Maryland Disability Fishing License Exemption: Categories and Proof

The Maryland disability fishing license exemption isn’t one program but four. A 100% service-connected disabled veteran, an unemployable veteran, or a former prisoner of war can get a free lifetime license covering fresh and salt water. A blind angler pays nothing for a nontidal license. Anyone residing in or attending a state-approved developmental disability or mental health facility needs no license at all. And for conditions that don’t fit those slots, the Department of Natural Resources issues a Universal Disability Pass to any resident whose disability substantially limits a major life activity.

Which Path Fits Your Situation

Disabled Veterans, Unemployable Veterans, and Former POWs

Under §§ 4-607 and 4-745 of the Natural Resources Article, DNR may issue a lifetime complimentary fishing license to a Maryland resident who certifies as a 100% service-connected disabled veteran, an American veteran the VA determines is unemployable, or a former prisoner of war.¹² Out-of-state veterans in the same categories qualify only if their home state extends similar privileges to Maryland veterans. The license is not transferable.

Blind Anglers

The nontidal license fee schedule lists blind persons, resident or nonresident, at no fee.³ You still go through the licensing process; you just don’t pay for freshwater fishing.

Residents and Patients of State-Approved Facilities

Section 4-217(e) waives the angler’s license entirely for individuals who attend or reside in a state-approved facility for developmentally disabled individuals, and for patients under treatment at a state-approved mental health facility.⁴ No application or card is required for the patient, though accompanying staff need proper documentation.

Universal Disability Pass

The Universal Disability Pass is the general-purpose option. It’s available to anyone whose condition substantially limits one or more major life activities, and it isn’t tied to a specific diagnosis, service history, or facility.⁵

What Each Exemption Actually Covers

The veteran complimentary lifetime license is the broadest. DNR bundles the nontidal angler’s license, the trout stamp, the Chesapeake Bay sport fishing license, and the recreational oyster license into one package — mountain streams, inland lakes, the Bay, the Atlantic coastal bays, and recreational oysters, all covered for life.⁶

The facility-based exemption under § 4-217(e) covers nontidal fishing. Organizational exemptions under § 4-217(a) and (b), described further below, cover both tidal and nontidal waters.⁷

None of these waivers touch the fishing rules themselves. Bag limits, size limits, seasonal closures, and gear restrictions still apply. The exemption removes the fee, not the regulations.

How to Apply and What to Send

All applications now go through the MD Outdoors portal, which replaced COMPASS in 2025.⁸

Veteran Complimentary Lifetime License

You need two documents: a letter of disability or certification from the Veterans Administration, and a completed fishing license application. Scan or fax both to a DNR Licensing and Registration Service Center.⁶ A general physician’s certification will not substitute for the VA letter.

Universal Disability Pass

The UDP application is a PDF on the DNR website.⁹ Three steps:

Register for an MD Outdoors account at mdoutdoors.maryland.gov to get a DNR ID number. If you’ve held a hunting or fishing license since 2017, your record was migrated; use the Customer Lookup feature to find it.⁵
Fill in your name, DNR ID number, phone number, signature, and date, and attach one qualifying document.
Mail, email, or hand-deliver the application to any DNR Licensing and Registration Service Center. The mailing address is MD DNR Licensing & Registration Service (UDP), P.O. Box 1869, Annapolis, MD 21404. The Cumberland service center does not accept mail.⁹

One of three documents will satisfy the UDP proof requirement:⁹

A VA disability determination letter.
A copy of your MVA Disability Parking Certification if you already have a Maryland disability placard or plates.

li>The health care professional certification on the bottom of the UDP form, signed by a physician, chiropractor, optometrist, podiatrist, or nurse practitioner, confirming that your condition substantially limits one or more major life activities. The provider must list their specialty, medical license number, issuing state, and expiration date.

The certification asks whether the condition is permanent or temporary. A temporary certification carries an anticipated end date, and the pass will need renewal at that point.

Caregivers, Family, and Group Programs

If you help someone else fish, whether you need your own license depends on the setting.

For patients of a mental health facility, § 4-217 extends the exemption to a caregiver, family member, or designee of the facility or private group home, as long as one of two things is true: the facility administrator, treating physician, or psychologist has given DNR a letter identifying that person as the patient’s primary caretaker, or the person accompanying the patient carries a copy of that letter or a professional health care license or certificate.⁴

A friend or family member helping a UDP or veteran license holder who is not tied to a qualifying facility generally needs their own license.

Nonprofits and government entities get their own routes. Under § 4-217(a), DNR may issue a one-day license exemption to a nonprofit taking individuals with physical or mental disabilities fishing from shore in tidal or nontidal waters; the application specifies location, time, day, and number of participants. For ongoing programs, § 4-217(b) authorizes an annual exemption for a government entity or nonprofit serving disabled veterans, running wellness events, providing fishing clinics, or reaching underserved communities. The primary caregiver or representative is included while the organization is conducting the activity. Annual-exemption organizations must submit a report to DNR by January 1 of the following year, and the representative must carry the exemption letter from the Director of the Fisheries Service while the group is fishing.⁷

Carry Your Proof on the Water

Whichever exemption applies, keep your documentation with you. Veteran license holders should have the complimentary license card or its digital equivalent in the MD Outdoors app. UDP holders should carry the pass. For the facility-based exemption, accompanying staff must have the letter or professional credential described in the statute.⁴ Natural Resources Police can ask for verification.

If You Don’t Fit Any Category, Try Free Fishing Days

Maryland designates free fishing days on the first two Saturdays in June and on July 4th. On those days anyone can catch and possess finfish in tidal and nontidal waters without an angler’s license, Chesapeake Bay sport fishing license, or any fishing stamp. All other fishing regulations still apply.¹⁰ These days are a low-pressure way to fish while you sort out which exemption fits.

1
Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Natural Resources 4-607 – Anglers License
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Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Natural Resources 4-745 – Chesapeake Bay and Coastal Sport Fishing License
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Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Natural Resources 4-604 – Anglers License Required
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Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Natural Resources 4-217 – Fishing Licenses Disability Exemption
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Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Instructions for Universal Disability Pass
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Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Maryland Sport Fishing and Crabbing Licenses
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Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Natural Resources 4-217 – Fishing Licenses Disability Exemption
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Maryland Department of Natural Resources. New MD Outdoors Licensing System Now Online
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Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Application for Universal Disability Pass
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Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Free Fishing