Delaware 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. Listed prices are the state fees. License agents add an agent fee ($2.50 on licenses, $1.00 on trout stamps).

How long annual licenses last: Fishing licenses cover the calendar year and expire on 31 December of the year they are issued. Official source

Non-residents (visitors)

Residents

• Resident trout stamp

  $4.20

  Ages 16 to 64, to fish designated trout streams from the first Saturday in April to 30 June and from the first Saturday in October to 30 November, and Tidbury and Newton Ponds from the first Saturday in March to 1 April.

  Residents · fresh water Secondary source: Delaware Fishing Guide (eRegulations edition)

• Resident young angler trout stamp (12 to 15)

  $2.10

  Residents aged 12 to 15 on designated trout waters in the stamp seasons (no fishing license needed at this age).

  Residents · fresh water Secondary source: Delaware Fishing Guide (eRegulations edition)

• Non-resident trout stamp

  $6.20

  Non-residents 12 and over on designated trout waters in the stamp seasons.

  Non-residents · fresh water Secondary source: Delaware Fishing Guide (eRegulations edition)

• Resident non-commercial clamming permit

  $5.75

  Only to take more clams than the standard daily limit of 100 (DNREC says the permit allows up to 500 a day).

  Residents · salt water Official source

• Non-resident non-commercial clamming permit

  $57.50

  Only to take more clams than the standard non-resident daily limit of 50.

  Non-residents · salt water Official source

• Fisherman Information Network (FIN) number

  Free

  Free. Needed by everyone 16 and over; issued automatically with a license. License-exempt anglers 16+ get one online through Digital DNREC.

  Everyone Official source2

• Anyone under 16 (no license or FIN number needed)

  FreshSalt Everyone Official source

• Delaware residents 65 and over (free FIN number still needed)

  FreshSalt Residents · Proof: proof of age and Delaware residency Official source2

• Owners or occupants of a Delaware farm of 20 acres or more, and immediate family living there, fishing on that farm (non-resident owners who don't live there need the occupant's written permission or a lease)

  Fresh Everyone · check this applies to you Official source

• Anyone fishing from a boat whose owner holds a Delaware boat fishing license, or aboard a licensed charter or head boat

  FreshSalt Everyone · check this applies to you Official source2

• The operator of a vehicle with a valid Delaware surf fishing vehicle permit, on designated state park beaches (other occupants who fish need a license)

  Salt Everyone · check this applies to you Official source

• Anyone fishing at a fee-fishing facility registered with the Delaware Department of Agriculture

  Fresh Everyone · check this applies to you Official source

• Delaware residents who are legally blind (contact DNREC on 302-739-9918)

  FreshSalt Residents · check this applies to you Official source

• Honorably discharged veterans with at least a 60% service-connected disability rating

  FreshSalt Everyone · check this applies to you Official source2

• Patients in a Veterans Administration facility, public TB sanatorium or state rehabilitation hospital in Delaware, carrying ID showing their status; military hospital patients with a signed statement from their commanding officer

  FreshSalt Everyone Official source

• Delaware residents who served 90 or more days in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Enduring Freedom: free for 12 months after discharge or release from active status

  FreshSalt Residents Official source

• Anyone, on Delaware's two free fishing days (free FIN number still needed if 16 or over)

  FreshSalt Everyone Official source

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

The rule: Two days a year, chosen by DNREC.

Fish, crab and clam in any Delaware waters without a license. Anglers 16 and over still need a free FIN number, and all size and catch limits apply. 2027 dates not yet announced.

Official source

Who counts as a resident

You must show reasonable proof that you are a bona fide resident of Delaware.

Military

Full-time active-duty military stationed in Delaware (not deployed or on temporary duty) and Delaware National Guard members count as residents for fishing licenses.

Official source2

Sold online through Digital DNREC (ePermitting), at license agents around the state and at the DNREC licensing desk in Dover. Agents add a fee.

Online

Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Division of Fish and Wildlife license sales

License on your phone

Accepted

Buy online through Digital DNREC (ePermitting), from more than 40 license agents, or at DNREC, 89 Kings Highway SW, Dover. Carry your license on paper or in digital form. A free Fisherman Information Network (FIN) number is issued with your license; anglers 16 and over who are exempt from the license still need a free FIN number. License questions: 302-739-9918.

Official source23

One Delaware fishing license covers fresh and tidal waters, including recreational crabbing and clamming.

Everyone 16 or over needs a free Fisherman Information Network (FIN) number, even when exempt from the license or fishing on a free fishing day. It is issued automatically with a license.

The senior exemption is for Delaware residents only; non-residents 65 and over must buy a license.

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

Licensed charter boats (hired by the trip) and head boats (hired per person) cover paying passengers, captain and crew while fishing aboard; passengers do not need their own FIN number. Private boat owners can buy a boat fishing license that covers everyone fishing on that boat. Fishing guides need a guide license; DNREC does not say that a guide's license covers clients. DNREC lists no exemption for pier fishing; a license is needed in all Delaware waters.

Official source234

Border waters

• Delaware River and Bay (New Jersey)

  On parts of the Delaware River, Delaware's jurisdiction runs to the New Jersey low-tide line, so you need a Delaware license to fish those waters. You do not need a Delaware license to fish from the New Jersey shore. Official source

• Other states (no reciprocity)

  Delaware has no reciprocal license agreement with any other state. For example, a Maryland boat license does not cover fishing in Delaware waters. Official source

Statewide non-tidal (freshwater) and tidal limits. Some ponds and trout waters have special rules. Limits shown are daily limits.

Compare Delaware with other states

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

• Delaware vs Maryland
• Delaware vs New Jersey
• Delaware vs Pennsylvania

Questions

Sources and checks

Every fact on this page comes from Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Division of Fish and Wildlife 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)

Free fishing days

Checked Nov 4, 2026

Seasons and limits

Checked Nov 4, 2026

Spotted something out of date? Tell us.