Texas Fishing License
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD)
Contact
- Website
- tpwd.texas.gov
At a glance
- Licences and permits
- 22
- Of which specialty
- 7
- Cheapest listed licence
- $7.00
- Fees verified
- 4 Sep 2026
Who does not need one
Residents and non-residents under 17 need no fishing license. Texas residents born before Jan 1, 1931 are exempt. Persons with intellectual disabilities fishing under approved supervision with proper documentation are exempt. Louisiana residents 65 and older holding a valid Louisiana licence, and Oklahoma residents 65 and older, are exempt as non-residents.
Specialty licences 7
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saltwater Endorsement (with red drum tag / spotted seatrout tag)Sold only as part of a saltwater or all-water package on the source page, so no stand-alone price is published there. Price is included in the package fee. | Endorsement | Anglers fishing salt water; bundled into every saltwater and all-water package | Any · annual · 17+ | Not published |
| Lake Texoma Fishing LicenseValid until Dec 31 following date of issuance. Covers both the Texas and Oklahoma portions with no additional Texas or Oklahoma license. A Texas resident 65 or older does not need it to fish the Oklahoma portion. | Permit | Anglers fishing the Texas and Oklahoma waters of Lake Texoma; valid on Lake Texoma only | Any · annual · 17+ | $12.00 |
| Resident Sport Oyster Boat License | Permit | Residents taking oysters recreationally from a boat | Resident · annual · all | $13.00 |
| Non-resident Sport Oyster Boat License | Permit | Non-residents taking oysters recreationally from a boat | Non-resident · annual · all | $51.00 |
| Resident Freshwater Fishing Guide LicenseOccupational licence, listed for completeness. | Permit | Persons guiding anglers on fresh water for pay; not required for personal angling | Resident · annual · all | $132.00 |
| Resident All-Water Fishing Guide LicenseResident paddle-craft all-water guide licence is also 210.00. | Permit | Persons guiding anglers on all waters for pay; not required for personal angling | Resident · annual · all | $210.00 |
| Non-resident All-Water Fishing Guide LicenseNon-resident paddle-craft all-water guide licence is also 1050.00. | Permit | Non-residents guiding anglers for pay; not required for personal angling | Non-resident · annual · all | $1,050.00 |
Every licence and fee 22
| Licence | Residency | Term | Ages | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base licence 14 | ||||
| Special Resident All-Water Fishing License (legally blind) Legally blind Texas residents | Resident | annual | all | $7.00 |
| Resident One-Day All-Water Fishing License Texas residents fishing fresh or salt water for one day One red drum tag (Item 598) and one spotted seatrout tag (Item 596) available at no additional charge, limit one per customer. | Resident | 1-day | 17+ | $11.00 |
| Senior Resident Freshwater Fishing Package Texas residents age 65 and older fishing fresh water License year ends Aug 31. | Resident | annual | 65+ | $12.00 |
| Non-resident One-Day All-Water Fishing License Non-residents fishing fresh or salt water for one day One red drum tag and one spotted seatrout tag available at no additional charge, limit one per customer. | Non-resident | 1-day | 17+ | $16.00 |
| Senior Resident Saltwater Fishing Package Texas residents 65 and older fishing salt water Includes saltwater endorsement with tag(s). | Resident | annual | 65+ | $17.00 |
| Senior Resident All-Water Fishing Package Texas residents 65 and older fishing fresh and salt water Includes saltwater endorsement with tags. | Resident | annual | 65+ | $22.00 |
| Resident Freshwater Fishing Package Texas residents 17 and older fishing fresh water License year ends Aug 31. | Resident | annual | 17+ | $30.00 |
| Resident Saltwater Fishing Package Texas residents 17 and older fishing salt water Includes saltwater endorsement with red drum tag and/or spotted seatrout tag. License year ends Aug 31. | Resident | annual | 17+ | $35.00 |
| Resident All-Water Fishing Package Texas residents 17 and older fishing fresh and salt water Includes saltwater endorsement with a red drum tag and a spotted seatrout tag. | Resident | annual | 17+ | $40.00 |
| Year-from-Purchase All-Water Fishing Package Texas residents wanting 12 months from date of purchase rather than a license year ending Aug 31 365 days from purchase. Includes saltwater endorsement with red drum and spotted seatrout tags. | Resident | annual | 17+ | $47.00 |
| Non-resident Freshwater Fishing Package Non-residents 17 and older fishing fresh water License year ends Aug 31. | Non-resident | annual | 17+ | $58.00 |
| Non-resident Saltwater Fishing Package Non-residents 17 and older fishing salt water Includes saltwater endorsement with tag(s). | Non-resident | annual | 17+ | $63.00 |
| Non-resident All-Water Fishing Package Non-residents 17 and older fishing fresh and salt water Includes saltwater endorsement with tags. | Non-resident | annual | 17+ | $68.00 |
| Lifetime Resident Fishing License Texas residents wanting a lifetime fishing privilege Texas residents only. | Resident | lifetime | all | $1,000.00 |
| Combination licence 1 | ||||
| Lifetime Resident Combination Hunting and Fishing License Texas residents wanting lifetime hunting and fishing privileges Upgrade from lifetime fishing to lifetime combo: 800.00. | Resident | lifetime | all | $1,800.00 |
| Endorsement 1 | ||||
| Saltwater Endorsement (with red drum tag / spotted seatrout tag) Anglers fishing salt water; bundled into every saltwater and all-water package Sold only as part of a saltwater or all-water package on the source page, so no stand-alone price is published there. Price is included in the package fee. | Any | annual | 17+ | Not published |
| Permit 6 | ||||
| Lake Texoma Fishing License Anglers fishing the Texas and Oklahoma waters of Lake Texoma; valid on Lake Texoma only Valid until Dec 31 following date of issuance. Covers both the Texas and Oklahoma portions with no additional Texas or Oklahoma license. A Texas resident 65 or older does not need it to fish the Oklahoma portion. | Any | annual | 17+ | $12.00 |
| Resident Sport Oyster Boat License Residents taking oysters recreationally from a boat | Resident | annual | all | $13.00 |
| Non-resident Sport Oyster Boat License Non-residents taking oysters recreationally from a boat | Non-resident | annual | all | $51.00 |
| Resident Freshwater Fishing Guide License Persons guiding anglers on fresh water for pay; not required for personal angling Occupational licence, listed for completeness. | Resident | annual | all | $132.00 |
| Resident All-Water Fishing Guide License Persons guiding anglers on all waters for pay; not required for personal angling Resident paddle-craft all-water guide licence is also 210.00. | Resident | annual | all | $210.00 |
| Non-resident All-Water Fishing Guide License Non-residents guiding anglers for pay; not required for personal angling Non-resident paddle-craft all-water guide licence is also 1050.00. | Non-resident | annual | all | $1,050.00 |
Fees as published by Texas Parks and 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
tpwd.texas.gov, www.outdoorannual.com and www.txfgsales.com were all unreachable from this session (the network gateway returned 403 for the TPWD hosts, and robots.txt could not be retrieved), so all fees come from the official TPWD-authorised digest at eregulations.com/texas/fishing, which is the publisher of the Texas Outdoor Annual. TPWD headquarters mailing address, phone, email, hours and social handles could not be verified from any page loaded this session and are left null rather than filled from memory. A stand-alone 'bonus' red drum tag is NOT documented on any page loaded this session, so no row was created for it; the red drum and spotted seatrout tags that were confirmed come bundled with the saltwater endorsement inside the saltwater/all-water packages and with the one-day licence at no extra charge. Free fishing day information was not found on an accessible official page.
About Texas Parks and Wildlife
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is the agency that issues fishing licences in Texas and sets what every angler on its water has to carry.
Base and combination licences run from $7.00 to $1800.00 depending on residency, term and age.
Beyond the base licence there are 7 specialty items to watch for, including the Saltwater Endorsement (with red drum tag / spotted seatrout tag), Lake Texoma Fishing License, Resident Sport Oyster Boat License and the Non-resident Sport Oyster Boat License. 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.