Missouri Fishing License

Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC)

Contact

Address: Missouri Department of Conservation, 2901 W Truman Blvd
Jefferson City, MO 65102
Central Office (Jefferson City): 573-751-4115
Permit sales by phone: 800-392-4115
Operation Game Thief (report violations): 800-392-1111
Website: mdc.mo.gov

Buy a licence Read the regulations

At a glance

Licences and permits: 16
Of which specialty: 5
Cheapest listed licence: $5.50
Free fishing days: June 6-7, 2026. During Free Fishing Days anglers may fish without a permit, trout permit or trout park daily tag.
Fees verified: 4 Sep 2026

Who does not need one

Anyone age 15 and younger, resident or nonresident, may fish without a permit. Missouri residents age 65 or older may fish without a permit, EXCEPT that they still need a trout permit or a daily trout tag in areas where those are required. Resident landowners owning five acres or more, and their immediate households, may fish on land they own without a permit.

Specialty licences 5

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
Youth Trout PermitAnglers 15 and younger need no fishing permit, but do need this trout permit to possess trout.	Permit	Anglers age 15 and younger who fish for or possess trout outside the trout parks	Any · annual · under-16	$6.00
White River Border Lakes PermitDoes not cover trout. Valid from date of purchase through the last day of February. Same $10 price for the resident and resident-landowner categories. Available only to Missouri and Arkansas residents.	Permit	Missouri and Arkansas residents who want to fish the other state's portion of Bull Shoals, Norfork and Table Rock lakes. Held in addition to a fishing permit from the angler's state of residence.	Resident · annual · all	$10.00
Trout Permit (Resident)MDC states the permit 'is required to possess trout, except in trout parks where you must purchase a daily trout fishing tag,' and that the holder 'must also have a fishing permit or qualify for an exemption.' Missouri residents 65+ are exempt from the fishing permit but are NOT exempt from the trout permit or trout park daily tags.	Permit	Resident anglers age 16 and older who fish for or possess trout anywhere in Missouri other than the trout parks. Held IN ADDITION TO a fishing permit.	Resident · annual · 16+	$12.00
Trout Permit (Nonresident)New separate nonresident trout price introduced with the 2026 permit price adjustments.	Permit	Nonresident anglers age 16 and older who fish for or possess trout outside the trout parks. Held in addition to a fishing permit.	Non-resident · annual · 16+	$24.00
Daily Trout Fishing Tag (trout parks)Youth age 15 and younger pay $3.00. This daily tag replaces the annual Trout Permit inside the trout parks during the catch-and-keep season; MDC notes that fishing the parks in the winter season requires the annual Trout Permit instead.	Harvest / catch record card	Every angler fishing inside Missouri's four trout parks - Bennett Spring, Montauk, Roaring River state parks and Maramec Spring Park - during the catch-and-keep season. Bought each day at the park, in addition to a fishing permit.	Any · 1-day · 16+	$5.00

Every licence and fee 16

Licence	Residency	Term	Ages	Fee
Base licence 9
Resident Military Reduced Cost Permit Qualifying Missouri resident military personnel Eligibility criteria were not on a page loaded this session.	Resident	annual	all	$5.50
Daily Fishing Permit Residents and nonresidents wanting a single-day fishing permit. This permit also covers trout, so a separate Trout Permit is not needed on the day it is used. Same price for residents and nonresidents. Distinct from the $5/$3 Daily Trout Fishing Tag required inside the four trout parks.	Any	1-day	all	$9.00
Resident Fishing Permit Missouri residents age 16 through 64 fishing Missouri waters	Resident	annual	16-64	$14.00
Lifetime Fishing Permit - Age 60-64 Missouri residents buying a lifetime fishing privilege Residents only.	Resident	lifetime	60-64	$40.50
Nonresident Annual Fishing Permit Nonresidents age 16 and older fishing Missouri waters	Non-resident	annual	16+	$57.00
Lifetime Fishing Permit - Youth (0-15) Missouri residents buying a lifetime fishing privilege Residents only.	Resident	lifetime	0-15	$320.00
Lifetime Fishing Permit - Age 40-59 Missouri residents buying a lifetime fishing privilege Residents only.	Resident	lifetime	40-59	$349.00
Lifetime Fishing Permit - Age 30-39 Missouri residents buying a lifetime fishing privilege Residents only.	Resident	lifetime	30-39	$407.00
Lifetime Fishing Permit - Age 16-29 Missouri residents buying a lifetime fishing privilege Residents only.	Resident	lifetime	16-29	$465.50
Combination licence 2
Resident Hunting and Fishing Permit (combo) Residents wanting small game hunting and fishing privileges on one permit	Resident	annual	16-64	$22.50
Lifetime Conservation Partner Permit (hunting and fishing) Missouri residents buying combined lifetime hunting and fishing privileges Priced by age band: youth 0-15 $640.00; age 16-29 $930.50; age 30-39 $814.50; age 40-59 $698.00; age 60-64 $81.50. A single price cannot be given for the product as a whole, so the age-band prices are listed here instead.	Resident	lifetime	all	Not published
Permit 4
Youth Trout Permit Anglers age 15 and younger who fish for or possess trout outside the trout parks Anglers 15 and younger need no fishing permit, but do need this trout permit to possess trout.	Any	annual	under-16	$6.00
White River Border Lakes Permit Missouri and Arkansas residents who want to fish the other state's portion of Bull Shoals, Norfork and Table Rock lakes. Held in addition to a fishing permit from the angler's state of residence. Does not cover trout. Valid from date of purchase through the last day of February. Same $10 price for the resident and resident-landowner categories. Available only to Missouri and Arkansas residents.	Resident	annual	all	$10.00
Trout Permit (Resident) Resident anglers age 16 and older who fish for or possess trout anywhere in Missouri other than the trout parks. Held IN ADDITION TO a fishing permit. MDC states the permit 'is required to possess trout, except in trout parks where you must purchase a daily trout fishing tag,' and that the holder 'must also have a fishing permit or qualify for an exemption.' Missouri residents 65+ are exempt from the fishing permit but are NOT exempt from the trout permit or trout park daily tags.	Resident	annual	16+	$12.00
Trout Permit (Nonresident) Nonresident anglers age 16 and older who fish for or possess trout outside the trout parks. Held in addition to a fishing permit. New separate nonresident trout price introduced with the 2026 permit price adjustments.	Non-resident	annual	16+	$24.00
Harvest / catch record card 1
Daily Trout Fishing Tag (trout parks) Every angler fishing inside Missouri's four trout parks - Bennett Spring, Montauk, Roaring River state parks and Maramec Spring Park - during the catch-and-keep season. Bought each day at the park, in addition to a fishing permit. Youth age 15 and younger pay $3.00. This daily tag replaces the annual Trout Permit inside the trout parks during the catch-and-keep season; MDC notes that fishing the parks in the winter season requires the annual Trout Permit instead.	Any	1-day	16+	$5.00

Fees as published by Missouri Conservation 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

TROUT STRUCTURE VERIFIED as three distinct things: (1) the Fishing Permit, (2) the annual Trout Permit ($12 resident / $24 nonresident / $6 youth) required to possess trout OUTSIDE the trout parks, and (3) the Daily Trout Fishing Tag ($5 adult / $3 youth) required INSIDE the four trout parks during the catch-and-keep season, bought per day at the park. MDC's own wording: the trout permit 'is required to possess trout, except in trout parks where you must purchase a daily trout fishing tag,' and holders 'must also have a fishing permit or qualify for an exemption.' The separate $9 Daily Fishing Permit is a general one-day licence and is not the same product as the trout park daily tag. The 2026 permit price adjustment page and the fishing permits page agree on every price cross-checked. MDC does not publish a headquarters email address or office hours on the contact pages that loaded, so those fields are null; the regional offices page gave the Jefferson City central office address and phone. MDC social media accounts are referenced on the contact page but the specific handles were not rendered in the fetched content, so they are left blank rather than guessed. Missouri has no aquatic invasive species surcharge or habitat stamp attached to the fishing permit.

About Missouri Conservation

Missouri Department of Conservation is the agency that issues fishing licences in Missouri and sets what every angler on its water has to carry.

Base and combination licences run from $5.50 to $465.50 depending on residency, term and age.

Beyond the base licence there are 5 specialty items to watch for, including the Youth Trout Permit, White River Border Lakes Permit, Trout Permit (Resident) and the Trout Permit (Nonresident). These are separate purchases and a base licence does not cover them.

Free fishing days: June 6-7, 2026. During Free Fishing Days anglers may fish without a permit, trout permit or trout park daily tag.

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.