Indiana 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 DNR fees. A tech fee is added per license: $1 at retailers, DNR properties or by mail; $3 online or in the app, plus a card processing fee.

How long annual licenses last: Annual licenses and stamps run from 1 April to 31 March the following year, whenever you buy them. Official source

Non-residents (visitors)

Residents

• Trout/salmon stamp privilege

  $11

  Needed with an annual or 7-day license to fish for or keep trout or salmon. Included in one-day and senior licenses. Same price for residents and non-residents.

  Everyone · fresh water Official source2

• Anyone under 18 (residents and non-residents)

  Fresh Everyone Secondary source: Indiana Fishing Guide (eRegulations edition)

• Indiana residents born before 1 April 1943 (carry ID showing age and residency); a voluntary $3 senior license is available

  Fresh Residents · check this applies to you · Proof: ID showing age and Indiana residency Secondary source: Indiana Fishing Guide (eRegulations edition)

• Resident owners of Indiana farmland, and resident lessees who farm it, with their spouse and children living with them, fishing on that land (some non-resident landowners also qualify)

  Fresh Everyone · check this applies to you Secondary source: Indiana Fishing Guide (eRegulations edition)

• Anyone fishing a private pond that doesn't exchange fish with public waters, with the owner's permission

  Fresh Everyone · check this applies to you Secondary source: Indiana Fishing Guide (eRegulations edition)

• Indiana residents who are legally blind or have a developmental disability

  Fresh Residents · check this applies to you Secondary source: Indiana Fishing Guide (eRegulations edition)

• Indiana residents in full-time military service on approved leave (carry leave orders and an Indiana driver's license or voter registration card)

  Fresh Residents · check this applies to you Secondary source: Indiana Fishing Guide (eRegulations edition)

• Residents of a state-owned mental rehabilitation facility, or of a licensed Indiana health care facility on a supervised fishing outing

  Fresh Residents Secondary source: Indiana Fishing Guide (eRegulations edition)

• Indiana residents on the DNR's Free Fishing Days (no license or trout/salmon stamp)

  Fresh Residents Official source

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

The rule: Several days a year, set by Indiana DNR (residents only) (residents only).

Indiana residents only; no license or trout/salmon stamp needed. All other rules apply. 2027 dates not yet announced.

Official source2

Who counts as a resident

You must have had a fixed, permanent home and primary residence in Indiana for 60 consecutive days before buying, and not claim residency for hunting, fishing or trapping in another state or country. (at least 60 days)

Military

Non-resident military on active duty and stationed in Indiana may buy resident licenses. Indiana residents in full-time military service on approved leave may fish without a license (carry leave orders and an Indiana driver's license or voter registration card).

Official source2

Sold online at GoOutdoorsIN.com, in the GoOutdoorsIN app, at over 500 retailers, by phone and by mail. A tech fee is added to every license.

Online

Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish and Wildlife license sales ($3 fee)

Phone

317-232-4200 or 877-463-6367 (Mon to Fri, 8.30 am to 4 pm ET)

App

GoOutdoorsIN

License on your phone

Accepted

Buy online at GoOutdoorsIN.com or in the app ($3 tech fee plus card processing fee), at over 500 retailers ($1 tech fee) or by mail (allow 2 to 3 weeks). Carry a signed license; signed electronic copies are accepted. Reprints are free online.

Official source2

Fishing for or keeping trout or salmon needs an $11 trout/salmon stamp as well as a license. One-day and senior licenses include it.

Nobody under 18 needs an Indiana fishing license or stamp, resident or not.

It depends on the boat and where you fish.

Anyone taking people sport fishing for hire on public or boundary waters, including Lake Michigan, needs an Indiana fishing guide license. The DNR lists no exemption for charter passengers, so anglers 18 and over should carry their own license.

Secondary source: Indiana Fishing Guide (eRegulations edition)

Border waters

• Ohio River (Kentucky)

  Indiana and Kentucky recognize each other's fishing licenses on the main stem of the Ohio River, bank to bank. This does not apply to embayments or tributaries, which need that state's license. When fishing from the bank, follow the rules of the state you are standing in. Secondary source: Indiana Fishing Guide (eRegulations edition)

• Lake Michigan

  The yellow perch limit in Indiana waters is 15 a day, even if you hold a neighboring state's license. Secondary source: Indiana Fishing Guide (eRegulations edition)

Indiana statewide limits, Ohio River main stem and Lake Michigan. Many lakes have exceptions. Possession limit is two times the daily bag limit (does not apply to fish processed and stored at your home).

Compare Indiana with other states

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

• Indiana vs Illinois
• Indiana vs Kentucky
• Indiana vs Michigan
• Indiana vs Ohio

Questions

Sources and checks

Every fact on this page comes from Indiana Department of Natural Resources, 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 5, 2026 (prices for 2026-27)

Free fishing days

Checked Nov 5, 2026

Seasons and limits

Checked Nov 5, 2026

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