Navajo Nation Fish and Wildlife Fishing Permits
Navajo Nation Department of Fish and Wildlife (NNDFW)
Contact
- Address
- PO Box 1480
Window Rock, AZ 86515 - Department of Fish and Wildlife, Window Rock
- 928-871-6450
- Fish and Wildlife permits (listed by Navajo Nation Parks and Recreation)
- 928-871-6451
- Website
- nndfw.org
At a glance
- Licences and permits
- 11
- Of which specialty
- 2
- Cheapest listed licence
- $8.75
- Fees verified
- 4 Sep 2026
Who does not need one
The Navajo Nation is a sovereign jurisdiction and issues its own fishing permits. Navajo Tourism states plainly: "State fishing licenses are not valid on the Navajo Nation e.g. Arizona and New Mexico. The only exception is the Utah state fishing license on Lake Powell." A Navajo Nation permit is therefore the operative authorisation almost everywhere on the Nation, and no additional Arizona or New Mexico licence is required on Navajo waters. Regulations require a permit of "Any person, Navajo or Non-Navajo twelve (12) years of age and over who angles, or fishes for aquatic wildlife in Navajo waters." Children under 12 may fish without a permit but are limited to half the daily bag and possession limits; a child under 12 may buy a permit to receive full limits. Enrolled Navajo members age 60 and over receive a lifetime fishing permit for a one-time $25 fee. A separate Navajo Nation watercraft permit and decal is required to operate any watercraft on Navajo waters.
Specialty licences 2
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Second Rod Validation | Endorsement | Any permit holder fishing with a second rod | Any · season · all | $5.00 |
| Water Craft PermitRegulations state: "A current and valid Navajo Nation watercraft permit and decal is required to operate any watercraft on the waters of the Navajo Nation." Commercially constructed fishing float tubes are excepted. | Permit | Operating any watercraft on waters of the Navajo Nation; a precondition to fishing from a boat | Any · season · all | $15.00 |
Every licence and fee 11
| Licence | Residency | Term | Ages | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base licence 7 | ||||
| Fishing Permit - Daily (Navajo) Enrolled Navajo anglers fishing for a single day | Resident | 1-day | 12+ | $8.75 |
| Fishing Permit - Daily (Non-Navajo) Non-Navajo anglers fishing for a single day | Non-resident | 1-day | 12+ | $15.00 |
| Fishing Permit - Three-Day (Navajo) Enrolled Navajo anglers fishing up to three days | Resident | 3-day | 12+ | $18.75 |
| Fishing Permit - Season (Navajo) Enrolled Navajo anglers age 12 and over fishing any water of the Navajo Nation "Navajo" rate applies to enrolled Navajo tribal members; the residency field is used here to distinguish Navajo from non-Navajo, not state residency. | Resident | season | 12+ | $22.50 |
| Fishing Permit - Three-Day (Non-Navajo) Non-Navajo anglers fishing up to three days | Non-resident | 3-day | 12+ | $25.00 |
| Lifetime Fishing Permit - Navajo Senior Enrolled Navajo tribal members age 60 and over One-time fee. Issued only at the Fish and Wildlife office in Window Rock, AZ. | Resident | lifetime | 60+ | $25.00 |
| Fishing Permit - Season (Non-Navajo) Non-Navajo anglers age 12 and over fishing any water of the Navajo Nation | Non-resident | season | 12+ | $40.00 |
| Combination licence 2 | ||||
| Fishing and Small Game Permit - Season (Navajo) Enrolled Navajo members wanting fishing plus small game privileges | Resident | season | 12+ | $32.00 |
| Fishing and Small Game Permit - Season (Non-Navajo) Non-Navajo permit holders wanting fishing plus small game privileges | Non-resident | season | 12+ | $55.00 |
| Endorsement 1 | ||||
| Second Rod Validation Any permit holder fishing with a second rod | Any | season | all | $5.00 |
| Permit 1 | ||||
| Water Craft Permit Operating any watercraft on waters of the Navajo Nation; a precondition to fishing from a boat Regulations state: "A current and valid Navajo Nation watercraft permit and decal is required to operate any watercraft on the waters of the Navajo Nation." Commercially constructed fishing float tubes are excepted. | Any | season | all | $15.00 |
Fees as published by Navajo Nation Fish 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
All prices come from the Navajo Nation Department of Fish and Wildlife permit page at nndfw.org/permits_fish.htm, loaded 2026-09-04. That page does not carry a permit-year label, so the fees should be treated as the currently posted schedule rather than an explicitly dated one; NNDFW also hosts an older permit_price2008.pdf which was NOT used. The state-licence statement is quoted from discovernavajo.com, the Navajo Nation's official tourism site; nndfw.org itself does not address state licence validity. The online permit portal at securepayment.link/nndfw/ is linked from nndfw.org but is blocked by robots.txt and could not be loaded to cross-check prices. No email address or office hours are published on nndfw.org. No aquatic invasive species inspection requirement is stated in the Navajo fishing and boating regulations page reviewed.
About Navajo Nation Fish and Wildlife
Navajo Nation Department of Fish and Wildlife manages fishing on the sovereign waters of the Navajo Nation (AZ, NM, UT). A state fishing licence is generally not valid here.
Base and combination licences run from $8.75 to $55.00 depending on residency, term and age.
Beyond the base licence there are 2 specialty items to watch for, including the Second Rod Validation and the Water Craft 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.