California Fishing & Hunting Licenses

Official fees, exemptions, stamps, tags, and hunter education rules for California. License period: 2026, 2026-27. Last checked 2026-11-12.

Jump to California guides:

69 official items recorded across fishing, hunting, stamps/tags, and exemptions.

Fishing Licenses Hunting Licenses Official State Page ↗

Fishing Licenses (12)

License / Permit	Residency	Fee	Eligibility & Notes	Source
Resident Sport Fishing (365-day)	Resident	$64.54	16 and older Includes 5% agent fee and 3% application fee on items sold through agents or online	Official page
Nonresident Sport Fishing (365-day)	Non-resident	$174.14	16 and older	Official page
One-day Sport Fishing	Resident & Non-resident	$21.09	Any resident or nonresident Exempt from Ocean Enhancement Validation	Official page
Two-day Sport Fishing	Resident & Non-resident	$32.40	Any resident or nonresident Exempt from Ocean Enhancement Validation	Official page
Ten-day Nonresident Sport Fishing	Non-resident	$64.54	Nonresident	Official page
Reduced-Fee Sport Fishing - Low Income Senior	Resident	$10.04	65 and older receiving SSI or CAPI CDFW license sales offices only; verification renewed annually	Official page
Youth (under 16)	All / N/A	Not offered	Under 16 not required to hold a sport fishing license Report cards still required for some species	Official page
Lifetime Fishing License package ages 0-9	Resident	$709.00	Ages 0-9 Packages bought at CDFW license sales office	Official page

See all 12 California fishing licenses & stamps →

Hunting Licenses (10)

License / Permit	Residency	Fee	Eligibility & Notes	Source
Resident Hunting License	Resident	$64.54	16 and older	Official page
Nonresident Hunting License	Non-resident	$225.46	16 and older	Official page
Junior Hunting License	Resident & Non-resident	$17.02	Under 16 at start of license year (July 1)	Official page
One-Day Nonresident Hunting License	Non-resident	$31.06	Nonresident Game bird clubs and domesticated migratory game bird areas only	Official page
Two-Day Nonresident Hunting License	Non-resident	$64.54	16 and older Not valid for deer bear elk pronghorn or bighorn sheep	Official page
Lifetime Hunting License package ages 0-9	Resident	$709.00	Ages 0-9 Hunter education proof required before issue	Official page
Lifetime Hunting License package ages 10-39	Resident	$1160.25	Ages 10-39	Official page
Lifetime Hunting License package ages 40-61	Resident	$1045.00	Ages 40-61	Official page

See all 10 California hunting licenses & tags →

Combination Packages (1)

License / Permit	Residency	Fee	Eligibility & Notes	Source
Hunting and fishing combination package	All / N/A	Not offered	No combination licence listed on hunting or fishing fee pages	Official page

Free, Reduced, Senior & Veteran Exemptions (11)

License / Permit	Residency	Fee	Eligibility & Notes	Source
Disabled Veteran Reduced-Fee Hunting License	Resident & Non-resident	$10.04	50% or greater service-connected disability; CDFW offices 10.54 from license agents	Official page
Disabled Veteran Reduced-Fee Sport Fishing License	Resident & Non-resident	$10.04	50% or greater service-connected disability; CDFW offices 10.54 from license agents	Official page
Recovering Service Member Reduced-Fee Hunting License	Resident & Non-resident	$10.04	Member in outpatient recovery status; commanding officer or doctor letter 10.54 from license agents	Official page
Recovering Service Member Reduced-Fee Sport Fishing License	Resident & Non-resident	$10.04	Member in outpatient recovery status; commanding officer or doctor letter 10.54 from license agents	Official page
Reduced-Fee Sport Fishing - Low Income Senior	Resident	$10.04	65 and older on SSI or CAPI Renewed annually at CDFW office	Official page
Free Sport Fishing - Blind / Mobility Impaired / Developmentally Disabled	Resident	Free ($0.00)	Certified blind or developmentally disabled; mobility impaired resident First licence from CDFW License and Revenue Branch	Official page
Free Sport Fishing - Low Income Native American	Resident	Free ($0.00)	Resident Native American financially unable to pay Tribal enrolment proof required	Official page
Mobility Impaired Disabled Persons Motor Vehicle Hunting License	Resident & Non-resident	Free ($0.00)	Permanently confined to wheelchair or amputee or dependent on walker/crutches; physician certification Only from CDFW License and Revenue Branch	Official page
Visually Disabled Muzzleloader Scope Permit	Resident & Non-resident	Free ($0.00)	Visually impaired hunter; physician or optometrist certification Annual certification unless permanent	Official page
Disabled Archer Permit	Resident & Non-resident	Free ($0.00)	Permanent or significant upper-extremity impairment; physician certification Annual certification unless permanent	Official page
Active military (resident rate)	Resident	$64.54	Active duty armed forces treated as residents No separate reduced fee shown	Official page

Hunter Education Requirements (2)

License / Permit	Residency	Fee	Eligibility & Notes	Source
Hunter Education Certificate (course requirement)	Resident & Non-resident	Not shown	Required if never held a California hunting licence; no certificate; or no other-state hunting licence in past 2 years Course fee not shown on official pages; traditional or hybrid format; online course is for ages 12 and up; under-18 needs consent form	Official page
Duplicate Hunter Education Certificate	Resident & Non-resident	$9.21	Replacement	Official page

Official Season Dates

We link directly to California's official season-dates pages so you always get the current year's dates:

Fishing and Hunting Regulations (season booklets) ↗ — Link only; season dates not collected