Pennsylvania Fishing License
Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC)
Contact
- Address
- 1601 Elmerton Avenue
Harrisburg, PA 17110 - Main office
- 717-705-7800
- Fishing licences
- 1-800-838-4431
- RA-PFBCLICENSING@pa.gov
- Website
- pa.gov/agencies/fishandboat
At a glance
- Licences and permits
- 32
- Of which specialty
- 8
- Cheapest listed licence
- $0.00
- Fees verified
- 4 Sep 2026
Who does not need one
A fishing licence is required from age 16. Anglers under 16 may fish without a licence; the Voluntary Youth Fishing License and the free Mentored Youth Permit are optional. Qualifying resident disabled veterans fish free; former prisoners of war pay a reduced fee.
Specialty licences 8
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mentored Youth PermitFree. | Permit | Anglers under 16 taking part in Mentored Youth fishing days | Any · season · under-16 | Freestill required |
| Lake Erie Permit | Permit | Anglers 16 and older fishing Lake Erie, its tributaries and Presque Isle Bay | Any · annual · 16+ | $9.97 |
| Senior Lifetime Lake Erie Permit | Permit | Senior lifetime licence holders 65 and older fishing Lake Erie waters | Resident · lifetime · 65+ | $9.97 |
| Trout PermitOne of PA's three distinct trout/Lake Erie items - confirms the brief. | Permit | Anglers 16 and older who take, kill or possess trout or who fish designated trout waters | Any · annual · 16+ | $14.97 |
| Voluntary Bass PermitPrice not published on any PFBC page loaded this session. | Permit | Optional - funds bass habitat, access and hatchery work. NOT required to fish. | Any · annual · all | Not published |
| Voluntary Habitat / Waterways Conservation PermitPrice could not be verified: PFBC's voluntary-permit page and its licence-price tables do not publish the fee, and the HuntFishPA cart requires sign-in. Available as annual, 3-year, 5-year or 10-year. | Permit | Optional - anglers who choose to fund stream, river, lake and wetland habitat work. NOT required to fish. | Any · annual · all | Not published |
| Voluntary Musky PermitPrice not published on any PFBC page loaded this session. | Permit | Optional - funds musky hatchery equipment, forage and research. NOT required to fish. | Any · annual · all | Not published |
| Voluntary Wild Trout and Enhanced Waters PermitPrice not published on any PFBC page loaded this session. Available as annual, 3-year, 5-year or 10-year. | Permit | Optional - funds wild trout fisheries and habitat work. NOT required to fish. | Any · annual · all | Not published |
Every licence and fee 32
| Licence | Residency | Term | Ages | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base licence 20 | ||||
| Disabled Veterans Resident Annual Fishing License Qualifying resident disabled veterans 16 and older Free. | Resident | annual | 16+ | Freestill required |
| POW Resident Annual Fishing License Resident former prisoners of war | Resident | annual | 16+ | $2.97 |
| Voluntary Youth Fishing License Optional licence for anglers under 16 (not required to fish) Voluntary - youth under 16 may fish without any licence. | Any | annual | under-16 | $2.97 |
| Resident 1-Day Fishing License Residents fishing for a single day Not valid March 15 - April 30. Price includes the $1.00 issuing agent fee and $0.97 transaction fee. | Resident | 1-day | 16+ | $14.47 |
| Senior Resident Annual Fishing License Residents 65 and older Price includes the $1.00 issuing agent fee and $0.97 transaction fee. | Resident | annual | 65+ | $14.47 |
| Non-Resident PA Student Annual Fishing License Nonresident students enrolled in a Pennsylvania school | Non-resident | annual | 16+ | $27.97 |
| Resident Annual Fishing License Residents 16-64 who fish Pennsylvania waters Price includes the $1.00 issuing agent fee and $0.97 transaction fee. | Resident | annual | 16-64 | $27.97 |
| 1-Day Tourist Fishing License Nonresident visitors fishing for a single day Not valid March 15 - April 30. | Non-resident | 1-day | 16+ | $31.97 |
| 3-Day Tourist Fishing License Nonresident visitors fishing three consecutive days | Non-resident | 3-day | 16+ | $31.97 |
| 7-Day Tourist Fishing License Nonresident visitors fishing seven consecutive days | Non-resident | 7-day | 16+ | $39.47 |
| Senior Resident 3-Year Fishing License Residents 65 and older | Resident | multi-year | 65+ | $39.47 |
| Non-Resident Annual Fishing License Nonresidents 16 and older Price includes the $1.00 issuing agent fee and $0.97 transaction fee. | Non-resident | annual | 16+ | $60.97 |
| Senior Resident 5-Year Fishing License Residents 65 and older | Resident | multi-year | 65+ | $64.47 |
| Resident 3-Year Fishing License Residents 16-64 buying a multi-year licence PFBC multi-year option - confirms the brief. | Resident | multi-year | 16-64 | $79.97 |
| Senior Resident Lifetime Fishing License Residents 65 and older Price includes the $1.00 issuing agent fee and $0.97 transaction fee. | Resident | lifetime | 65+ | $86.97 |
| Resident 5-Year Fishing License Residents 16-64 buying a multi-year licence | Resident | multi-year | 16-64 | $131.97 |
| Non-Resident 3-Year Fishing License Nonresidents buying a multi-year licence | Non-resident | multi-year | 16+ | $178.97 |
| Resident 10-Year Fishing License Residents 16-64 buying a multi-year licence | Resident | multi-year | 16-64 | $261.97 |
| Non-Resident 5-Year Fishing License Nonresidents buying a multi-year licence | Non-resident | multi-year | 16+ | $296.97 |
| Non-Resident 10-Year Fishing License Nonresidents buying a multi-year licence | Non-resident | multi-year | 16+ | $591.97 |
| Combination licence 4 | ||||
| Combination Trout/Lake Erie Permit Anglers who want both the Trout Permit and the Lake Erie Permit Third distinct item, cheaper than buying the two permits separately. | Any | annual | 16+ | $20.97 |
| Combination Trout/Lake Erie Permit - 3 Year Multi-year buyers | Any | multi-year | 16+ | $58.97 |
| Combination Trout/Lake Erie Permit - 5 Year Multi-year buyers | Any | multi-year | 16+ | $96.97 |
| Combination Trout/Lake Erie Permit - 10 Year Multi-year buyers | Any | multi-year | 16+ | $191.97 |
| Permit 8 | ||||
| Mentored Youth Permit Anglers under 16 taking part in Mentored Youth fishing days Free. | Any | season | under-16 | Freestill required |
| Lake Erie Permit Anglers 16 and older fishing Lake Erie, its tributaries and Presque Isle Bay | Any | annual | 16+ | $9.97 |
| Senior Lifetime Lake Erie Permit Senior lifetime licence holders 65 and older fishing Lake Erie waters | Resident | lifetime | 65+ | $9.97 |
| Trout Permit Anglers 16 and older who take, kill or possess trout or who fish designated trout waters One of PA's three distinct trout/Lake Erie items - confirms the brief. | Any | annual | 16+ | $14.97 |
| Voluntary Bass Permit Optional - funds bass habitat, access and hatchery work. NOT required to fish. Price not published on any PFBC page loaded this session. | Any | annual | all | Not published |
| Voluntary Habitat / Waterways Conservation Permit Optional - anglers who choose to fund stream, river, lake and wetland habitat work. NOT required to fish. Price could not be verified: PFBC's voluntary-permit page and its licence-price tables do not publish the fee, and the HuntFishPA cart requires sign-in. Available as annual, 3-year, 5-year or 10-year. | Any | annual | all | Not published |
| Voluntary Musky Permit Optional - funds musky hatchery equipment, forage and research. NOT required to fish. Price not published on any PFBC page loaded this session. | Any | annual | all | Not published |
| Voluntary Wild Trout and Enhanced Waters Permit Optional - funds wild trout fisheries and habitat work. NOT required to fish. Price not published on any PFBC page loaded this session. Available as annual, 3-year, 5-year or 10-year. | Any | annual | all | Not published |
Fees as published by PA Fish & Boat 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
CRITICAL-NOTE CHECK: Confirmed on the official pa.gov PFBC price table - the Trout Permit ($14.97), the Lake Erie Permit ($9.97) and the Combination Trout/Lake Erie Permit ($20.97) are three distinct products. Multi-year licences confirmed (3, 5 and 10-year for residents and nonresidents; 3 and 5-year for seniors; 3/5/10-year combination trout-Lake Erie permits). VOLUNTARY PERMITS: PFBC confirms four voluntary permits exist (Waterways Conservation/Habitat, Wild Trout & Enhanced Waters, Bass, Musky) and that each is sold as annual/3/5/10-year, but NO PFBC page loaded this session publishes their prices - the licence price table omits them and the voluntary-permit service page has no fee. Prices are therefore null rather than guessed. LICENCE YEAR: PFBC pages loaded this session do not state the licence-year start/end dates (only that 1-day licences are not valid March 15 - April 30), so no validity window is asserted. FREE FISHING DAYS: not stated on any page loaded, left null. The old fishandboat.com URLs now 302-redirect to pa.gov/agencies/fishandboat; all pricing came from the pa.gov host. All prices include the $1.00 issuing agent fee and $0.97 transaction fee, per the PFBC table's own footnote. Social media handles were not present on the pa.gov pages loaded.
About PA Fish & Boat
Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is the agency that issues fishing licences in Pennsylvania and sets what every angler on its water has to carry.
Base and combination licences run from $0.00 to $591.97 depending on residency, term and age.
Beyond the base licence there are 8 specialty items to watch for, including the Mentored Youth Permit, Lake Erie Permit, Senior Lifetime Lake Erie Permit and the Trout Permit. 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.