Do You Need a Fishing License in Massachusetts?

Yes — in most cases you do need a fishing license in Massachusetts. Freshwater fishing requires a license once you turn 15, and saltwater fishing requires a separate recreational permit once you turn 16. The two are not interchangeable, and there is no combined license, so if you fish both inland and marine waters you need both.¹

Freshwater Fishing: Who Needs a License

Anyone 15 or older needs a freshwater license to fish any inland lake, pond, river, or stream in the state. This applies to residents and non-residents alike. Children under 15 can fish without a license.²

Every freshwater license expires December 31 of the year it was purchased, no matter when you bought it. You have to carry the license while fishing — either a printed copy or a legible image on your phone — and show it to any enforcement officer who asks.³

Saltwater Fishing: Who Needs a Permit

A separate recreational saltwater permit is required for anyone 16 or older fishing in Massachusetts marine waters.⁴ The fee is the same for residents and non-residents: $10 for anglers under 60, free for those 60 and over. Even if the permit is free, you still have to register and carry proof.¹

One useful exception: if you fish aboard a permitted for-hire vessel such as a charter boat or head boat, the boat’s permit covers you and you do not need your own.⁵

Who Is Exempt

Most exemptions come down to age. Children under 15 need no freshwater license, and those under 16 need no saltwater permit. Massachusetts residents 70 and older get a free freshwater license, though they still have to obtain one, and residents aged 15 to 17 also get theirs free.²⁶ These age-based discounts are limited to U.S. citizens.

Residents who are blind, have paraplegia, or have an intellectual disability qualify for a free freshwater license. First-time applicants have to submit a separate application for pre-approval before the license can be issued.⁷

State law also lets residents and their immediate family members (15 or older) fish without a license in inland waters that border their own agricultural land, provided they actually live on the property and the land is not used primarily for club or recreational fishing. If you claim the exemption, the burden of proof is on you.⁸

And one weekend a year, no license is required to fish public inland waters. In 2025 the free fishing weekend fell on June 7–8; MassWildlife announces the dates each spring, and it usually lands in early June.

License Types and Fees for 2026

Freshwater fees vary by residency, age, and duration. Saltwater has a single price. The figures below are base prices, before the conservation stamp and processing fees.

Freshwater

Resident annual: $40
Resident age 65–69: $20
Resident age 70 or over: free
Resident minor (15–17): free
Non-resident annual: $50
Non-resident minor (15–17): $8
Resident 3-day: $20
Non-resident 3-day: $30.50
Quabbin Reservoir 1-day: $5

The 3-day options work well for visitors or anyone who wants to try before buying an annual.⁶

Saltwater

Anglers under 60: $10
Anglers 60 and over: free (registration still required)

Wildlands Stamp and Processing

A $5 Wildlands Conservation Stamp is added to the first resident license purchased each calendar year, and to every non-resident license. If you already paid it on a hunting license earlier in the year, you won’t be charged again. Anglers who receive free licenses get the stamp free too.⁹

Processing fees run $2.75 per license across all channels, plus a 4.95% convenience fee if you buy online, up to $1.50 at retail vendors, or $1.00 at a city or town clerk.⁶

How to Buy Your License

The simplest option is MassFishHunt, the state’s online portal at massfishhunt.mass.gov. You can buy both freshwater and saltwater permits through the same system and print your license at home.¹⁰

In person, licenses are sold at authorized sporting goods stores and bait shops, city and town clerk offices, and MassWildlife facilities. Bring identification, and if you’re claiming resident pricing, bring proof of Massachusetts residency. Once purchased, you can carry either the printed receipt or the digital version on your phone.¹¹

When a Massachusetts Permit Isn’t Enough

Massachusetts has saltwater reciprocity with New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Connecticut, but the terms differ. A New Hampshire or Rhode Island saltwater permit covers you in Massachusetts marine waters only if you are not a Massachusetts resident. A Connecticut permit covers you here only if you are a Connecticut resident. The reciprocity runs the other way as well, letting a Massachusetts permit cover you in those states under comparable conditions.⁴

Your state saltwater permit also stops at state waters. If you head offshore for highly migratory species like tuna, sharks, swordfish, or billfish, you need a separate federal Atlantic HMS Angling permit from NOAA Fisheries. That permit attaches to the vessel, not the angler, and renews yearly. Fishing for sharks also requires a shark endorsement, which involves a short training video and a quiz.¹² On a charter boat, the captain’s vessel usually carries the HMS Charter/Headboat permit, but confirm before your trip if sharks are on the target list.

1
Mass.gov. Who Needs a Recreational Saltwater Fishing Permit
2
Mass.gov. Who Needs a Freshwater Fishing License
3
Justia. Massachusetts Code 321 CMR 2.11 – Display of Sporting, Hunting, Fishing, and Trapping Licenses
4
Mass.gov. Get a Recreational Saltwater Fishing Permit
5
Legal Information Institute. 322 CMR 7.10 – Recreational Saltwater Fishing Permits
6
Mass.gov. License Types and Fees
7
Mass.gov. Freshwater Fishing and Hunting Licenses for People with Disabilities
8
General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Part I, Title XIX, Chapter 131, Section 13
9
Justia. Massachusetts Code Chapter 131 Section 13A – Wildlands Conservation Stamps
10
Mass.gov. Buy Fishing or Hunting Licenses
11
Mass.gov. Buy Your Freshwater Fishing License
12
NOAA Fisheries. Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Permits