Non-Resident Fishing License Cost by State
A non-resident fishing license costs more than the resident license, but the markup is gentler than hunting: typically two to four times the resident rate rather than five to ten. The table below sorts forty states by the annual non-resident fee, cheapest first, and shows the cheapest trip license when the state sells one. If you are on a three-day vacation, that trip column is the number that actually matters.
| State | Resident | Non-resident | vs resident | Trip license |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware | $8.50 | $20 | 2.4× | $12.50 |
| Hawaii | $6 | $26 | 4.3× | $6 |
| Illinois | $15 | $31.50 | 2.1× | - |
| New Jersey | $22.50 | $34 | 1.5× | $9 |
| South Carolina | $10 | $35 | 3.5× | $11 |
| West Virginia | $19 | $37 | 1.9× | $3 |
| Rhode Island | $24 | $41 | 1.7× | $20 |
| Florida | $17 | $47 | 2.8× | $17 |
| Virginia | $23 | $47 | 2× | - |
| Iowa | $22 | $48 | 2.2× | $12 |
| Georgia | $15 | $50 | 3.3× | - |
| Massachusetts | $40 | $50 | 1.3× | $30.50 |
| New York | $25 | $50 | 2× | - |
| Minnesota | $25 | $51 | 2× | $14 |
| Vermont | $28 | $54 | 1.9× | $22 |
| Arizona | $37 | $55 | 1.5× | - |
| Connecticut | $28 | $55 | 2× | $8 |
| Maryland | $32 | $55 | 1.7× | $35 |
| North Dakota | $18 | $55 | 3.1× | $25 |
| Wisconsin | $20 | $55 | 2.8× | - |
| New Mexico | $25 | $56 | 2.2× | $12 |
| North Carolina | $51 | $56 | 1.1× | - |
| Missouri | $14 | $57 | 4.1× | - |
| Texas | $30 | $58 | 1.9× | - |
| Kentucky | $24.31 | $58.14 | 2.4× | - |
| Arkansas | $10.50 | $60 | 5.7× | $15 |
| Indiana | $23 | $60 | 2.6× | - |
| Mississippi | $17 | $60 | 3.5× | $30 |
| Pennsylvania | $27.97 | $60.97 | 2.2× | $31.97 |
| New Hampshire | $45 | $63 | 1.4× | - |
| Louisiana | $17 | $68 | 4× | $17 |
| Alabama | $17.45 | $68.20 | 3.9× | $38.05 |
| Michigan | $26 | $76 | 2.9× | - |
| Ohio | $25 | $76.96 | 3.1× | - |
| Kansas | $27.50 | $77.50 | 2.8× | $12.50 |
| Nebraska | $23 | $77.50 | 3.4× | - |
| Nevada | $40 | $80 | 2× | $18 |
| South Dakota | $31 | $80 | 2.6× | $26 |
| Oklahoma | $31 | $81 | 2.6× | $26 |
| Maine | $30 | $83 | 2.8× | - |
| Tennessee | $39 | $98 | 2.5× | - |
| Alaska | $20 | $100 | 5× | $15 |
| Montana | $21 | $100 | 4.8× | - |
| Wyoming | $27 | $102 | 3.8× | $14 |
| Idaho | $30.50 | $108 | 3.5× | $22.75 |
| Washington | $39.95 | $115.85 | 2.9× | $27.05 |
| Utah | $40 | $120 | 3× | $44 |
| Colorado | $44.87 | $124.01 | 2.8× | - |
| Oregon | $50 | $138 | 2.8× | - |
| California | $64.54 | $174.14 | 2.7× | - |
Why non-resident fishing licenses cost less than hunting
Fishing does not consume a limited public resource the way a deer tag does. States still charge visitors more than residents, but they rarely need a $300 annual to ration pressure. Illinois's non-resident fishing license is $31.50, about twice the $15 resident rate. California is the outlier at $174.14, the same CPI-adjusted sport license residents buy for $64.54, not a punitive visitor tariff.
The middle of the table is clustered: Georgia $50, New York $50, Wisconsin $55, North Carolina $56, Missouri $57, Texas $58, Kentucky $58.14. Those are all annual freshwater (or statewide) licenses. A $4 gap between Georgia and Texas is not a reason to pick a destination; the water is.
Trip licenses versus the annual
Florida's 3-day non-resident fishing license is $17, the same as a resident annual, and the 7-day is $30, both well under the $47 annual. Pennsylvania's 1-day or 3-day tourist license is $31.97 against a $60.97 annual; the 7-day is $39.47. Alabama's 7-day freshwater trip is $38.05 against $68.20. If you are in those states for a weekend, the annual is the wrong product.
A dash in the trip column means this dataset only lists the annual for that state, not that a 1-day license does not exist. Ohio, Michigan, and several others sell short-term options we have not priced here yet. Open the state page and the official source before you assume you must buy the year.
Freshwater, saltwater and combos
The annual in this table is the freshwater or statewide fishing license unless the notes on the state page say otherwise. Texas, Florida, Virginia and Alabama sell saltwater separately. Virginia's combined freshwater and saltwater license is $71 non-resident, cheaper than buying $47 plus $25. Texas's all-water combo is $68 non-resident. Florida's freshwater/saltwater combo is priced for residents at $32.50; non-residents still buy the two annuals or the short-term products.
Trout and salmon stamps sit on top in Kentucky ($10.57), Indiana ($11), Missouri, Illinois and others. A cheap annual is not a cheap trout trip if the stamp is required on the water you actually came to fish.
What does not travel with you
Senior discounts, youth exemptions and landowner free-fishing rules are resident privileges. Missouri's 65-and-over exemption, Illinois's $1.50 senior license, New York's $5 senior rate. None of those apply because you are 70 at home. You pay the non-resident adult price unless that state's own senior non-resident product exists, which is rare.
A fishing license from your home state is not valid across the state line. Reciprocal pricing in a few border states (Alabama's freshwater fee varies slightly for residents of Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee) adjusts what you pay; it does not let you skip the license. Buy the destination state's license.
How to buy as a visitor
Each row links to that state's fishing license page, with the official buy URL and the fee source. Digital licenses on a phone are valid in every state in this table. Buy before you wet a line: several states treat "I was going to get it this afternoon" as unlicensed fishing, and the fine is several times the license.
Browse every state guide, see what a fishing license costs in every state, compare non-resident hunting license cost or non-resident boat registration cost , use the license finder for a single fee and the official buy link, or the license cost calculator to line up two to four specific states side by side.