Fishing License Information & Fees
Buy Fishing Licenses
- Residency Qualifications
- Exceptions
- License Year
- Replacement License
- Customer Service for Purchasers of Fishing Licenses
- License Fees
- National Forest Permit
Residency Qualifications:
- persons who have been a bonafide resident of the city, county, or state for six consecutive months immediately preceding the date of application for license;
- persons who have been domiciliary residents of the state for at least two months upon approval of a completed affidavit to be furnished by the Game Department;
- legal voters in Virginia;
- members of the armed forces if they reside in the Commonwealth and are on active duty and are stationed at military installations within, or on ships based in the Commonwealth;
- students (including nonresident students boarding on campus) residing in Virginia who are enrolled in bonafide Virginia schools;
- unnaturalized owners of real property in Virginia who have resided in a county for five years immediately prior to making application for a license may apply for resident licenses only in the county where they qualify.
Every person who is required to have a license must carry such license and shall show the license immediately upon demand of any officer whose duty it is to enforce the game and inland fish laws, or upon the demand of any owner or lessee, or any employee or representative of such owner or lessee, upon whose land or water such person may be hunting, trapping or fishing.
No state or county resident license to hunt, trap or fish in or on the lands or inland waters of this Commonwealth shall be deemed to be issued until the certificate printed on the reverse side of that license shall have been signed by the named licensee.
Exceptions
All persons, except those listed below, must purchase the proper licenses before fishing.
- Resident or non-resident landowners, their spouses, their children and grandchildren and the spouses of such children and grandchildren, or the landowner's parents, resident or non-resident, do not need a license to hunt, trap or fish within the boundaries of their own lands and inland waters.
- Residents under 16 years of age (also do not need a trout license).
- Tenants, on the land they rent and occupy, are not required to have a license, but must have the written permission of the landowner.
- Guests fishing in individually owned private ponds.
- Non-resident children under 12 (except in designated stocked trout waters) when accompanied by a properly licensed adult.
- Legally blind persons.
- Any Indian who "habitually" resides on an Indian reservation or a member of the Virginia recognized tribes who resides in the Commonwealth is not required to have a license; however, such Indian must have on his person an identification card or paper signed by the chief of his tribe, a valid tribal identification card, written confirmation through a central tribal registry, or certification from a tribal office.
License Year
All fishing licenses sold are valid for one year from the date of purchase.
Replacement License
If a license is lost, a duplicate license can be obtained from any license agent.
Customer Service Center for Purchasers of Fishing Licenses
A customer service center has been established to help purchasers of hunting and fishing licenses. The center will be open from 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Monday-Friday, except holidays. The customer service center phone number is 1-866-721-6911 or email: customerservice@dgif.virginia.gov. Representatives at the center will be available to answer questions about licensing, assist you in purchasing the licenses appropriate for your hunting or fishing outing, correct information on a current license or re-issue a lost license.
License Fees
The issuance fee is included in the prices below.
Looking for a Lifetime License?
Fishing licenses are valid for one year from the date of purchase.
Resident Fees
| License | Fee | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sportsman's License (16 years or older); includes hunting license, bear deer turkey license (valid July 1-June 30), archery license, crossbow license, muzzleloader license, freshwater fishing license and trout license | $120.00 | ||||||||||||
| Freshwater fish in county or city of residence* | $11.00 | ||||||||||||
| Freshwater fish statewide* | $18.00 | ||||||||||||
| Freshwater and saltwater statewide* | $30.00 | ||||||||||||
| Freshwater statewide for 5 consecutive days (not valid in designated stocked trout waters) | $11.00 | ||||||||||||
| Freshwater and saltwater statewide for 5 consecutive days (not valid in designated stocked trout waters) | $16.00 | ||||||||||||
| 65 and over license to fish freshwater* | $7.00 | ||||||||||||
| Service-connected Totally and Permanently Disabled Veteran Resident Lifetime License* to hunt and freshwater fish (available only through Richmond Office) | $10.00 | ||||||||||||
| Totally and Permanently Disabled Resident Special Lifetime License to freshwater fish*, (only available through Richmond office) | $10.00 | ||||||||||||
| Fish in designated stocked trout waters (This license required in addition to other resident licenses if fishing in these waters) | $18.00 | ||||||||||||
| Special lifetime to fish freshwater* or Special lifetime trout license to fish in designated stocked trout waters (A valid resident fishing license is also required), both available only through Richmond office. Fees for each lifetime license are as follows: |
|
* A valid trout license ($18.00 annual or lifetime) is required in addition to other resident licenses only if you are fishing in designated stocked trout waters.
Nonresident Fees
| License | Fee |
|---|---|
| Freshwater fish statewide** | $36.00 |
| Freshwater and saltwater fish statewide** | $48.00 |
| Freshwater fish statewide for 5 consecutive days** | $16.00 |
| Freshwater and saltwater fish statewide for 5 consecutive days** (not valid in designated stocked trout waters) | $21.00 |
| Fish in designated stocked trout waters (This license required in addition to other nonresident licenses if fishing in these waters) | $36.00 |
| Nonresident special lifetime license to fish freshwater** (available only through Richmond office) | $505.00 |
| Nonresident special lifetime trout license to fish in designated stocked trout waters (A valid nonresident fishing license is also required); (available only through Richmond office) | $505.00 |
** A valid nonresident trout license ($36.00 annual or $505.00 lifetime) is required in addition to other nonresident licenses only if you are fishing in designated stocked trout waters.
Miscellaneous Fees
| Permit | Fee |
|---|---|
| Daily Permit required at Big Tumbling Creek, Crooked Creek, and Douthat State Park Pay-As-You-Go (fee) fishing areas (required in addition to regular resident, non-resident, or non-resident 5 day license) | $6.50 |
| National Forest Permit, for fishing in the National Forest this permit is required in addition to other fishing licenses [exceptions: senior (65 or older) and complimentary licenses]. Valid for one year from date of purchase. | $4.00 |
| County Dip Net Permit to take shad, herring, and mullet | $4.50 |
National Forest Permit
All persons required to have a license (except holders of a senior citizen or complimentary license) are required to have a National Forest Permit when fishing on National Forest lands except the North and South Fork of the Shenandoah River, Skidmore Lake in Rockingham County, North Fork Pound Reservoir, Lake Moomaw, the Jackson River below Gathright Dam, and in Wilson Creek below Douthat Lake in Alleghany and Bath counties.