Virginia Fishing License
Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR)
Contact
- Address
- P.O. Box 90778
Henrico, VA 23228-0778 - Main office (phone/VTDD)
- 804-367-1000
- Licensing customer service
- 1-866-721-6911
- customerservice@dwr.virginia.gov
- Website
- dwr.virginia.gov
At a glance
- Licences and permits
- 27
- Of which specialty
- 7
- Cheapest listed licence
- $8.00
- Fees verified
- 4 Sep 2026
Who does not need one
Anglers under age 16 do not need a freshwater fishing licence; nonresident children under 16 are also exempt from the trout licence.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresident Trout LicenseRequired Oct 1 through Jun 15. | Stamp | Nonresidents fishing designated stocked trout waters; required in ADDITION to a freshwater fishing licence | Non-resident · season · 16+ | $23.00 |
| Resident Trout LicenseRequired Oct 1 through Jun 15; not required Jun 16 through Sep 30. Nonresident children under 16 are exempt from both the freshwater and trout licence. | Stamp | Residents fishing designated stocked trout waters; required in ADDITION to a freshwater fishing licence | Resident · season · 16+ | $23.00 |
| National Forest PermitClassic add-on that is easy to miss. Some exceptions apply. | Permit | Anglers fishing most waters inside the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests; required in ADDITION to the fishing licence | Any · annual · 16+ | $4.00 |
| South Holston Reservoir License | Permit | Anglers fishing the shared Virginia/Tennessee waters of South Holston Reservoir | Any · annual · 16+ | $21.00 |
| DWR Access Permit (daily) | Access or habitat fee | Daily access to DWR-owned lands and waters | Any · 1-day · all | $4.00 |
| State Forest Use Permit | Access or habitat fee | Anglers fishing state forest waters | Any · annual · all | $16.00 |
| DWR Restore the Wild / Access PermitAlso sold as a 4.00 daily permit. | Access or habitat fee | Anglers accessing DWR-owned lands and waters who do not hold a qualifying hunting, fishing or boat registration privilege | Any · annual · all | $23.00 |
Every licence and fee 27
| Licence | Residency | Term | Ages | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base licence 16 | ||||
| Nonresident 1-Day Freshwater Fishing License Nonresidents fishing inland waters for one day | Non-resident | 1-day | 16+ | $8.00 |
| Resident Senior Annual Freshwater Fishing License Virginia residents age 65 and older | Resident | annual | 65+ | $9.00 |
| Nonresident Saltwater 10-Day License Nonresidents fishing tidal saltwater for ten days | Non-resident | 10-day | 16+ | $10.00 |
| Resident Saltwater 10-Day License Virginia residents fishing tidal saltwater for ten days | Resident | 10-day | 16+ | $10.00 |
| Resident 5-Day Freshwater Fishing License Virginia residents fishing inland waters for five days | Resident | 5-day | 16+ | $14.00 |
| Resident County/City Freshwater Fishing License Virginia residents fishing only in their county or city of residence | Resident | annual | 16+ | $16.00 |
| Resident Saltwater (Tidal) Fishing License Virginia residents fishing tidal saltwater Saltwater recreational licence administered with the Virginia Marine Resources Commission. | Resident | annual | 16+ | $17.50 |
| Nonresident 5-Day Freshwater Fishing License Nonresidents fishing inland waters for five days | Non-resident | 5-day | 16+ | $21.00 |
| Resident State Freshwater Fishing License (1 year) Virginia residents age 16 and older fishing inland waters | Resident | annual | 16+ | $23.00 |
| Nonresident Saltwater (Tidal) Fishing License Nonresidents fishing tidal saltwater | Non-resident | annual | 16+ | $25.00 |
| Resident State Freshwater Fishing License (2 year) Virginia residents age 16 and older | Resident | multi-year | 16+ | $44.00 |
| Nonresident Annual Freshwater Fishing License Nonresidents age 16 and older fishing inland waters | Non-resident | annual | 16+ | $47.00 |
| Resident State Freshwater Fishing License (3 year) Virginia residents age 16 and older | Resident | multi-year | 16+ | $65.00 |
| Resident State Freshwater Fishing License (4 year) Virginia residents age 16 and older | Resident | multi-year | 16+ | $86.00 |
| Resident Saltwater Tidal Boat License Resident boat owners covering all anglers aboard in tidal waters | Resident | annual | all | $126.00 |
| Nonresident Saltwater Tidal Boat License Nonresident boat owners covering all anglers aboard in tidal waters | Non-resident | annual | all | $201.00 |
| Combination licence 4 | ||||
| Resident Combined Freshwater/Saltwater 5-Day License Virginia residents, five days, inland and tidal saltwater | Resident | 5-day | 16+ | $24.00 |
| Nonresident Combined Freshwater/Saltwater 5-Day License Nonresidents, five days, inland and tidal saltwater | Non-resident | 5-day | 16+ | $31.00 |
| Resident Combined Freshwater/Saltwater Fishing License Virginia residents fishing both inland and tidal saltwater | Resident | annual | 16+ | $39.50 |
| Nonresident Combined Freshwater/Saltwater Fishing License Nonresidents fishing both inland and tidal saltwater | Non-resident | annual | 16+ | $71.00 |
| Stamp 2 | ||||
| Nonresident Trout License Nonresidents fishing designated stocked trout waters; required in ADDITION to a freshwater fishing licence Required Oct 1 through Jun 15. | Non-resident | season | 16+ | $23.00 |
| Resident Trout License Residents fishing designated stocked trout waters; required in ADDITION to a freshwater fishing licence Required Oct 1 through Jun 15; not required Jun 16 through Sep 30. Nonresident children under 16 are exempt from both the freshwater and trout licence. | Resident | season | 16+ | $23.00 |
| Permit 2 | ||||
| National Forest Permit Anglers fishing most waters inside the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests; required in ADDITION to the fishing licence Classic add-on that is easy to miss. Some exceptions apply. | Any | annual | 16+ | $4.00 |
| South Holston Reservoir License Anglers fishing the shared Virginia/Tennessee waters of South Holston Reservoir | Any | annual | 16+ | $21.00 |
| Access or habitat fee 3 | ||||
| DWR Access Permit (daily) Daily access to DWR-owned lands and waters | Any | 1-day | all | $4.00 |
| State Forest Use Permit Anglers fishing state forest waters | Any | annual | all | $16.00 |
| DWR Restore the Wild / Access Permit Anglers accessing DWR-owned lands and waters who do not hold a qualifying hunting, fishing or boat registration privilege Also sold as a 4.00 daily permit. | Any | annual | all | $23.00 |
Fees as published by Virginia Wildlife Resources 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
CONFIRMED: Virginia does run three separate angling licences - freshwater, saltwater (tidal) and a trout licence - plus the easily-missed National Forest Permit (4.00) required on most waters inside the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests. The trout licence is seasonal, required Oct 1 to Jun 15 only. DWR office hours were not published on the contact page loaded this session. The DWR access permit is listed on the fee page as 4.00 per day or 23.00 per year and is entered as two rows. Virginia's trout pages also mention a landowner permit for certain wild trout and special-regulation waters that is obtained through GoOutdoorsVirginia; no price was published for it on the pages loaded, so no row was created. No free fishing day date was found on an official page loaded this session.
About Virginia Wildlife Resources
Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources is the agency that issues fishing licences in Virginia and sets what every angler on its water has to carry.
Base and combination licences run from $8.00 to $201.00 depending on residency, term and age.
Beyond the base licence there are 7 specialty items to watch for, including the Nonresident Trout License, Resident Trout License, National Forest Permit and the South Holston Reservoir 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.