Alabama fishing license: cost, who needs one and how to buy

What will it cost? Calculator

Pick your trip and we'll work out the cheapest licenses to buy, including any required stamps.

Prices for 2026-27. Listed prices are state license fees. Issuance fees and internet or phone convenience fees are added.

Where these prices come from: 2026-27 prices from the eRegulations license fee table; the official saltwater license page still showed 2025-26 prices when checked.

How long annual licenses last: License year runs September 1 to August 31; all annual licenses expire August 31 whenever bought. Official source2

Non-residents (visitors)

Residents

Some of these are required: the calculator adds them automatically.

• Saltwater Angler Registry (free)

  Free

  Required for residents with 7 days, lifetime licenses (ages 16+) fishing salt water

  Free and required for residents 16 and over fishing in salt water who don't buy an annual saltwater license (for example 7-day trip and lifetime license holders, residents 65 and over, and pier-only anglers).

  Residents · salt water Official source2

• Gulf Reef Fish Endorsement

  Annual $10
  Lifetime $220

  Needed to take or possess Gulf reef fish (such as red snapper and grouper), age 16 and over. No exemptions, including residents 65 and over. Lifetime endorsement $220.

  Everyone · salt water Secondary source: Alabama Sport Fishing & Hunting Laws & Regulations (eRegulations), 2026-27

• Spearfishing license (resident)

  $6

  Spearfishing in fresh or salt water; a fishing license is also needed.

  Residents Secondary source: Alabama Sport Fishing & Hunting Laws & Regulations (eRegulations), 2026-27

• Spearfishing license (non-resident)

  Annual $8.50
  7 day $3.50

  Spearfishing in fresh or salt water; a fishing license is also needed. 7-day trip $3.50.

  Non-residents Secondary source: Alabama Sport Fishing & Hunting Laws & Regulations (eRegulations), 2026-27

• Anyone under 16

  FreshSalt Everyone Official source2

• Alabama residents 65 and over (salt water still needs the free Saltwater Angler Registry, and Gulf reef fish need the endorsement)

  FreshSalt Residents · Proof: Alabama driver's license or other proof of permanent Alabama residence and age Secondary source: Alabama Sport Fishing & Hunting Laws & Regulations (eRegulations), 2026-27

• Residents fishing from the bank in their own county of residence with ordinary hook and line (fresh water)

  Fresh Residents · check this applies to you · Proof: Alabama driver's license Secondary source: Alabama Sport Fishing & Hunting Laws & Regulations (eRegulations)2

• Alabama resident active-duty military home on leave

  FreshSalt Residents · check this applies to you · Proof: Alabama driver's license (or document showing Alabama residence) and leave papers Official source2

• Passengers on a licensed Alabama commercial party (charter) boat

  Salt Everyone · check this applies to you Official source

• Everyone, on Alabama's Free Fishing Day (public waters; State Public Fishing Lakes still need a permit)

  FreshSalt Everyone Official source

Fishing licenses from other states aren't valid in Alabama, except under the border-water agreements below.

No fishing license or reef fish endorsement needed in public waters. State Public Fishing Lakes still need a permit, private ponds need the owner's permission, and piers and state parks may charge fees. 2027 date not yet announced.

Official source

Who counts as a resident

A resident holds a valid Alabama driver's license or non-driver ID, has lived in Alabama continuously for 90 days, and holds no other state's driver's license. Non-drivers without ID can prove residency at a probate or license commissioner office. (at least 90 days)

Military

Military stationed in Alabama for 30 days or more (with orders), or whose military file lists Alabama, qualify as residents, with spouse and dependents on the orders.

Students

College students are an exception to the Alabama driver's license rule. A College Student Discount is available for full-time students aged 17 to 23 at certified Alabama institutions.

Official source23

Sold online at MyOutdoorAlabama (new system from August 2026), through the Outdoor AL app, by phone and at license agents and probate/license commissioner offices. Issuance and convenience fees are extra.

Online

Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources license sales

Phone

1-888-848-6887

App

Outdoor AL

License on your phone

Accepted

ID needed

Driver's license when buying from an agent (over 16). Residents need an Alabama driver's license or ID.

New MyOutdoorAlabama license system launched August 24, 2026. The Outdoor AL app stores your license for offline display; the agency still suggests carrying a printed copy. Licenses must be carried while fishing.

Official source23

Alabama sells separate freshwater and saltwater licenses. A boundary map on Outdoor Alabama shows where salt water starts.

Residents of Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida pay different non-resident prices (in 2025-26, for example, Louisiana residents paid $129.20 and Florida residents $48.20 for an annual saltwater license). Check the license system for your state's price.

Residents aged 64 who buy a hunting or fishing license receive it on a lifetime basis.

Usually not: the boat's license covers its passengers.

Passengers on a licensed commercial party boat don't need their own Alabama saltwater license, including for fish landed from federal waters. Residents who fish only from a pier that holds a pier fishing license don't need an annual saltwater license but must use the free Saltwater Angler Registry. Freshwater guides: no exemption found, so a license is needed.

Official source2

Border waters

• Pickwick Lake (Tennessee River, Alabama-Mississippi)

  Alabama and Mississippi sport fishing licenses are both valid from the state line junction to Old Riverton Lock (mile 226.6), except Bear Creek embayment south of the Southern Railway bridge. Official source

• Aliceville Lake (Tombigbee River, Alabama-Mississippi)

  Alabama and Mississippi sport fishing licenses are both valid from river mile 322 to Aliceville Lock and Dam. Official source

Statewide freshwater limits for public waters and Alabama saltwater limits for state waters. Many lakes, State Public Fishing Lakes and federal reservoirs have their own rules. Creel limits are also possession limits. Fish caught in federal waters or other states' waters must meet Alabama limits.

Compare Alabama with other states

Neighboring states, side by side: prices, age rules, free days and shared waters.

• Alabama vs Florida
• Alabama vs Georgia
• Alabama vs Mississippi
• Alabama vs Tennessee

Questions

Sources and checks

Every fact on this page comes from Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources unless it's marked secondary. We use a secondary source only when the official site doesn't show something, and we name it.

Licenses and prices

Checked Nov 4, 2026 (prices for 2026-27)

Free fishing days

Checked Nov 4, 2026

Seasons and limits

Checked Nov 4, 2026

Spotted something out of date? Tell us.