If you’re 16 or older and planning to fish anywhere in Florida, you almost certainly need a Florida fishing license. Residents pay $17 a year for freshwater or saltwater, $32.50 for a combination covering both. Non-residents pay $47 a year, or $17 for three days and $30 for seven. You can buy online at GoOutdoorsFlorida.com, through the Fish|Hunt FL app, by phone, or in person at a tax collector’s office or licensed retailer.1Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. How to Order
Which license fits depends on three things: where you live, whether you’re fishing fresh or salt water, and what species you’re after. A few common situations skip the license requirement entirely, and a few species require an extra permit on top.
Who Doesn’t Need a License
Children under 16 never need a license for recreational fishing in Florida. Florida residents 65 and older are also exempt, provided they carry proof of age and residency such as a Florida driver license or state ID.2Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. What Exemptions May Apply?
Florida’s Cane Pole Law lets residents fish in their county of residence without a license, but only when using a pole or line with no line-retrieval mechanism, fishing with live or natural bait, and fishing for noncommercial purposes. It doesn’t apply inside legally established fish management areas.3The 2025 Florida Statutes. Florida Statutes 379.353 Bring a reel and you need a license.
Residents fishing saltwater from shore or from a structure attached to shore can get a free shoreline saltwater license. It’s not valid from a vessel, from a shoreline you reached by vessel, or for taking fish by diving or swimming.4Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Recreational Saltwater Licenses and Permits
Fishing aboard a vessel with a valid saltwater charter license? The charter’s license covers you as a passenger, and you don’t need your own. That exemption does not extend to freshwater charter trips, where every angler on board still needs a personal license.
Florida sets several license-free fishing days each year. For freshwater, the first Saturday and Sunday in April and the second Saturday and Sunday in June. For saltwater, the first Saturday and Sunday in June, the first Saturday in September, and the Saturday after Thanksgiving.5Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. License-Free Fishing Days Every other fishing regulation still applies on those days, including bag limits and species rules.
Active-duty Florida residents stationed out of state are exempt when home on leave for 30 days or fewer, with leave documentation on hand.6Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Military Gold Sportsman’s License Veterans with a 100-percent permanent and total service-connected disability qualify for a free five-year hunting and fishing license through GoOutdoorsFlorida.com or a local tax collector.
Fees for Residents and Non-Residents
Annual licenses run for 12 months from the date of purchase, not a fixed calendar year.7Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. FAQs: Recreational Licenses To buy at resident rates, you need a Florida driver license or state ID with a Florida address, or an accepted alternative such as a Florida voter registration card, declaration of domicile, or homestead exemption proof.8Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. What Qualifies as Florida Residency?
Resident Prices
- Annual freshwater or saltwater: $17 each
- Annual freshwater and saltwater combination: $32.50
- Five-year freshwater or saltwater: $79 each
- Shoreline saltwater (annual): free, shore-based only
Non-Resident Prices
- 3-day freshwater or saltwater: $17 (in-person only)
- 7-day freshwater or saltwater: $30 (in-person only)
- Annual freshwater or saltwater: $47 each
The short-term non-resident licenses are sold only at tax collector offices and authorized agents, not online or by phone.9Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Recreational Freshwater Licenses and Permits If you’re a visitor buying ahead of your trip online, you’re buying the annual.
Gold Sportsman’s License
Anglers who also hunt, or who fish both fresh and salt water and target permit-requiring species, may come out ahead with the Gold Sportsman’s License. At $100 a year for residents ($494 for five years), it bundles freshwater, saltwater, and hunting licenses with the snook permit, lobster permit, and several hunting permits.10Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Recreational Hunting Licenses and Permits For fishing alone it doesn’t save money; add hunting and it usually does.
Extra Permits for Specific Species
A basic fishing license covers most species, but a few require their own permit or tag.
- Snook permit: $10 annually or $50 for five years (residents only). Required to target snook, even with the free shoreline license.4Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Recreational Saltwater Licenses and Permits
- Lobster permit: $5 annually or $25 for five years (residents only). Required to take or attempt to take spiny lobster.
- Tarpon tag: $51.50 annually, sold only at tax collector offices. Required if you land and keep a tarpon; you don’t need one if you release the fish immediately and uninjured at the point of catch.11Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 379.357
- State Reef Fish Angler designation: free. Required for anglers 16 and older fishing for reef species like snapper and grouper from a private vessel.
Heading into federal waters for tunas, swordfish, billfish, or sharks? Those species are managed by NOAA Fisheries, not the state. You’ll need an Atlantic Highly Migratory Species angling permit, which costs $24 and is available online. Targeting sharks requires an added endorsement with a short video and quiz.12NOAA Fisheries. Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Angling Permit A valid Florida saltwater license does exempt you from the separate National Saltwater Angler Registry.13NOAA Fisheries. National Saltwater Angler Registry
How To Buy a License
Online is the fastest option. Buy at GoOutdoorsFlorida.com or through the Fish|Hunt FL app and the license is available right away. Online purchases add a $1.75 or $2.25 handling fee plus a 2.95% surcharge on the total.1Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. How to Order
In person, county tax collector offices and authorized retailers such as tackle shops and sporting goods stores sell licenses across the state. This is your only route for the 3-day and 7-day non-resident licenses and for a tarpon tag.
By phone, call 888-FISH-FLORIDA (888-347-4356). Phone orders cost more: $6.25 plus the 2.95% surcharge per person.
You must have the license in your possession while fishing. The Fish|Hunt FL app counts, so a phone with the license loaded is enough; no paper copy required.
Penalties for Fishing Without a License
A first offense carries up to 60 days in jail and a fine between $100 and $500. A second conviction within 12 months carries up to six months in jail and a fine between $250 and $1,000.14The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 379.407 – Penalties Set against a $17 resident annual license, the choice is straightforward.