Arizona Fishing License: Types, Costs, and Bag Limits

Anyone age ten or older who wants to fish Arizona’s public waters needs a valid Arizona fishing license from the Arizona Game and Fish Department. A resident general fishing license costs $37 and a non-resident license costs $55, each valid for 365 days from the date of purchase.¹ You can buy one online at license.azgfd.com in a few minutes and save a digital copy to your phone as proof in the field.²

Who Needs a License

The rule applies to residents and non-residents alike, wherever you fish inside the state. Children under ten do not need any license.¹

Arizona also sets aside one Free Fishing Day each year when anyone can fish public waters without a license. The 2026 date is June 6.³ Every other rule, including bag limits, still applies that day.

A few groups qualify for complimentary or reduced-fee licenses: disabled veterans, Purple Heart Medal recipients, and residents 70 or older who have lived in Arizona for at least 25 consecutive years (the Pioneer License).¹

Resident or Non-Resident

Resident pricing requires that you have been domiciled in Arizona for at least six consecutive months immediately before you apply, and that you do not claim residency in any other state for any purpose. The rule comes from Arizona Revised Statute 17-101, and you will be asked to verify residency when you buy.⁴

If you moved to Arizona recently and have not reached six months yet, you pay non-resident rates until you do. Military members stationed in Arizona may qualify for resident rates under separate provisions even without six months of domicile.

License Types and Prices

Arizona folded the old Trout Stamp, Two-Pole Stamp, and Urban Fishing License into every standard license, so one purchase now carries all of those privileges.¹ The practical menu:

General Fishing: $37 resident, $55 non-resident. Covers all legal fish species, including trout, statewide.
Combination Hunt and Fish: $57 resident, $160 non-resident. Adds small-game hunting.
Short-Term Combination Hunt and Fish: $15 per day resident, $20 per day non-resident. Useful for visitors or a single trip.
Youth Combination Hunt and Fish: $5 for anyone ages 10 through 17, resident or not. Covers statewide fishing plus small-game hunting.⁵
Pioneer License: complimentary, for residents 70 or older with 25 or more consecutive years in Arizona.
Lifetime License: a one-time cost for Arizona residents that varies by age at purchase. Stays valid if you move away later, though you would pay non-resident fees for additional tags or permits at that point.⁶

Annual licenses run 365 days from the purchase date, not the calendar year. Buy one in October and it stays valid through the following October.¹

What a Standard License Includes

Every fishing license now carries privileges that used to require separate stamps or permits:

Trout fishing statewide, with no separate trout stamp.
Two-pole fishing. You can run two lines at once, but never more than two.⁷
All aquatic wildlife, including legal fish species, crayfish, frogs, waterdogs, and softshell turtles.¹
Colorado River boundary waters, including the portions of Lake Mead, Lake Mohave, and Lake Havasu that border Nevada or California, from shore or boat.¹

The Colorado River piece matters if you fish by boat. State law had historically required a separate special use permit to fish from a boat on the Colorado south of the Nevada-Arizona border. Current licenses include that privilege.⁸

How to Buy One

The fastest way is online through the AZGFD licensing portal at license.azgfd.com, available any time. After checkout, you can save a digital copy to your phone or print one. The electronic version counts as valid proof in the field.²

You can also buy from an authorized dealer such as a sporting goods store or bait shop, which uses the same electronic system. Bring valid ID to verify residency. A third option is any Arizona Game and Fish Department office during business hours.

Statewide Bag Limits

A license lets you fish, but it does not let you keep as many fish as you can catch. Arizona caps daily bags by species, and the possession limit is twice the daily bag unless a specific water body says otherwise.³ The statewide defaults for the most-fished species:

Trout (rainbow, brown, brook, cutthroat, tiger, Gila, Apache, and grayling): 4 per day, any combination.
Bass (largemouth and smallmouth): 6 per day, any combination.
Striped bass: 10 per day.
Walleye: 6 per day.
Catfish (channel and flathead): 10 per day, any combination.
Northern pike: unlimited.
Crappie: unlimited statewide, but many lakes impose their own limits (15 at Roosevelt Lake, 10 at Lake Powell).
Sunfish (bluegill, redear, green sunfish, hybrids): unlimited.
White amur (grass carp): 1 per day, minimum 30 inches.
Roundtail chub: catch and release only.

These are defaults. Dozens of individual waters override them with catch-and-release rules, slot limits, or seasonal closures. Check the current Arizona Fishing Regulations for the specific water before you go.³

Community Lakes and Ponds Have Lower Limits

Any valid Arizona fishing license works at the urban community waters stocked by the state in the Phoenix, Tucson, Yuma, and Payson areas, including the youth combination license. Limits there are tighter than the statewide numbers. At community lakes you can keep up to 4 trout, 4 catfish, 2 bass (minimum 13 inches), and 10 sunfish per day. At community ponds the limits drop to 2 trout, 2 catfish, 1 bass (minimum 13 inches), and 5 sunfish.³

Carry the License and Know the Penalty

You must carry your license while fishing. Leaving the paper copy at home can get you cited even if you actually bought one, which is why the digital copy on your phone is the easiest fix. A game ranger or wildlife manager can ask to see it at any time.

Fishing without a valid license, going over a bag limit, or otherwise violating Arizona’s fish and game laws is a Class 2 misdemeanor unless a different penalty is specifically designated for the offense.⁹¹⁰¹¹ A first offense often draws a fine well below the maximum, but a court has discretion to impose up to $750. A conviction can also suspend your fishing privileges, which raises the stakes on anything that comes next.

If You Fish from a Boat

Anglers who tow a boat or float tube between waters have one more obligation. Before leaving any body of water in or bordering Arizona, make a reasonable effort to drain all water from the craft and remove anything blocking drainage, such as bilge plugs. Keep removable drain plugs out during transit so the boat dries. Watercraft that have been moored or marina-based for an extended period must be professionally decontaminated before being moved to a different lake. Expect inspection stations at popular ramps on the larger reservoirs.

1
eRegulations. Arizona Fishing – License and Fee Structure
2
Arizona Game and Fish Department. AZGFD License
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eRegulations. 2025 and 2026 Arizona Fishing Regulations
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Arizona Game and Fish Department. AZGFD – New Customer
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Arizona Game and Fish Department. Hunting Licenses
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Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 17-335.01 – Lifetime License and Benefactor License
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eRegulations. Arizona General Statewide Fishing Regulations
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Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 17-342 – Colorado River Special Use Permit
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Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 17-309 – Violations; Classification
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Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 13-707 – Misdemeanors; Sentencing
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Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 13-802 – Fines for Misdemeanors