Fishing Regulations and Licenses by State
Every state runs its own fishing rules, and the official page for them moves around more than it should. This is a direct index to the wildlife agency, the current regulations, and the license page for all 50 states.
We link to the source instead of repeating what it says. Regulations change by season and by water body, and a stale copy of them here could cost you a fine. The agency page is always the authority.
Every link on this page was fetched and confirmed to load on July 28, 2026. Where a state does not publish a separate regulations or license page at a stable address, only the links that exist are shown. We would rather show you three links than four with one broken.
Alabama
Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Alaska
Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Arizona
Arizona Game and Fish Department
Arkansas
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
California
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
Colorado
Colorado Parks and Wildlife
Connecticut
Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Delaware
Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife (DNREC)
Florida
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Georgia
Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division
Hawaii
Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR), Department of Land and Natural Resources
Idaho
Idaho Department of Fish and Game
Illinois
Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Indiana
Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Iowa
Iowa Department of Natural Resources
Kansas
Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks
Kentucky
Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources
Louisiana
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
Maine
Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife
Maryland
Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Massachusetts
Division of Fisheries and Wildlife
Michigan
Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Minnesota
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Mississippi
Mississippi Department of Marine Resources
Missouri
Missouri Department of Conservation
Montana
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
Nebraska
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
Nevada
Nevada Department of Wildlife
New Hampshire
New Hampshire Fish and Game Department
New Jersey
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
New Mexico
New Mexico Department of Game and Fish
New York
New York Department of Environmental Conservation
North Carolina
North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
North Dakota
North Dakota Game and Fish Department
Ohio
Ohio Division of Wildlife
Oklahoma
Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation
Oregon
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission
Rhode Island
Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management
South Carolina
South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
South Dakota
South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks
Tennessee
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
Texas
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Utah
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
Vermont
Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department
Virginia
Department of Wildlife Resources
Washington
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
West Virginia
West Virginia Division of Natural Resources
Wisconsin
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Wyoming
Wyoming Game and Fish Department
Using this page
Regulations pages cover seasons, size limits, and creel limits, and they differ by water body inside the same state. Check the specific water you plan to fish, not just the statewide summary.
A license bought in one state is not valid in another. A few neighbouring states honour each other on shared border waters, and the agency page is the only place that will tell you whether yours is one of them.
Found a link that has moved or stopped working? Tell us and we will fix it. This page is checked on a schedule, but agencies reorganise their sites without warning.
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