Do I Need a Fishing License in Tennessee? Costs, Add-Ons, and Exemptions

If you are 13 or older and plan to fish in Tennessee, you need a Tennessee fishing license from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) before your line hits the water. A handful of narrow exemptions aside, that rule applies to residents, visitors, and anyone fishing public waters. Costs run from $6 for a single-day permit up to $33 for a resident annual combination license, with trout access and Gatlinburg waters requiring extra permits on top.

Who Can Fish Without a License

A short list of people are off the hook entirely:

Children 12 and under, resident or not, until they turn 13.¹
Tennessee resident landowners of farmland, along with their spouses and children, on their own land and waters. Resident tenants who live on and help manage the farm get the same exemption for themselves, their spouses, and their dependent children.²
Armed forces members on furlough or temporary leave, resident or not. You must carry your furlough papers or leave orders at all times; a weekend pass does not qualify.³
Anyone fishing on the state’s Bobby Wilson Free Fishing Day, held on a Saturday in June.⁴

Two groups get steep discounts rather than full exemptions. Resident disabled veterans with a 30% or greater service-connected disability from wartime service, or a 100% permanent and total service-connected rating, qualify for a combined hunting and fishing license for a one-time $10 fee.⁵ Residents certified as blind can receive a free sport fishing license.⁶

Resident or Nonresident?

Resident licenses cost a fraction of what nonresidents pay, so the question matters. A valid Tennessee driver’s license or state photo ID is the simplest proof, and TWRA checks it automatically through the Department of Safety’s system during purchase.⁷

Without a Tennessee ID, you can still qualify by showing you have lived in the state at least 90 consecutive days with the genuine intent to stay. You will need to bring two supporting documents to a license agent, such as a voter registration card, a current rental or mortgage receipt, or a Tennessee vehicle title.¹

Students enrolled in a Tennessee school, college, or university for at least six months qualify for resident pricing with a student ID. Active-duty military stationed in Tennessee also get resident rates, and so do their children under 16 living with them.¹

What a License Costs

Tennessee does not sell a plain “annual fishing license” for adult residents. The usual choices are the combination hunting and fishing license, a cheaper county-only fishing permit, or a short-term license for a visit. All fees are set by TWRA and are subject to change.¹

Resident Options

Combination Hunt/Fish Annual, ages 16–64: $33. Covers sport fishing and hunting statewide; trout requires a supplement.
County of Residence Fishing (no trout), ages 13 and up: $10. Fishing only, home county only.
Annual Trout Supplement: $21. Add-on required to fish for trout under the combo or county license.
Junior Hunt/Fish/Trap, ages 13–15: $9. Must be bought before the 16th birthday.
Annual Sportsman, ages 16–64: $165. All-inclusive, with every supplemental permit built in.

Nonresident and Short-Term Options

Nonresident Annual Fishing, no trout (16+): $49.
Nonresident Annual Fishing, all species including trout (16+): $98.
1-Day Fishing, no trout, ages 13–64: $6.
1-Day Fishing, all species including trout, ages 16–64: $11.
3-Day Fishing, no trout (16+): $20. All species: $40.
10-Day Fishing, no trout (16+): $30. All species: $61.

For a weekend visit, the short-term licenses almost always beat the annual nonresident price. If trout are on your list for a one-day outing, the $11 all-species day license is simpler than stacking a base license and a trout supplement.

Trout and Gatlinburg Add-Ons

Trout access catches a lot of anglers off guard. If you hold the combination hunt/fish license or a county license, you need the $21 annual trout supplement before fishing any trout waters.⁸ The one-day all-species license bundles trout in by default.

Gatlinburg runs its own permit on top. A resident 16–64 fishing Gatlinburg waters needs the annual combo license, the annual trout supplement, and a Gatlinburg trout permit. A Gatlinburg one-day trout permit replaces that stack for a single outing, and nonresidents have a parallel setup.⁹

Lifetime and Senior Licenses

If you fish year after year, the lifetime sportsman license covers hunting, trapping, and sport fishing with every supplement included, for life. Price depends on your age at purchase:¹⁰

Under 3: $320
Ages 3–6: $659
Ages 7–12: $988
Ages 13–50: $1,976
Ages 51–64: $1,153
Ages 65 and older: $329

The senior price is the one worth circling. At $329, it pays for itself in about ten years versus buying the $33 annual combo each season. Parents and grandparents sometimes buy the infant tier as a gift to lock in a lifetime of fishing for a few hundred dollars.

How to Buy

Three channels, all producing a license that is valid the moment payment clears:

Online through the Go Outdoors Tennessee portal at license.gooutdoorstennessee.com. You get an electronic copy by email that you can print or display on your phone as a legal license.¹¹
The Go Outdoors TN mobile app, which handles purchases, renewals, and storage.¹¹
In person at county clerks, sporting goods stores, and other authorized retail agents. Some charge a small processing fee.

Have these on hand before you start:

Your Social Security number. Federal law requires it for U.S. citizens buying a hunting or fishing license; non-citizens provide alternative documentation.⁷
Your Tennessee driver’s license or state photo ID for residency verification.
Your full legal name and date of birth, matching your government-issued ID exactly.

If you qualify as a resident through the 90-day rule but have no Tennessee ID in the Department of Safety system, the online check will not clear and you will likely need to visit a retail agent with your two supporting documents.¹

What Happens If You Fish Without One

Fishing without a required license is a Class C misdemeanor, with a fine between $10 and $25. The fine is small; the follow-on consequences are not. The court can revoke your fishing privileges, and if you fish during a revocation the sentence becomes a mandatory 10 days to 11 months and 29 days in jail, plus at least $25, with no discretion to suspend the jail time.¹² Wildlife officers can also seize rods, reels, tackle, and boats used in the violation, and a conviction lets the court declare that gear contraband for TWRA disposal or sale.¹³

1
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. License Structure and Fees
2
Justia Law. Tennessee Code 70-2-204 – Hunting and Fishing on Farm Land
3
Justia Law. Tennessee Code 70-2-103 – Exception to Licensing Requirement – Military Personnel on Furlough
4
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. Tennessee’s Bobby Wilson Free Fishing Day Set for June 7
5
Tennessee Department of Veterans Services. Hunting and Fishing Licenses
6
Justia Law. Tennessee Code 70-2-104 – Persons Entitled to License Without Fee or at Reduced Fee
7
Go Outdoors Tennessee. Go Outdoors Tennessee Online Licensing System
8
eRegulations. License Fees – Tennessee Fishing
9
City of Gatlinburg. City of Gatlinburg – Fishing
10
eRegulations. License Fees – Tennessee Hunting
11
Go Outdoors Tennessee. Go Outdoors Tennessee Online Licensing System
12
Justia Law. Tennessee Code 70-2-101 – Taking Wildlife Without License
13
Justia Law. Tennessee Code 70-6-201 – Confiscation and Disposal of Wildlife and Other Articles Illegally Taken or Used