Kentucky Fishing License
Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR)
Contact
- Address
- #1 Sportsman's Lane
Frankfort, KY 40601 - Information Center
- 1-800-858-1549
- Hours
- Mon-Fri 8:00am-4:30pm ET
- Website
- fw.ky.gov
At a glance
- Licences and permits
- 15
- Of which specialty
- 1
- Cheapest listed licence
- $7.40
- Free fishing days
- First Saturday and Sunday in June - no licence or permit required
- Fees verified
- 4 Sep 2026
Who does not need one
Residents and nonresidents age 15 and younger fish without a licence. Bona fide resident owners of farmland, their spouses and dependent children, and tenants and their families, may fish on that land without a licence. Resident servicemen on furlough of more than three days may fish statewide without a licence. No licence is required inside Mammoth Cave National Park. Ohio River: a valid Kentucky licence covers the whole main stem of the Ohio River, so a Kentucky-licensed angler does not need an Illinois, Indiana or Ohio licence on the main stem - but that reciprocity stops at a straight line across the mouth of any bordering state's embayment or tributary, and bank anglers follow the rules of the state they stand in. Mississippi River: a Kentucky-licensed angler may fish the Missouri portions of the river bordering Kentucky without a Missouri licence; this covers the main channel and immediate side channels and chutes but not oxbow lakes or tributaries, and bank anglers follow the rules of the state whose waters they are in.
Specialty licences 1
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trout PermitRequired in addition to a fishing licence. Included in the Sportsman's, Senior Sportsman's, Senior Lifetime Sportsman's, Disabled Sportsman's and First-Time Buyer Sportsman's packages, but not in the Youth Sportsman's licence. | Permit | Any angler who fishes for or keeps trout, resident or nonresident | Any · annual · 16+ | $10.57 |
Every licence and fee 15
| Licence | Residency | Term | Ages | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base licence 7 | ||||
| Resident 1-Day Fishing Licence Residents fishing for a single day | Resident | 1-day | 16+ | $7.40 |
| Nonresident 1-Day Fishing Licence Nonresidents fishing for a single day | Non-resident | 1-day | 16+ | $15.86 |
| Resident Annual Fishing Licence Kentucky residents age 16 and older who fish Licence year runs 1 March through the end of February. | Resident | annual | 16+ | $24.31 |
| Nonresident 7-Day Fishing Licence Nonresidents fishing for seven consecutive days | Non-resident | 7-day | 16+ | $37.00 |
| Resident Joint (Married Couple) Annual Fishing Licence A married resident couple fishing on one licence | Resident | annual | 16+ | $44.38 |
| Nonresident Annual Fishing Licence Nonresidents age 16 and older who fish in Kentucky | Non-resident | annual | 16+ | $58.14 |
| Resident 3-Year Fishing Licence Residents buying three licence years at once Sold online only. | Resident | multi-year | 16+ | $58.14 |
| Combination licence 7 | ||||
| Resident Disabled Sportsman's Licence Qualifying residents with a disability Includes the trout permit. Applications go to KDFWR Disabled License, #1 Sportsman's Lane, Frankfort, KY 40601. | Resident | annual | all | $12.68 |
| Resident Senior Sportsman's Licence (65+) Kentucky residents age 65 and older Includes the trout permit. | Resident | annual | 65+ | $12.68 |
| Resident Youth Sportsman's Licence (ages 12-15) Resident youths ages 12 through 15 Does NOT include the trout permit. | Resident | annual | 12-15 | $31.71 |
| Resident First-Time Buyer Sportsman's Licence Residents buying a Kentucky licence for the first time Includes the trout permit. | Resident | annual | 16+ | $37.00 |
| Resident Combination Hunting/Fishing Licence Residents who hunt and fish Does not include the trout permit. | Resident | annual | 16+ | $44.39 |
| Resident Sportsman's Licence Residents wanting hunting, fishing, trout, deer, turkey and waterfowl privileges in one package Includes the trout permit. | Resident | annual | 16+ | $100.42 |
| Resident Senior Lifetime Sportsman's Licence (65+) Kentucky residents age 65 and older wanting lifetime privileges Includes the trout permit. | Resident | lifetime | 65+ | $190.26 |
| Permit 1 | ||||
| Trout Permit Any angler who fishes for or keeps trout, resident or nonresident Required in addition to a fishing licence. Included in the Sportsman's, Senior Sportsman's, Senior Lifetime Sportsman's, Disabled Sportsman's and First-Time Buyer Sportsman's packages, but not in the Youth Sportsman's licence. | Any | annual | 16+ | $10.57 |
Fees as published by Kentucky Fish & 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 are the 2026-2027 licence-year fees from fw.ky.gov/Licenses/Pages/Fees.aspx (loaded 2026-09-04). The odd cents reflect a Consumer Price Index adjustment KDFWR applied in January 2026; KDFWR states 2026-2027 fees are unchanged from 2025-2026. The official eRegulations Kentucky guide still shows the older round-dollar figures (e.g. 23.00 resident annual, 10.00 trout permit) and appears to lag the fw.ky.gov page; the fw.ky.gov figures were used. Kentucky publishes no 3-day, 15-day, standalone youth or standalone senior fishing licence. KDFWR does not publish a general email address on the fee page and no social handles were confirmed from an official page, so both are blank/null. Free fishing days: the official regulations text gives 'first Saturday and Sunday in June'; the 2026 calendar dates were not confirmed on a page loaded this session. regs_url is the official Kentucky Fishing and Boating Guide PDF.
About Kentucky Fish & Wildlife
Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources is the agency that issues fishing licences in Kentucky and sets what every angler on its water has to carry.
Base and combination licences run from $7.40 to $190.26 depending on residency, term and age.
Beyond the base licence there is 1 specialty item to watch for, including the Trout Permit. These are separate purchases and a base licence does not cover them.
Free fishing days: First Saturday and Sunday in June – no licence or permit required.
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.