Buy a Florida Fishing License Online or In Person

You can buy a Florida fishing license in a few minutes online at GoOutdoorsFlorida.com, by phone at 888-FISH-FLORIDA, through the state’s Fish|Hunt FL mobile app, or in person at a county tax collector’s office, bait and tackle shop, sporting goods store, or other authorized retailer. Residents pay $17 for an annual freshwater or saltwater license and $32.50 for the combination; non-residents pay $17 for three days, $30 for seven days, or $47 for the year in either water type.¹²

Where to Buy

Online

GoOutdoorsFlorida.com is the fastest option. Enter your personal information and payment details, and your license is valid immediately.³ Print it or save the confirmation to your phone. A small convenience fee applies.

By Phone

Call 888-FISH-FLORIDA (888-347-4356). You’ll get a confirmation number at the end of the call, and the license is valid right away. Phone orders carry a handling fee of about $6.25.

Fish|Hunt FL App

FWC’s official mobile app lets you buy a license from your phone and pull up a current copy any time. The app counts as personal possession, so you don’t need to carry a paper copy.⁴

In Person

County tax collector offices, bait and tackle shops, sporting goods stores, and major retailers sell licenses across the state. Vendors may charge an issuance fee of 50 cents.¹ In-person purchase is the only way to buy the non-resident 3-day and 7-day licenses, which aren’t sold online.

What to Have Ready Before You Buy

Gather these before starting the purchase so you don’t stall halfway through:

Your Social Security Number. Florida requires one from every applicant, used solely for federal child support enforcement under Title IV-D.⁵
A Florida driver’s license or state ID for resident pricing. Non-residents use their home-state ID.
Disability documentation if you’re applying for a disability license. Applicants qualifying through the Social Security Administration must supply documentation dated within the last 12 months confirming current benefits. The annual SSA benefits letter works; a 1099 does not.⁶

Which License to Buy

Two questions decide it: freshwater, saltwater, or both, and how long you want the license to last. Annual licenses expire one year from the purchase date, not on December 31.

Resident Options

Annual freshwater or saltwater: $17 each¹
Annual freshwater/saltwater combination: $32.50²
Five-year freshwater or saltwater: $79 each
Saltwater shoreline only: no cost, valid for fishing from shore or a structure fixed to shore, but not from a boat or a shoreline you can only reach by boat

The free shoreline license is easy to miss. If you’re a resident who only casts from a seawall, beach, or dock, get it and skip the fee.

Non-Resident Options

3-day freshwater or saltwater: $17 each (in-person only)
7-day freshwater or saltwater: $30 each (in-person only)
Annual freshwater or saltwater: $47 each²

A week of fishing both freshwater and saltwater would run $60 in short-term licenses. For anyone visiting more than once a year, the annual pays for itself quickly.

Lifetime and Gold Sportsman’s

Lifetime licenses are for Florida residents, priced by age at purchase:⁷

Lifetime freshwater or saltwater: $126.50 (age 4 and under), $226.50 (ages 5–12), $301.50 (age 13 and older)
Lifetime Gold Sportsman’s: $401.50 (age 4 and under), $701.50 (ages 5–12), $1,001.50 (age 13 and older)

The Gold Sportsman’s License bundles freshwater fishing, saltwater fishing, and hunting together with every standard permit, including wildlife management area, deer, turkey, waterfowl, snook, and lobster.⁸ The annual version is $100 and the five-year is $494. If you buy a lifetime license for a child age 12 or younger, submit a certified copy of the child’s birth certificate with the application.⁹

Disability License

Florida residents with qualifying disabilities can get a Persons with Disabilities Resident Hunting/Fishing License. A two-year license is available to applicants certified as disabled by the Social Security Administration. A five-year license is available to disabled veterans with a service-connected disability rating of 50% or greater from the VA, and to those certified as totally and permanently disabled under Florida workers’ compensation or by the Railroad Retirement Board.⁶

Apply online through GoOutdoorsFlorida.com by uploading your documentation, or bring the documents to a local tax collector’s office. Online applications aren’t instant: FWC staff review submissions and respond within 10 business days, and you log back in after approval to access the license. Renewals can be submitted up to 30 days before expiration.

Add-On Permits You May Also Need

Certain species require a permit on top of your base license, in your possession before you fish for them.

Snook

Anyone taking or attempting to take snook needs a snook permit in addition to a saltwater license, including from shore. The annual permit is $10, with a five-year resident version at $50.²

Lobster

Harvesting spiny lobster requires a lobster permit attached to your saltwater license. Both the snook and lobster permits are included automatically in the Gold Sportsman’s License.⁸

State Reef Fish Angler Designation

If you fish for certain reef species from a private boat in Florida waters, you need the State Reef Fish Angler designation. It’s free, but you must renew it every year. Covered species include red snapper, gag grouper, red grouper, black grouper, greater amberjack, mutton snapper, yellowtail snapper, vermilion snapper, hogfish, and gray triggerfish, among others.¹⁰

The catch: even anglers who are otherwise exempt from a saltwater license, including seniors 65 and older, military on leave, disabled veterans, and holders of lifetime or multi-year licenses, still have to sign up for the reef fish designation annually. Only children under 16, people fishing from a licensed charter or party boat, and those not targeting reef fish are fully exempt.

Who Doesn’t Need a License

Florida law prohibits taking freshwater or saltwater fish without a recreational license, and catch-and-release counts.⁹¹¹ Several groups are exempt:¹²

Children under 16.
Residents 65 and older, though you should obtain a no-cost Resident 65+ Hunt/Fish Certificate from a tax collector’s office or GoOutdoorsFlorida.com and carry it with proof of age and residency.¹³
Residents fishing in their home county with live or natural bait on poles or lines without a reel, for personal use. Fish management areas within your county are not covered.
Florida residents in the Armed Forces stationed outside the state and home on leave for 30 days or less, upon showing their orders.
Anyone saltwater fishing from a for-hire vessel with a valid charter license or a pier with a saltwater pier license.
Florida residents receiving food assistance, temporary cash assistance, or Medicaid, fishing saltwater from land or a fixed structure, carrying their benefit card and photo ID.
People fishing a privately owned pond of 20 acres or less on the owner’s property, and homestead property owners fishing their own land.

Florida also holds license-free days each year. The 2026 dates are April 4–5 and June 13–14 for freshwater, and June 6–7, September 5, and November 28 for saltwater.¹⁴ Every other rule still applies: bag limits, size limits, and seasons don’t get a day off.

Replacing a Lost License

Reprint it online at GoOutdoorsFlorida.com at no cost, or download it again through Fish|Hunt FL. Getting a reprint at a tax collector’s office or license agent costs $2.50. Hard-card replacements for lifetime, five-year, and annual licenses are available for a fee.⁴

Penalties for Fishing Without One

Fishing without a license is a Level One violation. The civil penalty for a first offense is $50 plus the cost of the license or permit you should have had. If you’ve committed the same violation within the previous 36 months, the penalty is $250 plus the license cost.¹⁵ You can resolve the citation by buying the required license, providing proof, and paying the civil penalty. In county court, a judge can impose penalties up to $500 for repeat violations.

If you were cited only because your license wasn’t physically on you but you did have a valid one at the time, you can produce it before or at the hearing. The clerk verifies it and assesses a $10 fee.¹⁵ Your license must be in your personal possession while fishing, and failing to show it to an FWC officer is itself a violation, though producing a license that was valid at the time avoids conviction.⁹

1
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Freshwater Recreational Licenses and Permits
2
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Saltwater Recreational Licenses and Permits
3
Go Outdoors Florida. Official Florida Fishing and Hunting Licenses
4
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Replace a Lost or Stolen License
5
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. FAQs for Recreational Hunting and Fishing Licenses
6
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Persons with Disabilities Resident Hunting/Fishing License
7
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Lifetime Licenses
8
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Recreational Hunting Licenses and Permits
9
Justia Law. Florida Code 379.354 – Recreational Licenses, Permits, and Authorization Numbers; Fees Established
10
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. State Reef Fish Survey
11
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Visitors’ Licenses
12
Florida Senate. Florida Code 379.353 – Recreational Licenses; Exemptions From License and Permit Requirements
13
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Do I Need a License or Permit?
14
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. License-Free Fishing Days
15
Florida Senate. Florida Code 379.401 – Penalties