Does Indiana Still Sell a Lifetime Fishing License?

Indiana stopped selling new lifetime fishing licenses on July 1, 2005. The closest thing still available is the Senior Fish for Life license, a one-time $23 purchase for Indiana residents who are at least 64 and were born after March 31, 1943.¹ If you were born before April 1, 1943, you don’t need a fishing license at all. Everyone else buys an annual or short-term license.

What Happened to the Old Lifetime Licenses

Before July 2005, Indiana sold lifetime fishing and hunting licenses to residents at several price points. The state ended new sales that summer, and no replacement program has launched since. The authorizing statute still lets the Department of Natural Resources issue lifetime licenses if the Natural Resources Commission sets fees for them, but no new fee schedule has been adopted since the cutoff.²

Licenses purchased before July 1, 2005 remain valid for the holder’s lifetime. The pre-2005 categories cover different privileges:

Basic Fishing covers the annual resident fishing license but not the trout/salmon stamp.
Comprehensive Fishing covers the annual resident fishing license plus the trout/salmon stamp.
Comprehensive Hunting and Fishing covers all hunting and fishing licenses and stamp privileges, excluding trapping.

If you hold one of these, it still works. You only need to buy something new if a specific stamp or privilege you want isn’t included in your original license.¹

The Senior Fish for Life License

The Senior Fish for Life license is Indiana’s only current lifetime fishing option. It costs $23 as a one-time purchase, is valid for the rest of your life, and includes the trout/salmon stamp, which otherwise costs $11 per year on top of a regular annual license.¹

Two conditions apply. You must be an Indiana resident at least 64 years old, and you must have been born after March 31, 1943. Residency means living continuously in Indiana for at least 60 days before buying the license and not claiming resident hunting, fishing, or trapping status in another state at the same time.³

There’s also a Senior Annual Fishing license for the same age group at $3 per year. It’s a reasonable fallback if you aren’t sure you’ll keep fishing, but the Fish for Life option pays off quickly once you factor in the included trout/salmon stamp.¹

When You Don’t Need a License at All

Several groups are exempt from Indiana’s fishing license requirement entirely under Indiana Code 14-22-11-8:⁴

Indiana residents born before April 1, 1943. A voluntary senior license is available if you want to support conservation, but it isn’t required.
Anyone under 18, regardless of residency.
Legally blind individuals.
Indiana residents with a developmental disability.
Residents of a licensed Indiana health facility fishing as part of a supervised activity.
Resident patients of a state mental institution.
Anyone assisting a person in one of the four categories above while that person fishes.

Indiana also sets free fishing days each year when residents can fish without a license. For 2026 those dates are May 10, June 6–7, and September 26.⁵

If You Don’t Qualify for Lifetime: Current Options

Without a lifetime option, most anglers buy annual or short-term licenses. Current fees for the 2026 license year, valid April 1, 2026 through March 31, 2027:³

Resident

Annual Fishing: $23
Annual Senior Fishing (64+, born after March 31, 1943): $3
Senior Fish for Life (64+, born after March 31, 1943): $23 one-time, includes trout/salmon stamp
One-Day Fishing: $10, includes trout/salmon stamp
Trout/Salmon Stamp (annual add-on): $11

Nonresident

Annual Fishing: $60
Seven-Day Fishing: $35
One-Day Fishing: $15, includes trout/salmon stamp

If you fish for trout or salmon, you need the trout/salmon stamp in addition to an annual license. The one-day and Senior Fish for Life licenses include the stamp automatically; the standard annual resident and nonresident licenses do not.¹ A fishing license does not cover hunting or trapping.

Disabled Veteran Multi-Year License

Veterans with a service-connected disability determined by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, or who receive disability retirement benefits from the Department of Defense, qualify for a discounted combined hunting and fishing license. The options are a one-year license for $2.75 or a 10-year license for $27.50. Both cover small game hunting and fishing but do not include stamps or deer and turkey licenses.⁶ The 10-year license is the longest multi-year fishing license Indiana currently sells to anyone outside the senior lifetime category.

How to Buy

Indiana sells licenses four ways:

Online through the GoOutdoorsIN system at gooutdoorsin.com. A $3 tech fee applies per license, plus a credit card processing fee.
In person at more than 500 retail locations statewide or at DNR properties. A $1 tech fee applies at DNR properties.
By mail with a check or money order payable to DNR, or with credit card information. A $1 tech fee applies per license.
By phone at (317) 232-4200 or toll-free (877) 463-6367.

All DNR licenses are non-transferable and non-refundable.³ You must carry your license while fishing and show it to any conservation officer or law enforcement official who asks.

1
Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Indiana Department of Natural Resources License Fees
2
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 14-22-12-7.3 – Lifetime Licenses to Hunt, Fish, or Trap
3
eRegulations. Indiana Fishing Licenses and Fees
4
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 14-22-11-8 – Fishing License and Trout
5
eRegulations. Indiana Fishing Seasons and Rules
6
Indiana Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Disabled Veteran Discounted Hunting and Fishing License, and Golden Hoosier Passport