Rhode Island Fishing License
Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Division of Fish and Wildlife (RIDEM DFW)
Contact
- Address
- 235 Promenade Street
Providence, RI 02908 - DEM main office
- 401-222-4700
- Division of Fish and Wildlife
- 401-789-0281
- Fish & Wildlife Outreach Education
- 401-539-0019
- After-hours emergencies
- 401-222-3070
- DEM.DFW@dem.ri.gov
- Hours
- Mon-Fri 8:30am-4:00pm ET
- Website
- dem.ri.gov
At a glance
- Licences and permits
- 12
- Of which specialty
- 1
- Cheapest listed licence
- $0.00
- Free fishing days
- RIO lists a Free Fishing Weekend in May; the exact 2026 dates were not published on any RIDEM or RIO page loaded this session.
- Fees verified
- 4 Sep 2026
Who does not need one
Minors under 15 fish free. Residents over 65, residents who are 100% permanently disabled, blind persons, 100%-disabled armed-forces veterans, and landowners fishing their own property are exempt or receive a free permanent freshwater licence. For saltwater, no licence is needed for children under 16 or for anglers on party and charter boats; RI residents over 65 and active military stationed in RI are free.
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 Conservation Stamp$6.00 online; $6.50 from a vendor. Expires the last day of February with the licence. Confirms the brief - the freshwater licence and this stamp are separate items. | Stamp | Any angler who keeps or possesses a trout, salmon or charr taken in Rhode Island waters, and any angler fishing a catch-and-release or fly-fishing-only area | Any · annual · 15+ | $6.00 |
Every licence and fee 12
| Licence | Residency | Term | Ages | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base licence 11 | ||||
| Disabled Resident Freshwater Fishing License Residents who are 100% permanently disabled, and armed-forces veterans with a 100% disability rating Free permanent licence. | Resident | lifetime | all | Freestill required |
| Recreational Saltwater Fishing License - Senior / Active Military RI residents over 65 and active military stationed in Rhode Island Free. | Resident | annual | 65+ | Freestill required |
| Resident Senior Freshwater Fishing License Rhode Island residents over 65 Free permanent licence. | Resident | lifetime | 65+ | Freestill required |
| Rhode Island Recreational Saltwater Fishing License - 7-Day Short-term saltwater anglers | Any | 7-day | 16+ | $5.00 |
| Rhode Island Recreational Saltwater Fishing License - Resident Residents fishing recreationally or spearfishing in RI marine waters Separate from the freshwater licence - confirms the brief. Not needed on party/charter boats. | Resident | annual | 16+ | $7.00 |
| Rhode Island Recreational Saltwater Fishing License - Non-Resident Nonresidents fishing recreationally or spearfishing in RI marine waters A federal registration or a valid NY, CT, MA or ME saltwater licence is accepted instead. | Non-resident | annual | 16+ | $10.00 |
| Non-Resident Tourist Freshwater Fishing License (3 consecutive days) Visiting nonresidents fishing fresh water short-term $20.00 online; $22.00 from a vendor. | Non-resident | 3-day | 15+ | $20.00 |
| Resident Freshwater Fishing License Rhode Island residents 15 and older fishing fresh water $24.00 online through RIO; $26.00 from a vendor. Expires the last day of February. | Resident | annual | 15-64 | $24.00 |
| Non-Resident Freshwater Fishing License Nonresidents 15 and older fishing fresh water $41.00 online; $43.00 from a vendor. | Non-resident | annual | 15+ | $41.00 |
| Resident Combination Hunting & Fishing License Residents wanting both freshwater fishing and hunting privileges $43.00 online; $45.00 from a vendor. | Resident | annual | 15+ | $43.00 |
| Non-Resident Recreational Shellfish License Nonresidents taking shellfish recreationally (RI residents need none) RIO confirms the licence exists and that residents are exempt, but no price is published on any RIDEM/RIO page loaded this session. | Non-resident | annual | all | Not published |
| Stamp 1 | ||||
| Trout Conservation Stamp Any angler who keeps or possesses a trout, salmon or charr taken in Rhode Island waters, and any angler fishing a catch-and-release or fly-fishing-only area $6.00 online; $6.50 from a vendor. Expires the last day of February with the licence. Confirms the brief - the freshwater licence and this stamp are separate items. | Any | annual | 15+ | $6.00 |
Fees as published by RI DEM 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
CRITICAL-NOTE CHECK: Confirmed - a freshwater licence and a separate Trout Conservation Stamp are both required to keep trout/salmon/charr or to fish catch-and-release / fly-fishing-only areas, and the recreational saltwater licence is an entirely separate product. PRICE CONFLICT: the official RIDEM freshwater digest (eregulations.com/rhodeisland, RIDEM's own published guide) lists the resident freshwater licence at $24.00 online / $26.00 vendor and the Trout Conservation Stamp at $6.00 / $6.50. RIDEM's own dem.ri.gov/fishing web page still shows the older $21.00 / $23.00 licence and $5.50 / $6.00 stamp. The digest figures were used as the more current of the two official sources; the discrepancy is flagged here rather than resolved, since no third official source could be loaded. RI sells licences at two price points - a lower online price through the RIO system and a higher price at vendors; the 'price' field carries the online price and the vendor price is in notes. SHELLFISH: the nonresident recreational shellfish licence exists but no price is published on a loadable official page, so it is null. FREE FISHING: RIO mentions a Free Fishing Weekend in May without dates. Social media accounts for the Division of Fish and Wildlife were not listed on the contact pages loaded.
About RI DEM Fish & Wildlife
Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Division of Fish and Wildlife is the agency that issues fishing licences in Rhode Island and sets what every angler on its water has to carry.
Base and combination licences run from $0.00 to $43.00 depending on residency, term and age.
Beyond the base licence there is 1 specialty item to watch for, including the Trout Conservation Stamp. These are separate purchases and a base licence does not cover them.
Free fishing days: RIO lists a Free Fishing Weekend in May; the exact 2026 dates were not published on any RIDEM or RIO page loaded this session.
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.