNo-cost registration. | Permit | Recreational harvesters using stone crab traps | Any · annual · all | Freestill required |
| Shore-Based Shark Fishing PermitNo-cost permit; required in addition to any saltwater licence or shoreline licence. | Permit | Anyone age 16+ shore-based shark fishing in Florida salt water | Any · annual · 16+ | Freestill required |
| Spiny Lobster PermitRequired in addition to a saltwater fishing licence. | Permit | Anyone harvesting or possessing spiny lobster | Any · annual · all | $5.00 |
| Snook PermitRequired in addition to a saltwater fishing licence. | Permit | Anyone harvesting or possessing snook | Any · annual · all | $10.00 |
| Spiny Lobster Permit - Five-YearResidents only. | Permit | Florida residents harvesting or possessing spiny lobster | Resident · multi-year · all | $25.00 |
| Snook Permit - Five-YearResidents only. | Permit | Florida residents harvesting or possessing snook | Resident · multi-year · all | $50.00 |
| Tarpon TagOne tag per tarpon. | Permit | Anyone harvesting or possessing a tarpon | Any · annual · all | $51.50 |
Every licence and fee 32
| Licence | Residency | Term | Ages | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base licence 13 | ||||
| Resident Saltwater Shoreline-Only Fishing License Florida residents age 16-64 saltwater fishing from shore or from a structure affixed to shore No-cost licence but registration is mandatory. Does not cover fishing from a vessel. | Resident | annual | 16-64 | Freestill required |
| Non-Resident Freshwater Fishing License - 3-Day Nonresidents age 16+ fishing in Florida fresh water | Non-resident | 3-day | 16+ | $17.00 |
| Non-Resident Saltwater Fishing License - 3-Day Nonresidents age 16+ saltwater fishing in Florida | Non-resident | 3-day | 16+ | $17.00 |
| Resident Freshwater Fishing License Florida residents age 16-64 fishing in fresh water | Resident | annual | 16-64 | $17.00 |
| Resident Saltwater Fishing License Florida residents age 16-64 fishing in salt water from a vessel or otherwise not shore-based | Resident | annual | 16-64 | $17.00 |
| Resident Youth Freshwater Fishing License Optional licence for Florida resident youth ages 8-15 (not required) Optional; anglers under 16 are exempt from licence requirements. | Resident | annual | 8-15 | $17.00 |
| Resident Youth Saltwater Fishing License Optional licence for Florida resident youth ages 8-15 Optional; anglers under 16 are exempt. | Resident | annual | 8-15 | $17.00 |
| Non-Resident Freshwater Fishing License - 7-Day Nonresidents age 16+ fishing in Florida fresh water | Non-resident | 7-day | 16+ | $30.00 |
| Non-Resident Saltwater Fishing License - 7-Day Nonresidents age 16+ saltwater fishing in Florida | Non-resident | 7-day | 16+ | $30.00 |
| Non-Resident Freshwater Fishing License - Annual Nonresidents age 16+ fishing in Florida fresh water | Non-resident | annual | 16+ | $47.00 |
| Non-Resident Saltwater Fishing License - Annual Nonresidents age 16+ saltwater fishing in Florida | Non-resident | annual | 16+ | $47.00 |
| Resident Freshwater Fishing License - Five-Year Florida residents age 16-64 fishing in fresh water Five-year term. | Resident | multi-year | 16-64 | $79.00 |
| Resident Saltwater Fishing License - Five-Year Florida residents age 16-64 saltwater fishing Five-year term. | Resident | multi-year | 16-64 | $79.00 |
| Combination licence 10 | ||||
| Resident Silver Sportsman's License (64+) Florida residents age 64 and older | Resident | annual | 64+ | $13.50 |
| Resident Military Gold Sportsman's License Active-duty and retired military who are Florida residents | Resident | annual | all | $20.00 |
| Resident Freshwater + Saltwater Fishing Combination Florida residents fishing both fresh and salt water | Resident | annual | 16-64 | $32.50 |
| Resident Freshwater Fishing + Hunting Combination Florida residents fishing fresh water and hunting | Resident | annual | 16-64 | $32.50 |
| Resident Freshwater + Saltwater Fishing + Hunting Combination Florida residents fishing both fresh and salt water and hunting | Resident | annual | 16-64 | $48.00 |
| Resident Silver Sportsman's License (64+) - Five-Year Florida residents age 64 and older | Resident | multi-year | 64+ | $61.50 |
| Resident Sportsman's License Florida residents; bundles freshwater fishing, hunting and several permits Does not include saltwater fishing. | Resident | annual | 16-64 | $80.50 |
| Resident Gold Sportsman's License Florida residents; bundles freshwater fishing, saltwater fishing, hunting and permits | Resident | annual | 16-64 | $100.00 |
| Resident Youth Gold Sportsman's License Florida resident youth ages 8-15 | Resident | annual | 8-15 | $100.00 |
| Resident Gold Sportsman's License - Five-Year Florida residents; five-year Gold Sportsman's package | Resident | multi-year | 16-64 | $494.00 |
| Endorsement 1 | ||||
| State Reef Fish Angler Designation Anyone fishing for or harvesting designated reef fish from a private vessel in Gulf or Atlantic state or federal waters No-cost but must be added to the licence/registration record annually. | Any | annual | all | Freestill required |
| Permit 8 | ||||
| Recreational Blue Crab Trap Registration Recreational harvesters using blue crab traps No-cost registration. | Any | annual | all | Freestill required |
| Recreational Stone Crab Trap Registration Recreational harvesters using stone crab traps No-cost registration. | Any | annual | all | Freestill required |
| Shore-Based Shark Fishing Permit Anyone age 16+ shore-based shark fishing in Florida salt water No-cost permit; required in addition to any saltwater licence or shoreline licence. | Any | annual | 16+ | Freestill required |
| Spiny Lobster Permit Anyone harvesting or possessing spiny lobster Required in addition to a saltwater fishing licence. | Any | annual | all | $5.00 |
| Snook Permit Anyone harvesting or possessing snook Required in addition to a saltwater fishing licence. | Any | annual | all | $10.00 |
| Spiny Lobster Permit - Five-Year Florida residents harvesting or possessing spiny lobster Residents only. | Resident | multi-year | all | $25.00 |
| Snook Permit - Five-Year Florida residents harvesting or possessing snook Residents only. | Resident | multi-year | all | $50.00 |
| Tarpon Tag Anyone harvesting or possessing a tarpon One tag per tarpon. | Any | annual | all | $51.50 |
Fees as published by Florida FWC 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
All prices verified this session directly on myfwc.com licence pages (freshwater and saltwater). FWC adds a $0.50 vendor issuance fee to most transactions, which is not included in the listed prices. FWC does not publish a general public email address or office hours on its contact or how-to-order pages, so both are null. Free fishing days are published by FWC as recurring rules rather than fixed 2026 calendar dates on the page loaded; exact 2026 dates were not stated on that page. The State Reef Fish Angler designation and shore-based shark fishing permit were confirmed on the saltwater licence fee table at $0.00; the FWC 'do I need one' page loaded did not restate them.
About Florida FWC
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is the agency that issues fishing licences in Florida and sets what every angler on its water has to carry.
Base and combination licences run from $0.00 to $494.00 depending on residency, term and age.
Beyond the base licence there are 9 specialty items to watch for, including the State Reef Fish Angler Designation, Recreational Blue Crab Trap Registration, Recreational Stone Crab Trap Registration and the Shore-Based Shark Fishing Permit. These are separate purchases and a base licence does not cover them.
Free fishing days: Freshwater: first consecutive Saturday and Sunday in April, and the second consecutive Saturday and Sunday in June. Saltwater: first consecutive Saturday and Sunday in June, the first Saturday in September, and the Saturday following Thanksgiving. Snook and spiny lobster permits are also waived on these days.
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.
Sources
- myfwc.com/license/recreational/freshwater-fishing/
- myfwc.com/license/recreational/saltwater-fishing/
- myfwc.com/license/recreational/do-i-need-one/
- myfwc.com/license/recreational/do-i-need-one/free-fishing/
- myfwc.com/license/recreational/how-to-order/
- myfwc.com/license/recreational/
- myfwc.com/contact/