Louisiana Saltwater Fishing License: Fees, Residency, and Federal Permits

To fish Louisiana’s saltwater legally, anyone 18 or older needs two things in hand at the same time: a basic recreational fishing license and a separate Louisiana saltwater fishing license. Residents pay $32 a year for the pair. Non-residents pay $128, with cheaper short-term options for visitors.¹

Who Needs a License

Anglers under 18 don’t need any fishing license in Louisiana.² Residents born before June 1, 1940 who have lived in the state at least six months are also exempt.

Everyone else on the water in a saltwater zone must carry both licenses while fishing. Buying them isn’t enough; they have to be with you, on paper or on your phone.³

What It Costs

Resident Rates

A Louisiana resident pays $17 for the basic fishing license plus $15 for the saltwater license, which comes to $32. Each license runs 365 days from the date you buy it rather than ending on a fixed calendar date.¹

Non-Resident Rates

Non-residents pay $68 for the basic license and $60 for the saltwater license, totaling $128 for a full year. For a shorter trip, two options cost much less:⁴

A non-resident 5-day basic license is $30 and the matching 5-day saltwater license is $30, for $60 total.
A non-resident native 10-day basic license is $17 and the saltwater version is $15, for $32 total. A hook-and-line-only variant is $5.

Charter Boat Passengers

If you’ll be fishing from a vessel run by a licensed Louisiana charter guide, skip the two-license purchase and buy a charter passenger saltwater 3-day license for $20 instead. The price is the same for residents and visitors, and a licensed guide must stay aboard the whole time you fish under it.³¹

How to Buy It and Prove You Have It

Licenses are sold online through LDWF’s portal at louisianaoutdoors.com, in person at LDWF headquarters in Baton Rouge, and through local license retailers across the state.¹

You don’t need the paper copy on you. Louisiana accepts digital display through the LA Wallet smartphone app, which pulls your purchases from LDWF. The agency also emails a digital copy when you buy online, and wildlife agents will accept a photo of the license stored on your phone.⁵

Do You Qualify as a Resident?

Resident rates aren’t just for anyone with a Louisiana address. You must be a U.S. citizen or resident alien who has lived in Louisiana continuously for at least six months before applying and treats the state as your legal home. LDWF expects you to back that up with a Louisiana driver’s license or state ID, Louisiana voter registration if you’re registered anywhere, Louisiana vehicle registration for any vehicle you keep here, and Louisiana income tax filings if you earn income.

One disqualifier catches people out: if you already hold a resident fishing license in another state, you cannot buy one in Louisiana at resident rates, no matter how long you’ve been here.

Military and Disabled Veteran Rates

Active-duty service members stationed in Louisiana and their dependents can buy at resident rates even if their legal residence is elsewhere. Bring a valid military or dependent ID when you purchase, and carry it while fishing.

Louisiana residents with a permanent service-connected VA disability rating of 50% or higher receive their recreational fishing and hunting licenses free. The package covers the basic fishing license, the saltwater license, several hunting licenses, and a Wildlife Management Area access permit.

What Counts as Saltwater

Louisiana splits its waters into freshwater and saltwater zones by statute (RS 56:322), and the boundary runs through marshes, bays, and estuaries where it isn’t always obvious which side you’re on. If you’re along the coast, in a bay, or in tidal water, assume you need the saltwater license.

There is one narrow exception. You can hold freshwater species while fishing in a designated saltwater area without the saltwater license, so long as you don’t have any saltwater species in your possession. The moment a saltwater fish goes in the cooler, you need the saltwater license.³

Offshore: When You Also Need a Federal Permit

Your Louisiana saltwater license covers state waters, which run nine nautical miles out from the coastline in the Gulf.⁶ Past that line, federal rules kick in.

If you’re targeting tuna, billfish, swordfish, or sharks offshore, the vessel needs a federal Atlantic HMS Angling permit from NOAA Fisheries. It costs $24, attaches to the boat rather than the angler, and renews yearly. A shark endorsement requires the vessel owner to watch an educational video and pass a quiz during application.⁷

You do not need to sign up separately for the National Saltwater Angler Registry. Holding a valid Louisiana saltwater license exempts you automatically, because the state shares its licensing data with NOAA.⁸

Penalties for Fishing Without a License

Fishing in Louisiana after your license has been revoked for unpaid fines is a class three violation. A first offense carries a fine of $250 to $500, up to 90 days in jail, or both.⁹ Repeat offenses climb from there:

A second offense carries a $500 to $800 fine, 60 to 90 days in jail, and forfeiture of anything seized in connection with the violation.
A third or later offense carries a $750 to $1,000 fine, 90 to 120 days in jail, and forfeiture of seized items.

Repeat offenders can also lose their license for the rest of its term and be barred from buying a new one for the same period.⁹

Failing to pay fines or assessments from any wildlife violation triggers automatic revocation of all your recreational hunting and fishing licenses. That revocation holds until you pay in full, and LDWF won’t issue new licenses to you during that time.¹⁰

On top of the fine, courts can order restitution for the value of any fish or wildlife taken illegally. When a defendant is convicted and placed on probation, the court must order payment to the LDWF Conservation Fund based on a species-value schedule set by the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission. If you already paid a civil penalty assessment to LDWF for the same conduct, the court won’t stack restitution on top of it.¹¹

1
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Recreational Fishing Licenses and Permits
2
Louisiana Outdoors. Adult Residents – Available Fishing Licenses For Purchase
3
Justia. Louisiana Revised Statutes Title 56 RS 56-302.1 – Saltwater Fishing; Charter Fishing
4
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. License and Permit Fee List
5
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. LDWF Recreational Hunting, Fishing Licenses Now on LA Wallet
6
NOAA Office of Coast Survey. U.S. Maritime Limits and Boundaries
7
NOAA Fisheries. Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Permits
8
NOAA Fisheries. National Saltwater Angler Registry
9
Justia. Louisiana Revised Statutes Title 56 RS 56-33 – Class Three Violation
10
Justia. Louisiana Revised Statutes Title 56 RS 56-31.1 – Revocation of License; Denial of License; Penalties
11
Louisiana State Legislature. Louisiana Code Art. 895.2 – Probation; Restitution for Values of Wildlife