North Carolina Fishing License
North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC)
Contact
- Address
- 1701 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1700 - Licensing customer service
- 833-950-0575
- Hours
- Mon-Fri 8am-5pm ET
- Website
- ncwildlife.gov
At a glance
- Licences and permits
- 23
- Of which specialty
- 3
- Cheapest listed licence
- $0.00
- Fees verified
- 4 Sep 2026
Who does not need one
Anglers under 16 do not need a fishing license. Legally blind residents and adult care home residents receive the Lifetime Unified Inland/Coastal license free; Medicaid and food stamp recipients qualify for the free Subsistence Unified license.
Specialty licences 3
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mountain Heritage Trout Waters 3-Day Fishing LicenseSold only by phone (833-950-0575) or online; Wildlife Service Agents do not sell it. Honorably discharged military veterans are exempt with documentation. | Permit | Residents and nonresidents fishing designated Mountain Heritage Trout Waters who do not already hold a state inland fishing license | Any · 3-day · 16+ | $8.00 |
| Special Device Inland Fishing License - Resident | Permit | Residents fishing inland waters with special devices (other than hook and line) | Resident · annual · 16+ | $99.00 |
| Special Device Inland Fishing License - Nonresident | Permit | Nonresidents fishing inland waters with special devices | Non-resident · annual · 16+ | $652.00 |
Every licence and fee 23
| Licence | Residency | Term | Ages | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base licence 15 | ||||
| 10-Day Coastal Recreational Fishing License - Resident Residents fishing coastal waters for ten days | Resident | short-term | 16+ | $9.00 |
| Resident 10-Day Inland Fishing License Residents fishing inland waters for ten days | Resident | short-term | 16+ | $12.00 |
| 10-Day Coastal Recreational Fishing License - Nonresident Nonresidents fishing coastal waters for ten days | Non-resident | short-term | 16+ | $15.00 |
| Disabled Veteran Lifetime Fishing License (Inland or Coastal) Qualifying resident disabled veterans Listed at $15 for both the inland and coastal lifetime versions. | Resident | lifetime | all | $15.00 |
| Totally Disabled Lifetime Fishing License (Inland or Coastal) Qualifying totally disabled residents Listed at $15 for both the inland and coastal lifetime versions. | Resident | lifetime | all | $15.00 |
| Annual Coastal Recreational Fishing License (CRFL) Anglers 16 and older fishing coastal and joint waters - resident rate Administered with the NC Division of Marine Fisheries. Does not cover inland waters. | Resident | annual | 16+ | $20.00 |
| Senior Lifetime Comprehensive Inland Fishing License Resident seniors | Resident | lifetime | 70+ | $20.00 |
| Nonresident 10-Day Inland Fishing License Nonresidents fishing inland waters for ten days | Non-resident | short-term | 16+ | $29.00 |
| Resident State Inland Fishing License North Carolina residents 16 and older fishing inland waters; includes the public mountain trout waters privilege A $5 transaction fee is applied to the total order at time of purchase. | Resident | annual | 16+ | $32.00 |
| Annual Coastal Recreational Fishing License (CRFL) - Nonresident Nonresident anglers 16 and older fishing coastal and joint waters | Non-resident | annual | 16+ | $40.00 |
| Nonresident State Inland Fishing License Nonresidents 16 and older fishing inland waters | Non-resident | annual | 16+ | $56.00 |
| Lifetime Coastal Recreational Fishing License - Infant Children under age 1 Same price for residents and nonresidents. | Any | lifetime | under-1 | $131.00 |
| Lifetime Coastal Recreational Fishing License - Youth Children ages 1-11 Same price for residents and nonresidents. | Any | lifetime | 1-11 | $196.00 |
| Lifetime Coastal Recreational Fishing License - Adult Anglers age 12 and older wanting lifetime coastal privileges Resident price. Nonresident price is $652.00. | Any | lifetime | 12+ | $326.00 |
| Lifetime Comprehensive Inland Fishing License Residents wanting lifetime inland fishing privileges | Resident | lifetime | all | $326.00 |
| Combination licence 5 | ||||
| Annual Subsistence Unified Inland/Coastal Recreational Fishing License Resident recipients of Medicaid or food stamps Free. | Resident | annual | 16+ | Freestill required |
| Annual Unified Inland/Coastal Recreational Fishing License Residents wanting inland and coastal fishing privileges in one license Resident only. Covers inland, joint and coastal waters, including public mountain trout waters. | Resident | annual | 16+ | $51.00 |
| Annual Unified Sportsman/Coastal Recreational Fishing License Residents wanting hunting plus inland and coastal fishing privileges | Resident | annual | 16+ | $85.00 |
| Lifetime Unified Inland/Coastal Recreational Fishing License Residents wanting lifetime inland and coastal fishing privileges Free for legally blind residents and adult care home residents. | Resident | lifetime | all | $587.00 |
| Lifetime Unified Sportsman/Coastal Recreational Fishing License - Adult Adults age 12 and older wanting lifetime hunting plus inland and coastal fishing privileges Resident price. Nonresident price is $2019.00. Youth (1-11) $587.00; senior resident $40.00. | Any | lifetime | 12+ | $880.00 |
| Permit 3 | ||||
| Mountain Heritage Trout Waters 3-Day Fishing License Residents and nonresidents fishing designated Mountain Heritage Trout Waters who do not already hold a state inland fishing license Sold only by phone (833-950-0575) or online; Wildlife Service Agents do not sell it. Honorably discharged military veterans are exempt with documentation. | Any | 3-day | 16+ | $8.00 |
| Special Device Inland Fishing License - Resident Residents fishing inland waters with special devices (other than hook and line) | Resident | annual | 16+ | $99.00 |
| Special Device Inland Fishing License - Nonresident Nonresidents fishing inland waters with special devices | Non-resident | annual | 16+ | $652.00 |
Fees as published by NC Wildlife Resources Commission 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
VERIFIED: North Carolina sells NO separate trout stamp. The public mountain trout waters privilege is included in the State Inland Fishing license and in the Unified and Sportsman tiers; the only trout-specific product is the $8 Mountain Heritage Trout Waters 3-day license for anglers without an inland license, which is captured as a permit row. Inland waters, coastal waters (CRFL, administered with the NC Division of Marine Fisheries) and the resident-only Unified license are three distinct structures and are represented as such. ncwildlife.gov/licensing loaded but publishes no fee table and redirects to eRegulations for fees; eRegulations is NCWRC's official digital regulations publisher and supplied the inland/unified/lifetime amounts, and the NC DEQ Division of Marine Fisheries page supplied the coastal amounts. DISCREPANCY NOTED: the codified rule text 15A NCAC 10A .1601 (mirrored on Cornell LII) still shows older amounts (resident inland $30, nonresident $54, unified $49, lifetime unified $567); the current published fee tables from eRegulations and NC DEQ agree with each other on $32/$56/$51/$587 and were used. The state rules host (ncrules.state.nc.us and reports.oah.state.nc.us) returned ROBOTS_DISALLOWED. A $5 transaction fee applies per order. Agency email, social handles and free fishing day dates were not confirmed from a loaded official page.
About NC Wildlife Resources Commission
North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission is the agency that issues fishing licences in North Carolina and sets what every angler on its water has to carry.
Base and combination licences run from $0.00 to $880.00 depending on residency, term and age.
Beyond the base licence there are 3 specialty items to watch for, including the Mountain Heritage Trout Waters 3-Day Fishing License, Special Device Inland Fishing License – Resident and the Special Device Inland Fishing License – Nonresident. 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.
Sources
- eregulations.com/northcarolina/fishing/fishing-licenses
- eregulations.com/northcarolina/fishing/license-information
- deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/marine-fisheries/licenses-permits-and-leases/recreational-fishing-licenses
- ncwildlife.gov/fishing/fishing-programs/mountain-heritage-trout-waters-program
- ncwildlife.gov/licensing