US Fish and Wildlife Service Fishing Permits

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)

Contact

Address: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1849 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20240
Agency Contact Center (1-800-344-WILD): 800-344-9453
Email: info@fws.gov
Website: fws.gov

Buy a licence Read the regulations

At a glance

Licences and permits: 11
Of which specialty: 11
Free fishing days: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service does not run free fishing days; it sells no fishing licence. Refuges observe federal fee-free days, which waive refuge entrance fees only - the state fishing licence is still required.
Fees verified: 4 Sep 2026

Who does not need one

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service does not sell a fishing licence for the National Wildlife Refuge System. 'Each National Wildlife Refuge that offers recreational fishing follows State laws, rules and regulations that govern fishing in that State', so the licence you must carry is the STATE licence for the state the refuge sits in, bought from that state's fish and wildlife agency. On top of that state licence a refuge may add its own layer, and often does: (a) a refuge entrance fee, charged only at some refuges and priced per refuge (Chincoteague is 10.00 daily, 45.00 annual); (b) a refuge-specific fishing or special use permit, for example Parker River's separate night fishing permit and its shellfishing permits, which sit alongside - never instead of - the Massachusetts state licence; and (c) local restrictions, since 'some Refuges may also have their own fishing regulations'. The Federal Duck Stamp is the piece anglers most often misread. At 25.00 it is a hunting stamp, but a current stamp 'is also a free pass into any national wildlife refuge that charges an entry fee', which makes it a cheap year-round refuge entry pass for anglers. It buys you through the gate; it does not let you fish. Note the reverse trap too: at Chincoteague a Duck Stamp covers entry but you still owe the 20.00 annual beach parking permit. The America the Beautiful interagency passes also cover refuge entrance fees and are equally not a fishing licence.

Specialty licences 11

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
Federal Duck Stamp (Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp)A current Duck Stamp 'is also a free pass into any national wildlife refuge that charges an entry fee'. Validity runs 1 July to 30 June. Sold at most US Post Offices, sporting goods stores, some refuges, the USPS Postal Store, and online via Amplex at duckstamp.com; an E-Duck Stamp gives an immediate electronic receipt. It is NOT a fishing licence and grants no fishing privilege.	Stamp	Migratory bird hunters 16 and older; anglers buy it voluntarily because it doubles as a refuge entry pass	Any · annual · 16+	$25.00
Refuge Fishing Permit / Special Use PermitIssued and priced refuge by refuge; there is no national refuge fishing permit and no national price. Loaded example: Parker River National Wildlife Refuge requires a valid state fishing licence AND a separate refuge night fishing permit, obtained at the gatehouse or the Lot 1 electronic fee station, plus both town and refuge permits for shellfishing; the refuge does not publish the permit fee on its fishing page. Some refuges use the FWS Special Use Permit process instead.	Permit	Anglers on refuges that require a refuge-issued permit on top of the state licence, for example for night fishing, shellfishing, or restricted units	Any · season · all	Not published
Every Kid Outdoors 4th Grade PassFree with a voucher from everykidoutdoors.gov.	Access or habitat fee	US fourth graders and accompanying family	Resident · annual · 4th grade	Freestill required
Interagency Access PassFree, lifetime.	Access or habitat fee	US citizens and residents with a permanent disability	Resident · lifetime · all	Freestill required
Interagency Military PassFree.	Access or habitat fee	Active duty US military and dependents, veterans and Gold Star Families	Resident · annual · all	Freestill required
Interagency Senior Annual PassAccepted at fee-charging refuges.	Access or habitat fee	US citizens and residents aged 62 and older	Resident · annual · 62+	$20.00
America the Beautiful Interagency Annual Pass (Resident)Accepted at fee-charging national wildlife refuges. Covers entrance and day-use fees only; it is not a fishing licence.	Access or habitat fee	Visitors who want refuge entrance fees and standard amenity day-use fees covered across all federal recreation lands	Resident · annual · all	$80.00
Interagency Senior Lifetime PassAccepted at fee-charging refuges.	Access or habitat fee	US citizens and residents aged 62 and older	Resident · lifetime · 62+	$80.00
America the Beautiful Interagency Annual Pass (Non-Resident)Price effective 1 January 2026 across the interagency pass programme.	Access or habitat fee	Visitors who are not US residents	Non-resident · annual · all	$250.00
Refuge Entrance Fee (daily)Set refuge by refuge and most of the 573 refuges charge nothing. Loaded example: Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge charges 10.00 for a daily pass. Check the individual refuge's fees page for the current figure.	Access or habitat fee	Anyone entering a national wildlife refuge that charges an entrance fee, including anglers	Any · 1-day · all	Not published
Refuge-Specific Annual PassPriced refuge by refuge. Loaded example: the Chincoteague refuge annual pass is 45.00. Chincoteague also sells a separate 20.00 annual beach parking permit that Duck Stamp holders still have to buy.	Access or habitat fee	Repeat visitors to a single fee-charging refuge	Any · annual · all	Not published

Every licence and fee 11

Licence	Residency	Term	Ages	Fee
Stamp 1
Federal Duck Stamp (Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp) Migratory bird hunters 16 and older; anglers buy it voluntarily because it doubles as a refuge entry pass A current Duck Stamp 'is also a free pass into any national wildlife refuge that charges an entry fee'. Validity runs 1 July to 30 June. Sold at most US Post Offices, sporting goods stores, some refuges, the USPS Postal Store, and online via Amplex at duckstamp.com; an E-Duck Stamp gives an immediate electronic receipt. It is NOT a fishing licence and grants no fishing privilege.	Any	annual	16+	$25.00
Permit 1
Refuge Fishing Permit / Special Use Permit Anglers on refuges that require a refuge-issued permit on top of the state licence, for example for night fishing, shellfishing, or restricted units Issued and priced refuge by refuge; there is no national refuge fishing permit and no national price. Loaded example: Parker River National Wildlife Refuge requires a valid state fishing licence AND a separate refuge night fishing permit, obtained at the gatehouse or the Lot 1 electronic fee station, plus both town and refuge permits for shellfishing; the refuge does not publish the permit fee on its fishing page. Some refuges use the FWS Special Use Permit process instead.	Any	season	all	Not published
Access or habitat fee 9
Every Kid Outdoors 4th Grade Pass US fourth graders and accompanying family Free with a voucher from everykidoutdoors.gov.	Resident	annual	4th grade	Freestill required
Interagency Access Pass US citizens and residents with a permanent disability Free, lifetime.	Resident	lifetime	all	Freestill required
Interagency Military Pass Active duty US military and dependents, veterans and Gold Star Families Free.	Resident	annual	all	Freestill required
Interagency Senior Annual Pass US citizens and residents aged 62 and older Accepted at fee-charging refuges.	Resident	annual	62+	$20.00
America the Beautiful Interagency Annual Pass (Resident) Visitors who want refuge entrance fees and standard amenity day-use fees covered across all federal recreation lands Accepted at fee-charging national wildlife refuges. Covers entrance and day-use fees only; it is not a fishing licence.	Resident	annual	all	$80.00
Interagency Senior Lifetime Pass US citizens and residents aged 62 and older Accepted at fee-charging refuges.	Resident	lifetime	62+	$80.00
America the Beautiful Interagency Annual Pass (Non-Resident) Visitors who are not US residents Price effective 1 January 2026 across the interagency pass programme.	Non-resident	annual	all	$250.00
Refuge Entrance Fee (daily) Anyone entering a national wildlife refuge that charges an entrance fee, including anglers Set refuge by refuge and most of the 573 refuges charge nothing. Loaded example: Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge charges 10.00 for a daily pass. Check the individual refuge's fees page for the current figure.	Any	1-day	all	Not published
Refuge-Specific Annual Pass Repeat visitors to a single fee-charging refuge Priced refuge by refuge. Loaded example: the Chincoteague refuge annual pass is 45.00. Chincoteague also sells a separate 20.00 annual beach parking permit that Duck Stamp holders still have to buy.	Any	annual	all	Not published

Fees as published by US Fish and Wildlife Service 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

The 25.00 Duck Stamp price is taken from the FWS Federal Duck Stamp About Us page ('Bringing the cost of a Duck Stamp to $25 beginning in 2015-2016') and corroborated by the Chincoteague refuge fees page, which lists the Duck Stamp at 25.00 among accepted passes. Neither the main Duck Stamp product pages nor the June 2026 press release restated the price. Refuge entrance fees, refuge annual passes and refuge fishing permits are left null because they are set individually at each of the 573 refuges; Chincoteague and Parker River are given in notes as loaded examples only. Parker River publishes no dollar figure for its night fishing permit on the page loaded. The FWS refuge entrance rules page (fws.gov/law/refuge-entrance-rules-and-permits) cites 50 CFR 25.55, 26.21 and 26.22 but publishes no fee amounts.

About US Fish and Wildlife Service

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service does not sell a general fishing licence. It manages the water, requires the relevant state licence on it, and in places layers its own permit, pass or day-use fee on top.

It issues 11 permits and fees of its own, including the Federal Duck Stamp (Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp), Refuge Fishing Permit / Special Use Permit, Every Kid Outdoors 4th Grade Pass and the Interagency Access Pass.

Free fishing days: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service does not run free fishing days; it sells no fishing licence. Refuges observe federal fee-free days, which waive refuge entrance fees only – the state fishing licence is still required.

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.