Fishing license exemptions by state
The age at which each state first requires a paid fishing license, and the documented youth and senior exemptions. "Under 16" means anglers 15 and younger fish without a license; "action still required" means the exemption is real but the state still requires a registration or a free license. A few states publish no single threshold — the age differs by residency, or by water — so the first column names the split where the record states one and otherwise sends you to the state's own page rather than inventing a number. Exemptions gated on things we cannot verify — disability, military service, income — are on each state's page, not summarized here.
| State | License required from | Youth exemption | Senior exemption |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Age 16 | Under 16 | Residents from age 65 — action still required |
| Alaska | Residents age 18 · Nonresidents age 16 | Residents under 18 · Nonresidents under 16 | Residents from age 60 — action still required |
| Arizona | Age 10 | Under 10 | None in our record |
| Arkansas | Age 16 | Under 16 | None in our record |
| California | Age 16 | Under 16 | None in our record |
| Colorado | Age 16 | Under 16 | None in our record |
| Delaware | Age 16 | Under 16 | Residents from age 65 — action still required |
| Florida | Age 16 | Under 16 | Residents from age 65 — action still required |
| Georgia | Age 16 | Under 16 | Residents from age 65 (born on or before Jun 30, 1952) — action still required |
| Hawaii | Varies by license — see Hawaii | Nonresidents under 15 (saltwater) · conditional cases on the state page | From age 65 — action still required |
| Idaho | Age 14 | Residents under 14 · conditional cases on the state page | None in our record |
| Illinois | Age 16 | Under 16 | None in our record |
| Indiana | Age 18 | Under 18 | Residents from age 83 (born on or before Mar 31, 1943) — action still required |
| Iowa | Age 16 | Under 16 — registration still required | conditional — see state page |
| Kansas | Age 16 | Under 16 | Residents from age 75 |
| Kentucky | Age 16 | Under 16 | None in our record |
| Louisiana | Age 18 | Under 18 | conditional — see state page |
| Maine | Age 16 | Under 16 | None in our record |
| Maryland | Age 16 | Under 16 | None in our record |
| Massachusetts | Age 15 | Under 15 (freshwater) · Under 16 (saltwater) | None in our record |
| Michigan | Age 17 | Under 17 | None in our record |
| Minnesota | Age 16 | Residents under 16 · conditional cases on the state page | Residents from age 90 |
| Mississippi | Age 16 | Under 16 | Residents from age 65 — action still required |
| Missouri | Age 16 | Under 16 — registration still required | Residents from age 65 — action still required |
| Montana | Age 12 | Under 12 | None in our record |
| Nebraska | Age 16 | Residents under 16 · Nonresidents under 16 · conditional cases on the state page | None in our record |
| Nevada | Age 12 | Residents under 12 · Nonresidents under 12 — registration still required | None in our record |
| New Hampshire | Age 16 | Under 16 | conditional — see state page |
| New Jersey | Age 16 | Under 16 | Residents from age 70 |
| New Mexico | Age 12 | Under 12 | Residents from age 70 — action still required |
| New York | Age 16 | Under 16 | None in our record |
| North Carolina | Age 16 | Under 16 | None in our record |
| North Dakota | Age 16 | Residents under 16 · conditional cases on the state page | None in our record |
| Ohio | Age 16 | Under 16 | Residents from age 88 (born on or before Dec 31, 1937) — action still required |
| Oklahoma | Age 18 | Under 18 | conditional — see state page |
| Oregon | Age 12 | Under 12 — registration still required | None in our record |
| Pennsylvania | Age 16 | Under 16 | None in our record |
| Rhode Island | Age 15 | Under 15 (freshwater) · Under 16 (saltwater) | None in our record |
| South Carolina | Age 16 | Under 16 | None in our record |
| South Dakota | Age 18 | Residents under 18 · Nonresidents under 18 | None in our record |
| Tennessee | Age 13 | Under 13 | Residents from age 100 (born on or before Feb 28, 1926) — action still required |
| Texas | Age 17 | Under 17 | conditional — see state page |
| Utah | Age 12 | Under 12 | None in our record |
| Vermont | Age 15 | Under 15 | None in our record |
| Virginia | Age 16 | Under 16 | From age 65 — action still required |
| Washington | Age 16 | Under 16 — registration still required | None in our record |
| West Virginia | Age 15 | Under 15 | Residents from age 65 (born on or before Dec 31, 1946) — action still required |
| Wisconsin | Age 16 | Under 16 | conditional — see state page |
| Wyoming | Age 14 | Residents under 14 · conditional cases on the state page | conditional — see state page |
These columns summarize documented exemptions only. Reduced-fee youth or senior licenses — priced options rather than exemptions — appear on each state's page, as do the exact agency wordings. States whose records we have not fully verified are not listed; see all states. Reviewed July 30, 2026.