Maryland’s lifetime fishing license is a no-cost license issued only to state residents who are 100% service-connected disabled veterans, former prisoners of war, or veterans the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has classified as unemployable due to a service-connected condition.1Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Maryland Sport Fishing and Crabbing Licenses There is no lifetime fishing license available for purchase by the general public in Maryland.
Who Qualifies
You must be a Maryland resident and fit one of three categories:
- A veteran with a 100% service-connected disability rating from the VA
- A former prisoner of war
- A veteran the VA has deemed unemployable because of a service-connected condition1Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Maryland Sport Fishing and Crabbing Licenses
Non-residents do not qualify, regardless of their military service or disability status. Standard retirement, age, or non-service-connected disabilities do not qualify either.
What the License Covers
The lifetime license is a bundle, not a single privilege. Once issued, it covers:
- The nontidal angler’s license (freshwater rivers and streams)
- A trout stamp
- The Chesapeake Bay and coastal sport fishing license (tidal waters, including the Bay, its tributaries, the Atlantic coast, and the coastal bays)
- A recreational oyster license1Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Maryland Sport Fishing and Crabbing Licenses
There is no fee, and the license never expires. You do not renew it.
How to Apply
The lifetime license is not available through the standard online license portal. You need two things: a letter of disability or certification from the Veterans Administration, and a completed and signed fishing license application. Both can be scanned or faxed to a Maryland DNR Licensing and Registration Service Center.1Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Maryland Sport Fishing and Crabbing Licenses
Call the DNR before you send anything. Confirm the current fax number or accepted digital format for the service center you plan to use, and ask whether they want the VA letter and application together or in separate transmissions. Submitting false information on a fishing license application is a violation of state law.2Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Natural Resources 4-604 – Anglers License
Service Centers and the MD Outdoors Portal
DNR Licensing and Registration Service Centers operate by appointment only. The MD Outdoors system, which replaced COMPASS in 2025, handles fishing and hunting licenses, stamps, permits, and boat registrations in one place and is the right starting point for finding your nearest service center.3Maryland Department of Natural Resources. New MD Outdoors Licensing System Now Online Authorized retail sport license agents around the state sell standard licenses, but the lifetime license specifically runs through the service centers because of the documentation review.4Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Maryland Department of Natural Resources Licensing and Registration Service
If You Don’t Qualify
Maryland does not sell a lifetime fishing license to the public at any price. Your options are annual or short-term licenses, with one meaningful discount for older residents.
Senior Consolidated Sport Fishing License
Maryland residents who are 65 or older, or who turn 65 during the current calendar year, can buy a consolidated senior sport fishing license for $12. One license covers both nontidal freshwater fishing and tidal fishing in the Chesapeake Bay, Atlantic coast, and coastal bays. The trout stamp is no longer bundled, so if you fish for trout you’ll pay $20 extra for the stamp.1Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Maryland Sport Fishing and Crabbing Licenses This is still an annual license and must be renewed each year.
Standard Annual Licenses
Everyone else buys separate licenses by water type. A resident nontidal angler’s license is $32 annually.2Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Natural Resources 4-604 – Anglers License A resident Chesapeake Bay and coastal sport fishing license is $15. If you fish both tidal and nontidal waters you need both. Purple Heart recipients who are Maryland residents qualify for a discounted rate on the tidal license.5Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Natural Resources 4-745 – Chesapeake Bay and Coastal Sport Fishing License
No-License Situations
A handful of situations don’t require any license at all. Children under 16 never need a recreational fishing license. Landowners and tenants on nontidal waters, along with their spouses and children, can fish the adjoining water without a license while living on that property. Maryland residents on active-duty military leave are exempt from the nontidal angler’s license while in the state, provided they carry a copy of their leave orders. Blind residents and non-residents pay no fee for either the nontidal or tidal license. Maryland also sets the first two Saturdays in June and July 4 as free fishing days, when no license is required for anyone.2Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Natural Resources 4-604 – Anglers License6Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Free Fishing
None of these is a lifetime license. They either apply to specific people (minors, blind anglers, certain landowners), to a particular day, or to a particular trip. If you want permanent, no-renewal fishing privileges in Maryland and you’re not a qualifying disabled veteran, former POW, or VA-unemployable veteran, that option does not exist in the state’s current license structure.