Delaware Non-Resident Fishing License: Fees, FIN, and Penalties

If you’re visiting from out of state and want to wet a line, you need a Delaware non-resident fishing license before you fish, crab, or clam in Delaware waters. The annual license is $20 and runs through December 31 of the year you buy it; a seven-day license is $12.50.¹ The requirement kicks in at age 16, and one license covers all three activities.² Delaware has no reciprocal agreement with Maryland, New Jersey, or Pennsylvania, so a license from a neighboring state will not work here.³

Fees at a Glance

The core non-resident options are simple:

Annual non-resident fishing license: $20, valid through December 31 of the purchase year.¹
Seven-day non-resident fishing license: $12.50, valid for seven consecutive days.¹

Watch the calendar. The annual license expires December 31 no matter when you buy it, so a license bought in October gives you roughly two months, not twelve.⁴ Late in the year, the seven-day almost always makes more sense.

Fishing from a boat adds a second license on top of the general one:

Non-resident boat fishing license, 20 feet or under: $40.⁵
Non-resident boat fishing license, over 20 feet: $50.⁵

Chasing freshwater trout? You’ll need a non-resident trout stamp, which costs $6.20 for anglers 12 and older and gets affixed to your license.¹

How to Buy One

DNREC sells non-resident licenses three ways:²

Online through the Digital DNREC portal at epermitting.dnrec.delaware.gov. Fastest option, and your license is available immediately.
In person at an authorized retail agent. DNREC lists agents on its website.
At the DNREC licensing desk inside the Richardson and Robbins Building, 89 Kings Highway SW, Dover.

Buying online has a small bonus: creating your Digital DNREC account also registers you for the Fisherman Identification Network number that Delaware separately requires.

The FIN Number

Every angler 16 and older needs a Fisherman Identification Network (FIN) number, and this holds even if you’re exempt from the license itself.⁶ Registration is free. If you buy a fishing license, your FIN comes with it automatically. If you’re fishing on a free day or under one of the exemptions below, register for the FIN separately through the Digital DNREC portal before you go.

Holding a valid Delaware FIN also exempts you from the $12 federal National Saltwater Angler Registry fee, since Delaware shares its angler data with NOAA Fisheries.⁷

Surf Fishing on the Beach

Driving onto Delaware’s state park beaches to surf fish requires a separate vehicle permit. For non-residents, meaning any vehicle not registered in Delaware, the annual surf permit runs $160 to $180.⁸

Here’s the useful piece for the permit-holder: the surf permit doubles as your fishing license when you’re fishing at a designated state park surf fishing beach, so you don’t buy a separate one for that activity. Everyone else in the vehicle still needs their own fishing license.⁹

Before driving on the beach, all permit holders must watch Delaware’s official instructional surf fishing video, and the vehicle has to carry a shovel, jack, tow rope or chain, a support board for the jack, and a low-pressure tire gauge.⁹ If you buy online, expect two to three weeks for the physical permit to arrive by mail; a printable digital version is emailed right away for temporary use.⁸

Fishing the Delaware River Near NJ or PA

Delaware has no reciprocal fishing license agreement with any other state, and this catches anglers off guard along the river.³ A Maryland, New Jersey, or Pennsylvania license does not cover you in Delaware waters.

The jurisdictional line matters. Delaware’s authority on the Delaware River extends to the New Jersey low-tide line between the upstream tip of Artificial Island and the Delaware-Pennsylvania state line. Launch a boat from New Jersey and fish in that stretch, and you still need a Delaware license.³ Launch from Delaware but fish only on the New Jersey side of Delaware Bay, and you don’t.

New Jersey and Pennsylvania do have their own reciprocal agreement on the main stem of the river between them, but Delaware is not part of that arrangement.¹⁰ Where three states meet, you may need licenses from more than one depending on exactly where the line lands.

Who Doesn’t Need a License

Children under 16 can fish, crab, and clam without a license.¹¹ Note what isn’t on the exemption list: age. Delaware waives the license for residents 65 and older, but non-residents pay regardless of age.⁵

A handful of other groups are exempt from the license itself: anglers fishing at a pay-to-fish operation registered with the Delaware Department of Agriculture; honorably discharged veterans with a VA-certified service-connected disability of at least 60 percent; active-duty service members who are patients in a military hospital; patients in a VA facility in Delaware; and persons who are blind.¹¹ Every exempt angler 16 or older still needs a FIN.

Delaware also runs a couple of free fishing days each year. For 2026, they fall on June 7 and 8 during National Fishing and Boating Week, and both residents and non-residents can fish without a license.¹² Everything else stays in force: size limits, catch limits, seasonal closures, and the FIN requirement for anyone 16 or older.

Penalties for Skipping It

Fishing without a required license is a class C environmental violation in Delaware.¹³ Fines fall under Title 7, Section 1304 of the Delaware Code, and repeat offenders face steeper penalties plus possible prosecution costs.¹⁴

The reach extends past the state line. Delaware belongs to the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact, a 48-state agreement that honors fishing and hunting license suspensions across borders.¹⁵ A suspension here can follow you home. For a $20 license, it’s not a bet worth making.

1
Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. Fish and Wildlife License Fees
2
Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. Recreational Licensing
3
Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. Questions and Answers – Delaware Fishing Licenses
4
eRegulations. Delaware Fishing License Information
5
Delaware Code Online. Delaware Code Title 7 Chapter 5 – Licenses
6
Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. Get a FIN
7
NOAA Fisheries. National Saltwater Angler Registry
8
Delaware State Parks. 2026 Surf Permit – 1 Year Non-Resident
9
Delaware State Parks. Surf Fishing
10
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Delaware River Boundary Regulations
11
Justia Law. Delaware Code Title 7 Section 502 – Exceptions to Requirements for License
12
eRegulations. Delaware Fishing Seasons and Rules
13
Justia Law. Delaware Code Title 7 Section 716 – Hunting, Fishing or Trapping Without License
14
Delaware Code Online. Delaware Code Title 7 Chapter 13 – Enforcement of Game and Fish Laws
15
Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact