South Carolina Fishing License
South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR)
Contact
- Address
- Rembert C. Dennis Building, 1000 Assembly Street
Columbia, SC 29201 - communications@dnr.sc.gov
- Website
- dnr.sc.gov
At a glance
- Licences and permits
- 31
- Of which specialty
- 6
- Cheapest listed licence
- $0.00
- Fees verified
- 4 Sep 2026
Who does not need one
Anglers under 16 are exempt from licence requirements unless they fish commercially or possess nongame fishing devices, in which case all licensing requirements apply. A freshwater licence is required on inland waters except privately owned ponds. Qualifying residents with a disability receive a free 3-year licence.
Specialty licences 6
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resident Shrimp Baiting License & Tags | Permit | Residents taking shrimp over bait during the season | Resident · season · 16+ | $25.00 |
| Nonresident Nongame Freshwater Device Permits$50.00 for each device type (jug, set hook, eel pot tag, gill net tag, hoop net tag, trap tag, trotline tag). | Permit | Nonresidents using nongame devices in fresh water | Non-resident · annual · all | $50.00 |
| Nonresident Shrimp Baiting License & Tags | Permit | Nonresidents taking shrimp over bait during the season | Non-resident · season · 16+ | $500.00 |
| Resident Nongame Freshwater Device PermitsPriced individually: Jug $5.00, Set Hook $5.00, Eel Pot Tag $5.00, Gill Net Tag $5.00, Hoop Net Tag $10.00, Trap Tag $5.00, Trotline Tag $2.50. Single 'price' is null because it is a set of per-device fees. | Permit | Anglers using nongame devices in fresh water | Resident · annual · all | Not published |
| Wildlife Management Area (WMA) Permit - AnnualIncluded in the Sportsman License. Recorded here because the brief asked about it: on SCDNR's own pages the WMA permit is a hunting requirement, not an angling one. | Access or habitat fee | Required to HUNT on WMA lands (with a hunting licence). SCDNR does not list it as a requirement for fishing. | Resident · annual · 16+ | $30.50 |
| Wildlife Management Area (WMA) Permit - 3-Year | Access or habitat fee | Required to hunt on WMA lands; not listed as a fishing requirement | Resident · multi-year · 16+ | $91.50 |
Every licence and fee 31
| Licence | Residency | Term | Ages | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base licence 22 | ||||
| Resident Disability License (3-Year) Qualifying residents with a disability No cost. | Resident | multi-year | all | Freestill required |
| Resident 14-Day Freshwater Fishing License Residents fishing fresh water short-term | Resident | short-term | 16+ | $5.00 |
| Resident Senior Annual Combination License Residents 65 and older | Resident | annual | 65+ | $9.00 |
| Resident Senior Annual Fishing License Residents 65 and older | Resident | annual | 65+ | $9.00 |
| Nonresident 1-Day Saltwater Fishing License Nonresidents fishing salt water for one day | Non-resident | 1-day | 16+ | $10.00 |
| Resident 14-Day Saltwater Fishing License Residents fishing salt water short-term | Resident | short-term | 16+ | $10.00 |
| Resident Annual Freshwater Fishing License Residents 16 and older fishing inland/fresh waters (not privately owned ponds) | Resident | annual | 16+ | $10.00 |
| Nonresident 14-Day Freshwater Fishing License Nonresidents fishing fresh water short-term | Non-resident | short-term | 16+ | $11.00 |
| Resident Annual Saltwater Fishing License Residents 16 and older harvesting marine resources (finfish, oysters, clams, shrimp, crab) Separate product from the freshwater licence - confirms the brief's freshwater/saltwater split. | Resident | annual | 16+ | $15.00 |
| Resident Annual Combination License (Hunting & Freshwater Fishing) Residents wanting hunting plus freshwater fishing | Resident | annual | 16+ | $25.00 |
| Resident 3-Year Freshwater Fishing License Residents buying a multi-year freshwater licence | Resident | multi-year | 16+ | $30.00 |
| Nonresident 7-Day Saltwater Fishing License Nonresidents fishing salt water short-term | Non-resident | 7-day | 16+ | $35.00 |
| Nonresident Annual Freshwater Fishing License Nonresidents 16 and older fishing fresh water | Non-resident | annual | 16+ | $35.00 |
| Resident 3-Year Saltwater Fishing License Residents buying a multi-year saltwater licence | Resident | multi-year | 16+ | $45.00 |
| Nonresident Annual Saltwater Fishing License Nonresidents 16 and older harvesting marine resources | Non-resident | annual | 16+ | $75.00 |
| Resident 3-Year Combination License Residents wanting hunting plus freshwater fishing | Resident | multi-year | 16+ | $75.00 |
| Nonresident 3-Year Freshwater Fishing License Nonresidents buying a multi-year freshwater licence | Non-resident | multi-year | 16+ | $105.00 |
| Lifetime Combination License (under age 2) Resident infants under 2 Saltwater add-on $120.00. | Resident | lifetime | under-2 | $300.00 |
| Lifetime Freshwater Fishing License (ages 16-63) Residents 16-63 | Resident | lifetime | 16-63 | $300.00 |
| Lifetime Saltwater Fishing License (ages 16-63) Residents 16-63 | Resident | lifetime | 16-63 | $300.00 |
| Lifetime Combination License (ages 2-15) Resident youth 2-15 Saltwater add-on $160.00. | Resident | lifetime | 2-15 | $400.00 |
| Lifetime Combination License (ages 16-63) Residents 16-63 | Resident | lifetime | 16-63 | $500.00 |
| Combination licence 3 | ||||
| Junior Sportsman License Resident youth 16-17 | Resident | annual | 16-17 | $16.00 |
| Resident Annual Sportsman License Residents wanting the bundled package Includes State Hunting, Big Game, Wildlife Management Areas and Freshwater Fishing. | Resident | annual | 16+ | $50.00 |
| Resident 3-Year Sportsman License Residents wanting the bundled package Includes State Hunting, Big Game, WMA and Freshwater Fishing. | Resident | multi-year | 16+ | $150.00 |
| Permit 4 | ||||
| Resident Shrimp Baiting License & Tags Residents taking shrimp over bait during the season | Resident | season | 16+ | $25.00 |
| Nonresident Nongame Freshwater Device Permits Nonresidents using nongame devices in fresh water $50.00 for each device type (jug, set hook, eel pot tag, gill net tag, hoop net tag, trap tag, trotline tag). | Non-resident | annual | all | $50.00 |
| Nonresident Shrimp Baiting License & Tags Nonresidents taking shrimp over bait during the season | Non-resident | season | 16+ | $500.00 |
| Resident Nongame Freshwater Device Permits Anglers using nongame devices in fresh water Priced individually: Jug $5.00, Set Hook $5.00, Eel Pot Tag $5.00, Gill Net Tag $5.00, Hoop Net Tag $10.00, Trap Tag $5.00, Trotline Tag $2.50. Single 'price' is null because it is a set of per-device fees. | Resident | annual | all | Not published |
| Access or habitat fee 2 | ||||
| Wildlife Management Area (WMA) Permit - Annual Required to HUNT on WMA lands (with a hunting licence). SCDNR does not list it as a requirement for fishing. Included in the Sportsman License. Recorded here because the brief asked about it: on SCDNR's own pages the WMA permit is a hunting requirement, not an angling one. | Resident | annual | 16+ | $30.50 |
| Wildlife Management Area (WMA) Permit - 3-Year Required to hunt on WMA lands; not listed as a fishing requirement | Resident | multi-year | 16+ | $91.50 |
Fees as published by SCDNR 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
CRITICAL-NOTE CHECK: The freshwater/saltwater split is confirmed - SCDNR sells separate freshwater and saltwater recreational licences (annual, 14-day, 3-year resident; annual, 14-day/7-day, 1-day, 3-year nonresident). The WMA Permit claim is only PARTLY right: SCDNR's licence pages describe the WMA permit as 'Required to hunt on WMA lands, hunting license or Lifetime Hunting License required.' Neither the pricing pages nor the general licence page lists it as a requirement for FISHING. It is included above as an 'access' row with that qualification stated, rather than presented as an angling requirement. NO SALTWATER COMBINATION: SCDNR's nonresident page lists no combination licence for nonresidents. CONTACT: SCDNR's contact page gives the street address and a communications email but no main phone number or office hours; the division phone directory is behind a separate link that could not be loaded, so phone and hours are null rather than guessed. FREE FISHING DAYS: not published on any SCDNR page loaded this session.
About SCDNR
South Carolina Department of Natural Resources is the agency that issues fishing licences in South Carolina and sets what every angler on its water has to carry.
Base and combination licences run from $0.00 to $500.00 depending on residency, term and age.
Beyond the base licence there are 6 specialty items to watch for, including the Resident Shrimp Baiting License & Tags, Nonresident Nongame Freshwater Device Permits, Nonresident Shrimp Baiting License & Tags and the Resident Nongame Freshwater Device Permits. 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.