Ohio Fishing License

Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife (ODNR DOW)

Contact

Address: 2045 Morse Road
Columbus, OH 43229
ODNR general information: 614-265-6565
Wildlife hotline (1-800-WILDLIFE): 1-800-945-3543
Media inquiries: 614-265-6860
Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-5pm ET (wildlife hotline)
Website: ohiodnr.gov

Buy a licence Read the regulations

At a glance

Licences and permits: 15
Of which specialty: 1
Cheapest listed licence: $10.00
Fees verified: 4 Sep 2026

Who does not need one

Persons under 16 are exempt from the Ohio fishing license requirement.

Specialty licences 1

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
Ohio Conservation CardAppears in the official license fee table at $4.00. The pages loaded did not state that it is a prerequisite for angling, so treat it as optional unless ODNR confirms otherwise.	Endorsement	Residents; sold alongside fishing licenses in the official fee table	Resident · annual · all	$4.00

Every licence and fee 15

Licence	Residency	Term	Ages	Fee
Base licence 14
Resident Senior Annual Fishing License Qualifying senior Ohio residents The official 2026-27 fishing regulations state age 65+; the eRegulations edition of the same table states age 66+. Confirm the qualifying birth-date rule with ODNR before relying on the age band.	Resident	annual	65+	$10.00
Resident 1-Day Fishing License Ohio residents 16 and older fishing for one day A one-day license may be applied as credit toward the purchase of an annual license (resident upgrade $12.00).	Resident	1-day	16+	$14.00
Resident Annual Fishing License Ohio residents 16 and older	Resident	annual	16+	$25.00
Nonresident 1-Day Fishing License Nonresidents 16 and older fishing for one day Nonresident one-day-to-annual upgrade is listed at $37.44 in the eRegulations edition.	Non-resident	1-day	16+	$27.04
Resident Senior 3-Year Fishing License Qualifying senior Ohio residents	Resident	multi-year	65+	$27.04
Resident Senior 5-Year Fishing License Qualifying senior Ohio residents	Resident	multi-year	65+	$45.07
Nonresident 3-Day Fishing License Nonresidents fishing for three days	Non-resident	3-day	16+	$52.00
Resident 3-Year Fishing License Ohio residents wanting a three-year license Multi-year and lifetime licenses are sold to Ohio residents only.	Resident	multi-year	16+	$72.11
Nonresident Annual Fishing License Nonresidents 16 and older	Non-resident	annual	16+	$76.96
Resident Senior Lifetime Fishing License Qualifying senior Ohio residents	Resident	lifetime	65+	$84.24
Resident 5-Year Fishing License Ohio residents wanting a five-year license	Resident	multi-year	16+	$120.18
Resident 10-Year Fishing License Ohio residents wanting a ten-year license	Resident	multi-year	16+	$240.36
Resident Youth Lifetime Fishing License Ohio residents purchasing before the child's 16th birthday	Resident	lifetime	under-16	$430.56
Resident Lifetime Fishing License Ohio residents wanting a lifetime license	Resident	lifetime	16+	$599.04
Endorsement 1
Ohio Conservation Card Residents; sold alongside fishing licenses in the official fee table Appears in the official license fee table at $4.00. The pages loaded did not state that it is a prerequisite for angling, so treat it as optional unless ODNR confirms otherwise.	Resident	annual	all	$4.00

Fees as published by Ohio Division of 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

CHECKED AND NOT CONFIRMED: Ohio does NOT sell a Lake Erie fishing permit for nonresidents. Neither the ODNR license page nor the official 2026-27 Ohio Fishing Regulations fee table contains any Lake Erie permit or angling stamp - the statewide fishing license covers Lake Erie. No row was created for one. (A Lake Erie trotline license exists but is a commercial-style gear license, not a recreational angling requirement, and a Lake Erie Fishing Guide license applies to charter guides.) Ohio DOES have a one-day tier for both residents ($14.00) and nonresidents ($27.04), and a one-day-to-annual upgrade credit. PRICE CONFLICT RESOLVED: the eRegulations edition of the Ohio fee table shows older nonresident amounts (1-day $14.00, 3-day $25.00, annual $50.96); the ODNR license page and the official 2026-27 regulations PDF agree on $27.04 / $52.00 / $76.96 and were used. Senior age band differs between the two sources (65+ vs 66+) and is flagged in that row's notes. Ohio's Wetlands Habitat Stamp is a hunting requirement, not an angling one, so no habitat stamp row was created. Agency email, social handles and free fishing day dates were not published on the pages loaded.

About Ohio Division of Wildlife

Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife is the agency that issues fishing licences in Ohio and sets what every angler on its water has to carry.

Base and combination licences run from $10.00 to $599.04 depending on residency, term and age.

Beyond the base licence there is 1 specialty item to watch for, including the Ohio Conservation Card. 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.