How Much Is a Fishing License in Maryland? Fees, Stamps, and Exemptions

A Maryland fishing license costs $32 per year for a resident freshwater (nontidal) license and $15 per year for a resident Chesapeake Bay and coastal sport fishing license. Non-residents pay more, short-term options cost less, and anyone fishing for trout or in both freshwater and tidal waters will need to add on. Every annual license runs 365 days from the date of purchase, so buying in October still gives you a full year.

Freshwater (Nontidal) License Fees

A nontidal license covers Maryland’s rivers, streams, lakes, and ponds. As of June 1, 2025, the prices are:¹

Resident annual: $32
Resident 7-day: $16
Non-resident annual: $55
Non-resident 7-day: $45
Non-resident 3-day: $35

Maryland uses reciprocal pricing for non-residents. If your home state charges Marylanders more for a comparable license, you pay the higher amount.¹ Short-term licenses count consecutive days from first use, not from the day you buy.²

Chesapeake Bay and Coastal Sport Fishing Fees

Fishing in the Chesapeake Bay, its tidal tributaries, the Atlantic Ocean, or Maryland’s coastal bays requires a separate license, whether you fish from a boat or from shore:

Resident annual: $15
Resident 7-day: $6
Non-resident annual: $22.50
Non-resident 7-day: $12

If you want to fish both freshwater and tidal water, you need both licenses. A resident fishing statewide pays $47 a year for the pair.²

Trout Stamp

Anyone 16 or older who catches, tries to catch, or possesses trout in nontidal waters needs a trout stamp on top of a nontidal license.³ It applies across all Maryland freshwater, not just designated trout waters.

Resident: $20
Non-resident: $30

These prices also took effect June 1, 2025.¹ A resident fishing for trout in a freshwater stream pays $52 total: $32 for the nontidal license plus $20 for the stamp.

Senior Rate

Maryland residents 65 and older (or turning 65 during the current calendar year) can buy a Resident Senior Consolidated License for $12. That one license covers both nontidal freshwater fishing and Chesapeake Bay and coastal sport fishing.²

The senior consolidated license no longer includes the trout stamp. To fish for trout, seniors buy the $20 stamp separately.¹ Senior holders also qualify for a discounted recreational crabbing license at $2 instead of $5.

Veterans and Active-Duty Military

Maryland resident veterans who are 100% service-connected disabled, former prisoners of war, or deemed unemployable by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs qualify for a complimentary lifetime fishing license. It covers nontidal fishing, the trout stamp, Chesapeake Bay and coastal sport fishing, and a recreational oyster license at no cost.⁴

Any Maryland resident on active duty with the armed forces can fish without a license while on leave, as long as they carry a copy of their official leave orders.⁴

Recreational Crabbing Fees

Crabbing in the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries with trotlines, collapsible traps, net rings, seines, or eel pots requires its own license:

Resident: $5
Resident with a Chesapeake Bay sport fishing license or senior consolidated license: $2
Non-resident: $10

Licensed crabbers can keep up to one bushel of crabs a day.² You can skip the license if you only use handlines or dip nets, but your daily limit drops to no more than two dozen hard crabs and one dozen soft or peeler crabs. Children under 16 can also use collapsible traps and net rings without a license, within the same reduced limits. No crabbing license is required in the Atlantic Ocean, coastal bays, or their tributaries.⁵

When You Can Fish for Free

Not everyone pays. The following situations don’t require a paid license:²

Children under 16 fishing recreationally.
Passengers on a licensed charter boat; the vessel’s license covers you.
Riparian property owners, their spouses, and their children fishing from their own shoreline in nontidal waters.
The first two Saturdays in June and July 4th, Maryland’s free fishing days, when anyone can fish tidal or nontidal waters without a license, stamp, or registration. All other size and creel limits still apply.⁶
Designated license-free fishing areas, which are mostly along the tidal Chesapeake with one nontidal location. A free Maryland Saltwater Angler Registration is still required at the tidal spots.⁶

One boundary worth knowing: the tidal Potomac River mainstem between Washington, D.C. and the Chesapeake Bay is governed by the Potomac River Fisheries Commission, not Maryland DNR, and its license requirements can differ. Maryland’s rules do cover the tributaries feeding in from the Maryland side.⁷

Where to Buy

The quickest option is Maryland’s online MD Outdoors system, which replaced the older COMPASS portal in 2025. You can buy any license, stamp, or registration and print it right away.⁸ In person, more than 250 authorized agents sell licenses statewide, including sporting goods stores, tackle shops, and some Walmart locations. DNR regional service centers also sell them, and paper applications can be mailed in.⁹ Have your driver’s license number and the last four digits of your Social Security number ready when you buy.¹⁰

1
Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Maryland’s Nontidal Fishing License Fees Increase June 1
2
Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Maryland Sport Fishing and Crabbing Licenses
3
Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Trout Frequently Asked Questions
4
Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Military Veterans, Members, and POWs
5
eRegulations. Recreational Crabbing Licenses and Crab Pot Registration
6
Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Free Fishing
7
Potomac River Fisheries Commission. Recreational Fishing
8
Maryland Department of Natural Resources. New MD Outdoors Licensing System Now Online
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Maryland Department of Natural Resources. How to Apply for a License
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Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Service Center Getting Started