To access your California hunting license records, sign in to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Online License Sales and Services portal at wildlife.ca.gov using your date of birth, last name, and an identifier such as your GO ID or driver’s license number. From your customer profile you can review current licenses, print a temporary document, and check your hunter education status. For records from earlier years that don’t appear online, email the License and Revenue Branch at LRB@wildlife.ca.gov or call (916) 928-2537.
Signing In to the Online Portal
Every license, tag, and permit CDFW issues flows through the Automated License Data System (ALDS). The first time you buy anything through ALDS, you’re assigned a Get Outdoors Identification number (GO ID) that stays with you for life.1Legal Information Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 14 700.4 – Automated License Data System That number is the fastest way back into your account.
To find your record, go to the customer search page and enter your date of birth and last name, then pick an identity type from the dropdown. If you’re an existing customer, you can search by GO ID (printed above the customer name on any CDFW license) or by the same identity type used when the record was first created, such as a driver’s license, passport, or military ID.2California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Customer Search
What You Can See and Print Once You’re In
Your customer profile shows a summary of every active entitlement for the current license year, which runs July 1 through June 30.3California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Hunting Licenses and Tags That covers annual licenses (resident, nonresident, junior, disabled veteran, and others) along with your tags, validations, and permits on file.4California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Hunting License Items and Fees Because CDFW’s roughly 1,300 retail agents and the online system all write to the same database, your purchases show up in one place regardless of where you bought them.5California Department of Fish and Wildlife. License Statistics
The portal also lets you print a temporary license document that’s valid for immediate use in the field. If your physical license is lost, you can buy a duplicate online for $14.04.4California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Hunting License Items and Fees Duplicate report cards and duplicate tags are the exception: those can’t be purchased online and have to be obtained in person at a CDFW license sales office.6California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Online License Sales and Services
Getting Records From Earlier Years
The portal shows your current license year. For anything older, you’ll need to request it directly from the CDFW License and Revenue Branch. This comes up when you need proof of past compliance for a legal matter, when applying for a tag draw that weighs purchase history, or when another state’s wildlife agency asks for documentation.
Put your request in writing and include your full name, date of birth, GO ID or Customer ID, and the specific license year you need. You can send it by email to LRB@wildlife.ca.gov or call (916) 928-2537.2California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Customer Search CDFW may charge a fee for certified copies, and turnaround depends on how far back the request goes and current workload.
Fixing Information on Your Record
Routine profile changes like a new mailing address, phone number, or email address can be made directly through the customer profile management tool in the portal.6California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Online License Sales and Services Those take effect immediately.
Larger corrections need documentation. A legal name change, for example, has to be submitted to the License and Revenue Branch with supporting documents. If you see a mistake on your record and aren’t sure how to handle it, calling (916) 928-2537 is the most direct way to get instructions for your situation.
Adding Missing Hunter Education Proof
Before CDFW will issue a first hunting license, you have to show one of the following: a California hunting license from a prior year, a current or recent license from another state or province, or a certificate from an approved hunter education course.7Animal Law. California Fish and Game Code 3050 – Conditions Precedent to Issuance of Hunting License Once that proof is on file in ALDS, it stays with your record and you won’t need to prove it again.
If your hunter education status isn’t showing on your account, there are four ways to get it added:
- Log in to your customer record and choose “Upload Files” from the menu. You’ll be prompted to create a password if you don’t already have one.
- Email LRB@wildlife.ca.gov to request a secure document upload link. Don’t attach the documents to the email itself.
- Fax your proof to (916) 419-7585.
- Bring your documents in person to any CDFW license agent or CDFW sales office.
Along with the hunter education proof, you’ll need personal identification (a driver’s license or state ID, or a birth certificate if you’re under 18) and your GO ID. CDFW accepts a prior-year California hunting license, a hunter education certificate from any state or province, or a current or recently issued hunting license from another jurisdiction.8California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Hunter Education Requirements
Who Else Can See Your Records
Your hunting license information is confidential. Fish and Game Code Section 1050.6 states that names and addresses in recreational fishing and hunting license records are not public records, so a stranger can’t submit a public records request and pull your history.9California Legislative Information. California Code FGC – Section 1050.6
The statute allows CDFW to release confidential license information in four situations:
- To an authorized agent or family member of the person the records belong to.
- To an officer or employee of another government agency who needs the information for official duties.
- Under Fish and Game Code Section 391, which governs information sharing with the Fish and Game Commission.
- Under a court order.
Outside those exceptions, CDFW will not share your license data with third parties.9California Legislative Information. California Code FGC – Section 1050.6 That same confidentiality is why CDFW asks for identifying details before showing you your own account, so having your GO ID handy before you start will make every step faster.