FishingLicenseCheck

Pennsylvania fishing license

Pennsylvania requires a recreational fishing license from age 16. The state licenses freshwater fishing. The current license year is 2026 (December 1, 2025 – December 31, 2026).

Source: Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission · Reviewed July 30, 2026

Your trip in Pennsylvania

Special circumstances that can change the answer

Your likely official license

Yes — a licence is required. For a 1-day non-resident freshwater trip in Pennsylvania, the official match is 1-Day Tourist Fishing License.

Published cost for this trip$31.97
  • 1-Day Tourist Fishing License$31.97 · Valid for one day; a licence issued for use on March 14 expires at 11:59 p.m. on March 14.

What it covers

  • 1-Day Tourist Fishing License — freshwater. Total published cost, which includes the $1.00 issuing agent fee and the $0.97 transaction fee. This license includes the Trout and Lake Erie permits.Limits on this license: Includes Trout and Lake Erie permits; not valid for fishing during the period from March 15 to April 30 of any year.

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.

You may also need

Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission publishes these for the water you selected. Whether one applies depends on what you fish for and where — something this tool does not ask.

  • Trout Permit (1 year) — A current Pennsylvania trout permit is required to fish for trout. An angler "fishes for trout" when they take, kill or possess a trout while fishing from any Pennsylvania or boundary waters; fish in waters under special trout regulations; fish in any Class A Wild Trout Waters or Wilderness Trout Streams or their tributaries; or fish in streams and rivers designated as stocked trout waters during the stocked-water period. Permits are printed on the license. · $14.97
  • Lake Erie Permit (1 year) — All anglers fishing the Pennsylvania waters of Lake Erie, Presque Isle Bay and their tributaries, including waters that flow into those tributaries, must possess a valid Lake Erie Permit or Combination Trout/Lake Erie Permit. · $9.97
  • Senior Lifetime Lake Erie Permit — A person who holds a Senior Resident Lifetime License and fishes Lake Erie or its tributaries need buy only this one Lake Erie Permit, valid for the licensee's lifetime. Age 65 and up. · $9.97
  • Combination Trout/Lake Erie Permit (1 year) — Single permit covering both the trout requirement and the Lake Erie/Presque Isle Bay requirement for one license year. · $20.97
  • 3-Year Trout Permit — Three-year version of the Trout Permit, bought alongside a multi-year fishing license. · $40.97
  • 3-Year Lake Erie Permit — Three-year version of the Lake Erie Permit, bought alongside a multi-year fishing license. · $25.97

7 more are listed on the official Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission pages linked below.

Why this answer

  1. You selected non-resident status, age 35, freshwater fishing, for 1 day.
  2. 1-Day Tourist Fishing License covers the full trip: Valid for one day; a licence issued for use on March 14 expires at 11:59 p.m. on March 14.
Other options you are eligible for
  • 3-Day Tourist Fishing License — $31.97 for this trip · Valid for three days.The Trout and Lake Erie permits are not included; PFBC's table marks only the 1-Day Tourist license as including them.
  • 7-Day Tourist Fishing License — $39.47 for this trip · Valid for seven days.The Trout and Lake Erie permits are not included; PFBC's table marks only the 1-Day Tourist license as including them.
  • Non-Resident Annual Fishing License — $60.97 for this trip · Valid from December 1, 2025 through December 31, 2026.A Trout Permit and/or Lake Erie Permit is required in addition when fishing for trout or in Lake Erie, Presque Isle Bay and their tributaries.
  • 3-Year Non-Resident Fishing License — $178.97 for this trip · Three consecutive license years.
  • 5-Year Non-Resident Fishing License — $296.97 for this trip · Five consecutive license years.
  • 10-Year Non-Resident Fishing License — $591.97 for this trip · Ten consecutive license years.
Reduced-fee and free licenses, if you qualify (1, from $27.97)

Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission offers these to anglers who meet specific criteria — such as a disability, veteran or military status, low income, or tribal membership. We cannot check whether they apply to you, so they are never used as the answer above.

  • Non-Resident PA Student Annual Fishing License — $27.97 · For out-of-state students attending a Pennsylvania school full time; proof of eligibility such as a current college identification card may be requested by a Waterways Conservation Officer.

Exceptions that may change it

  • Pennsylvania's most recently published free fishing days were May 24, 2026 (Fish-for-Free Day) and July 4, 2026 (Fish-for-Free Day); check the agency for the next one. No licence is required on a free fishing day; other rules still apply.
  • 1-Day Tourist Fishing License: Includes Trout and Lake Erie permits; not valid for fishing during the period from March 15 to April 30 of any year.
  • An adult who assists a child 15 years of age and younger by casting or retrieving a fishing line or rod is not required to possess a valid fishing license, provided the child remains within arms' reach of the assisting adult and is actively involved in the fishing activity. An adult may also bait hooks, remove fish, net fish, prepare the rod and untangle line without a license.
  • No Pennsylvania fishing license is needed for people who are totally blind, or who have physical or mental impairments so severe that they cannot cast or retrieve a line or bait hooks and remove fish, provided only one legal device is used and the person is within 10 feet of the device. The attendant assisting them also needs no license. Such individuals are likewise exempt from the Trout and Lake Erie permits.
  • Landowners and their family members who reside on their land throughout the year may fish on that land without a license. A pond or lake wholly within land owned by a homeowners association or a private club does not exempt the individual homeowners or club members.
  • Certain active-duty military personnel are exempt from Pennsylvania's fishing license requirement. To qualify the angler must be a bona fide Pennsylvania resident, be on active duty, be stationed outside Pennsylvania, and be in Pennsylvania on authorized leave. A qualifying service member does not receive a free license; they may simply fish without one under those conditions.
  • Persons who possess a 1-Day Tourist license are not required to possess a separate Trout Permit or Lake Erie Permit; those permits are built into that license.
  • This answer covers the licence only. Season, size, bag and waterbody rules still apply and change through the year.
Buy on the official Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission site

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

Check current Pennsylvania regulations

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

Validity
2026 · December 1, 2025 – December 31, 2026
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

1-Day Tourist Fishing License

$31.97

Resident for the season

Adult Pennsylvania resident · freshwater · all year

Resident Annual Fishing License

$27.97

Age and residency rules

Who counts as a resident. Only bona fide residents of Pennsylvania are eligible for resident licenses. A bona fide resident of Pennsylvania is a permanent resident of this state who has a fixed intent to return to the Commonwealth when he leaves it and who maintains a permanent place of abode here. For fishing license purposes, a person may not be a bona fide resident of Pennsylvania while claiming residence in another state. Students attending PA universities and colleges but living in another state are not considered residents.

Age-based rules

  • A current license is required only of persons age 16 and over, so anglers under 16 need no Pennsylvania fishing license. Persons under 16 are also not required to possess a Trout Permit or Lake Erie Permit.

License options

LicenseWhoWaterValid forPrice
Resident Annual Fishing LicenseA Trout Permit and/or Lake Erie Permit is required in addition when fishing for trout or in Lake Erie, Presque Isle Bay and their tributaries.ResidentAge 16-64.freshwater2026 licenses purchased from December 1, 2025 are valid immediately for up to 13 months, from December 1, 2025 through December 31, 2026.$27.97
Senior Resident Annual Fishing LicensePositive proof of legal residency, usually a valid PA driver's license, is required at purchase.ResidentAge 65 and up.freshwaterValid from December 1, 2025 through December 31, 2026.$14.47
Senior Resident Lifetime Fishing LicenseA Trout Permit must still be bought each year to fish for trout; only one Lake Erie Permit is needed, valid for the licensee's lifetime. Some exemptions apply to licenses bought before 2015.ResidentAge 65 and up.freshwaterValid for the lifetime of the holder.$86.97
1-Day Resident Fishing LicenseNot valid for fishing during the period from March 15 to April 30 of any year. Does not include the Trout or Lake Erie permits.ResidentAge 16 and up.freshwaterValid for one day; a licence issued for use on March 14 expires at 11:59 p.m. on March 14 regardless of what time it begins.$14.47
Disabled Veterans Reduced Resident LicenseFor PA-resident veterans with a service-connected disability rated between 60 and 99 percent by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Can only be issued if the initial license was purchased at a County Treasurer or PFBC office; after that, annual licenses may be obtained at any issuing agent or online.ResidentAge 16 and up.freshwaterValid from December 1, 2025 through December 31, 2026.$2.97
Disabled Veterans Resident Annual LicenseFor PA-resident veterans with a service-connected disability who are 100 percent disabled as certified by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, or whose war/armed-conflict disability consists of loss or use of one or more limbs or total blindness. Can only be issued if the initial license was obtained at a County Treasurer or PFBC office.ResidentAge 16-64.freshwaterValid from December 1, 2025 through December 31, 2026.No charge
POW Resident Annual LicenseAvailable to persons who provide military documentation stating the person is a former Prisoner of War. Initial licenses are available only at PFBC offices and county treasurers; annual licenses may then be obtained at any issuing agent or online.ResidentAge 16-64.freshwaterValid from December 1, 2025 through December 31, 2026.$2.97
Non-Resident Annual Fishing LicenseA Trout Permit and/or Lake Erie Permit is required in addition when fishing for trout or in Lake Erie, Presque Isle Bay and their tributaries.Non-residentAge 16 and up.freshwaterValid from December 1, 2025 through December 31, 2026.$60.97
Non-Resident PA Student Annual Fishing LicenseFor out-of-state students attending a Pennsylvania school full time; proof of eligibility such as a current college identification card may be requested by a Waterways Conservation Officer.Non-residentAge 16 and up.freshwaterValid from December 1, 2025 through December 31, 2026.$27.97
1-Day Tourist Fishing LicenseIncludes Trout and Lake Erie permits; not valid for fishing during the period from March 15 to April 30 of any year.Resident or visitorAge 16 and up.freshwaterValid for one day; a licence issued for use on March 14 expires at 11:59 p.m. on March 14.$31.97
3-Day Tourist Fishing LicenseThe Trout and Lake Erie permits are not included; PFBC's table marks only the 1-Day Tourist license as including them.Resident or visitorAge 16 and up.freshwaterValid for three days.$31.97
7-Day Tourist Fishing LicenseThe Trout and Lake Erie permits are not included; PFBC's table marks only the 1-Day Tourist license as including them.Resident or visitorAge 16 and up.freshwaterValid for seven days.$39.47
Voluntary Youth Fishing License (Annual)Optional. Lets a youth take part in a Mentored Youth Fishing Day in place of the free Mentored Youth Permit.Resident or visitorLess than 16 years of age.freshwaterValid from December 1, 2025 through December 31, 2026.$2.97
Mentored Youth PermitYouth anglers must obtain a current-year Mentored Youth Permit or a Voluntary Youth Fishing License and be accompanied by a licensed adult angler to participate in a Mentored Youth Fishing Day.Resident or visitorLess than 16 years of age.freshwaterCurrent-year permit; used on Mentored Youth Fishing Days (Mentored Youth Trout Day is March 28 statewide in 2026).No charge
3-Year Resident Fishing License1-year Trout, Lake Erie and Combination permits may be added to a multi-year basic license in later years.ResidentAge 16-64.freshwaterThree consecutive license years.$79.97
3-Year Senior Resident Fishing LicenseResidentAge 65 and up.freshwaterThree consecutive license years.$39.47
3-Year Non-Resident Fishing LicenseNon-residentAge 16 and up.freshwaterThree consecutive license years.$178.97
5-Year Resident Fishing LicenseResidentAge 16-64.freshwaterFive consecutive license years.$131.97
5-Year Senior Resident Fishing LicenseResidentAge 65 and up.freshwaterFive consecutive license years.$64.47
5-Year Non-Resident Fishing LicenseNon-residentAge 16 and up.freshwaterFive consecutive license years.$296.97
10-Year Resident Fishing LicenseResidentAge 16-64.freshwaterTen consecutive license years.$261.97
10-Year Non-Resident Fishing LicenseNon-residentAge 16 and up.freshwaterTen consecutive license years.$591.97

Stamps, endorsements and report cards

  • Trout Permit (1 year) — A current Pennsylvania trout permit is required to fish for trout. An angler "fishes for trout" when they take, kill or possess a trout while fishing from any Pennsylvania or boundary waters; fish in waters under special trout regulations; fish in any Class A Wild Trout Waters or Wilderness Trout Streams or their tributaries; or fish in streams and rivers designated as stocked trout waters during the stocked-water period. Permits are printed on the license. · $14.97
  • Lake Erie Permit (1 year) — All anglers fishing the Pennsylvania waters of Lake Erie, Presque Isle Bay and their tributaries, including waters that flow into those tributaries, must possess a valid Lake Erie Permit or Combination Trout/Lake Erie Permit. · $9.97
  • Senior Lifetime Lake Erie Permit — A person who holds a Senior Resident Lifetime License and fishes Lake Erie or its tributaries need buy only this one Lake Erie Permit, valid for the licensee's lifetime. Age 65 and up. · $9.97
  • Combination Trout/Lake Erie Permit (1 year) — Single permit covering both the trout requirement and the Lake Erie/Presque Isle Bay requirement for one license year. · $20.97
  • 3-Year Trout Permit — Three-year version of the Trout Permit, bought alongside a multi-year fishing license. · $40.97
  • 3-Year Lake Erie Permit — Three-year version of the Lake Erie Permit, bought alongside a multi-year fishing license. · $25.97
  • 3-Year Combination Trout/Lake Erie Permit — Three-year combined trout and Lake Erie permit; PFBC lists this one for ages 16-64. · $58.97
  • 5-Year Trout Permit — Five-year version of the Trout Permit, bought alongside a multi-year fishing license. · $66.97
  • 5-Year Lake Erie Permit — Five-year version of the Lake Erie Permit, bought alongside a multi-year fishing license. · $41.97
  • 5-Year Combination Trout/Lake Erie Permit — Five-year combined trout and Lake Erie permit. · $96.97
  • 10-Year Trout Permit — Ten-year version of the Trout Permit, bought alongside a multi-year fishing license. · $131.97
  • 10-Year Lake Erie Permit — Ten-year version of the Lake Erie Permit, bought alongside a multi-year fishing license. · $81.97
  • 10-Year Combination Trout/Lake Erie Permit — Ten-year combined trout and Lake Erie permit. · $191.97
  • Delaware River / Estuary Saltwater Angler Registration — Anglers who target or catch shad, striped bass and river herring from the Delaware River below Trenton Falls or in the Delaware Estuary must register. Pennsylvania fishing license holders may register for free with the PFBC; alternatively an angler may register for a fee with NOAA's National Saltwater Angler Registry or meet another exempted state's saltwater registration requirement. No registration is needed for anglers under 16, holders of a Highly Migratory Species Angling Permit, commercial licence holders, or those already holding a valid NSAR registration. · No charge · this is a report card or registration, not a paid stamp

Exemptions worth knowing

  • On Pennsylvania's Fish-for-Free Days (May 24 and July 4 in 2026) no fishing license is needed to fish on Pennsylvania waters. All other regulations apply.
  • An adult who assists a child 15 years of age and younger by casting or retrieving a fishing line or rod is not required to possess a valid fishing license, provided the child remains within arms' reach of the assisting adult and is actively involved in the fishing activity. An adult may also bait hooks, remove fish, net fish, prepare the rod and untangle line without a license.
  • No Pennsylvania fishing license is needed for people who are totally blind, or who have physical or mental impairments so severe that they cannot cast or retrieve a line or bait hooks and remove fish, provided only one legal device is used and the person is within 10 feet of the device. The attendant assisting them also needs no license. Such individuals are likewise exempt from the Trout and Lake Erie permits.
  • Landowners and their family members who reside on their land throughout the year may fish on that land without a license. A pond or lake wholly within land owned by a homeowners association or a private club does not exempt the individual homeowners or club members.
  • Certain active-duty military personnel are exempt from Pennsylvania's fishing license requirement. To qualify the angler must be a bona fide Pennsylvania resident, be on active duty, be stationed outside Pennsylvania, and be in Pennsylvania on authorized leave. A qualifying service member does not receive a free license; they may simply fish without one under those conditions. Still required: The angler must carry, while fishing, evidence of Commonwealth residency (Pennsylvania driver's license), a military ID, proof of assignment to a facility outside Pennsylvania, and a copy of the orders assigning them to temporary leave.
  • Persons who possess a 1-Day Tourist license are not required to possess a separate Trout Permit or Lake Erie Permit; those permits are built into that license.

Free fishing days

  • Fish-for-Free Day — May 24, 2026. No fishing license is needed to fish on this day. All other regulations apply.
  • Fish-for-Free Day — July 4, 2026. No fishing license is needed to fish on this day. All other regulations apply.

Where this comes from

Primary source
Buy a Fishing License/Permit — Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission — Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission
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 Pennsylvania license does not carry its own rules across the border, so if your trip crosses one, check both states.

Across all states