FishingLicenseCheck

Nevada fishing license

Nevada requires a recreational fishing license from age 12. The state licenses freshwater fishing. Nevada Department of Wildlife runs licenses from the date of purchase rather than on a license year: NRS 502.090(2): "each fishing license, hunting license and combined hunting and fishing license is valid for 1 year beginning on the date the license is purchased as specified on the license." Nevada therefore publishes no licence year.

Source: Nevada Department of Wildlife · Reviewed July 30, 2026

Your trip in Nevada

Your likely official license

Yes — a licence is required. For a 1-day non-resident freshwater trip in Nevada, the official match is Nonresident 1-Day Permit to Fish (18 and older).

Published cost for this trip$18
  • Nonresident 1-Day Permit to Fish (18 and older)$18 · One-day permit to fish.

What it covers

  • Nonresident 1-Day Permit to Fish (18 and older) — freshwater. Statutory fee in NRS 502.240 and NDOW's published fee list. Prices do not include a nominal processing fee.

Required add-ons

No stamp or endorsement is attached to this licence for your residency, age and trip length. Check “You may also need” below for requirements that depend on where and what you fish.

Why this answer

  1. You selected non-resident status, age 35, freshwater fishing, for 1 day.
  2. Nonresident 1-Day Permit to Fish (18 and older) covers the full trip: One-day permit to fish.
Other options you are eligible for
  • Nonresident — each consecutive day added to a 1-day permit to fish — $7 for this trip · Fee for each consecutive day added to a nonresident 1-day permit to fish.Not sold alone — must be added to a nonresident 1-day permit to fish.
  • Nonresident Annual Licence to Fish Solely in Reciprocal Waters — $30 for this trip · Valid for 1 year beginning on the date the licence is purchased (NRS 502.090).Valid solely in the reciprocal waters of the Colorado River, Lake Mead, Lake Mojave, Lake Tahoe and Topaz Lake.
  • Nonresident Annual Fishing Licence (18 and older) — $80 for this trip · Each fishing license is valid for 1 year beginning on the date the license is purchased as specified on the license (NRS 502.090).
  • Nonresident Annual Combination Hunting and Fishing Licence — $155 for this trip · Valid for 1 year beginning on the date the licence is purchased (NRS 502.090).

Exceptions that may change it

  • Nevada's most recently published free fishing day was June 13, 2026 (Free Fishing Day); check the agency for the next one. No licence is required on a free fishing day; other rules still apply.
  • This answer covers the licence only. Season, size, bag and waterbody rules still apply and change through the year.
Buy on the official Nevada Department of Wildlife site

We do not sell licenses and take no commission. This goes to the state agency.

Check current Nevada regulations

Seasons, size limits, bag limits and waterbody closures are not covered by this tool and change through the year.

Validity
NRS 502.090(2): "each fishing license, hunting license and combined hunting and fishing license is valid for 1 year beginning on the date the license is purchased as specified on the license." Nevada therefore publishes no licence year.
Reviewed
July 30, 2026

Answers at a glance

Common trips, answered from the same official record the checker uses. These assume an adult with no special circumstances — set your own age, water and trip above.

Visiting for a day

Adult visiting from another state · freshwater · one day

Nonresident 1-Day Permit to Fish (18 and older)

$18

Resident for the season

Adult Nevada resident · freshwater · all year

Resident Annual Fishing Licence (18 and older)

$40

Age and residency rules

Who counts as a resident. Under NRS 502.015 a person is considered a resident of Nevada for licensing if the person is a citizen of, or is lawfully entitled to remain in, the United States and, during the 6 months next preceding the application, maintained his or her principal and permanent residence in Nevada, was physically present in Nevada except for temporary absences, and did not purchase or apply for any hunting, fishing or trapping privilege conditional upon residency from another state, country or province. A full-time student attending a Nevada institution of higher learning who was physically present in Nevada for those 6 months and claimed no other state's resident privileges also qualifies. "Principal and permanent residence" means a place where a person is legally domiciled and maintains a permanent habitation; merely owning a residence in a state does not count.

Age-based rules

  • A licence to fish is not required of a resident of Nevada who is under 12 years of age.
  • A licence to fish is not required of a nonresident who is under 12 years of age, but the number of fish taken must not exceed 50 percent of the daily creel and possession limits. Still required: The exemption is conditional: the young nonresident angler's catch must not exceed 50 percent of the daily creel and possession limits provided by law.

License options

LicenseWhoWaterValid forPrice
Resident Annual Fishing Licence (18 and older)ResidentNDOW issues this licence to persons 18 years or older; anglers 12–17 buy the youth combination licence.freshwaterEach fishing license is valid for 1 year beginning on the date the license is purchased as specified on the license (NRS 502.090).$40
Resident 1-Day Permit to Fish (18 and older)ResidentNDOW lists the 1-day permit for anglers 18 and older.freshwaterOne-day permit to fish.$9
Resident — each consecutive day added to a 1-day permit to fishNot sold alone — must be added to a resident 1-day permit to fish.ResidentfreshwaterFee for each consecutive day added to a resident 1-day permit to fish.$3
Resident Youth Combination Hunting and Fishing Licence (ages 12–17)Combination hunting and fishing licence.ResidentIssued to any person who is at least 12 years of age but less than 18 years of age.freshwaterValid for 1 year beginning on the date the licence is purchased (NRS 502.090).$15
Resident Specialty Combination Hunting and Fishing Licence — age 65 or olderResidentAny person considered a Nevada resident under NRS 502.015 immediately preceding the date of application and who is 65 years of age or older.freshwaterAnnual specialty combination licence; valid for 1 year from purchase (NRS 502.090).$15
Resident Specialty Combination Hunting and Fishing Licence — severe physical disabilityFor any person who is a resident of Nevada under NRS 502.015 and who has a severe physical disability. Apply using NDOW's Resident Severely Disabled Specialty Combination Hunting & Fishing Licence application.ResidentfreshwaterAnnual specialty combination licence; valid for 1 year from purchase (NRS 502.090).$15
Resident Specialty Combination Hunting and Fishing Licence — service-connected disabilityFor any Nevada resident who has incurred a service-connected disability specified in NRS 502.072. Apply using NDOW's Resident Disabled Veteran Specialty Combination Hunting & Fishing Licence application.ResidentfreshwaterAnnual specialty combination licence; valid for 1 year from purchase (NRS 502.090).$15
Resident Native American Specialty Combination Hunting and Fishing LicenceFor any resident Native American of Nevada pursuant to NRS 502.280.ResidentfreshwaterAnnual specialty combination licence; valid for 1 year from purchase (NRS 502.090).$10
Resident Annual Combination Hunting and Fishing LicenceResidentIssued to persons 18 years or older.freshwaterValid for 1 year beginning on the date the licence is purchased (NRS 502.090).$75
Nonresident Annual Fishing Licence (18 and older)Non-residentNDOW issues this licence to persons 18 years or older; anglers 12–17 buy the youth combination licence.freshwaterEach fishing license is valid for 1 year beginning on the date the license is purchased as specified on the license (NRS 502.090).$80
Nonresident 1-Day Permit to Fish (18 and older)Non-residentNDOW lists the 1-day permit for anglers 18 and older.freshwaterOne-day permit to fish.$18
Nonresident — each consecutive day added to a 1-day permit to fishNot sold alone — must be added to a nonresident 1-day permit to fish.Non-residentfreshwaterFee for each consecutive day added to a nonresident 1-day permit to fish.$7
Nonresident Youth Combination Hunting and Fishing Licence (ages 12–17)Combination hunting and fishing licence.Non-residentIssued to any person who is at least 12 years of age but less than 18 years of age.freshwaterValid for 1 year beginning on the date the licence is purchased (NRS 502.090).$15
Nonresident Annual Licence to Fish Solely in Reciprocal WatersValid solely in the reciprocal waters of the Colorado River, Lake Mead, Lake Mojave, Lake Tahoe and Topaz Lake.Non-residentfreshwaterValid for 1 year beginning on the date the licence is purchased (NRS 502.090).$30
Nonresident Annual Combination Hunting and Fishing LicenceNon-residentIssued to persons 18 years or older.freshwaterValid for 1 year beginning on the date the licence is purchased (NRS 502.090).$155

Exemptions worth knowing

  • June 13, 2026 is Free Fishing Day in Nevada — no fishing licence is required for adults or children to fish any public water on this date. The Commission may declare 1 day per year as a day upon which persons may fish without a licence (NRS 502.010).

Free fishing days

  • Free Fishing Day — June 13, 2026. No fishing licence is required for adults or children to fish any public water on this date. All limits and other regulations apply.

Where this comes from

Primary source
Apply & Buy — Nevada Fishing | Nevada Department of Wildlife — Nevada Department of Wildlife
Retrieved
July 26, 2026
Reviewed
July 30, 2026
Also consulted

Found something out of date? Email corrections@fishinglicensecheck.com and tell us which figure and which page — see corrections.

Nearby states

Licenses are issued state by state — a Nevada license does not carry its own rules across the border, so if your trip crosses one, check both states.

Across all states