Maryland 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 DNR license fees; DNR's license page does not mention extra online fees.

Where these prices come from: Non-tidal fees rose on June 1, 2025. Non-resident non-tidal prices shown are the minimums; residents of some states pay more.

How long annual licenses last: Annual licenses are valid 365 days from purchase. 7-day and 3-day licenses cover consecutive days. Official source

Non-residents (visitors)

Residents

• Trout stamp (resident)

  $20

  Age 16 or over, to fish for or keep trout in non-tidal waters (rules set by DNR). Senior consolidated license holders must buy it separately.

  Residents · fresh water Official source

• Trout stamp (non-resident)

  $30

  Age 16 or over, to fish for or keep trout in non-tidal waters.

  Non-residents · fresh water Official source

• Recreational individual crabbing license (resident)

  Annual $5
  With bay licence $2

  Crabbing with more than handlines or dip nets, or keeping more than 2 dozen crabs a day. $2 for holders of a resident Chesapeake Bay or senior consolidated license.

  Residents · salt water Official source

• Recreational individual crabbing license (non-resident)

  $10

  Crabbing with more than handlines or dip nets, or keeping more than 2 dozen crabs a day.

  Non-residents · salt water Official source

• Saltwater angler registration

  Free

  Free. For certain anglers who don't need a tidal license (for example on boats with a consolidated boat license or free fishing piers).

  Everyone · salt water Official source

• Anyone under 16

  FreshSalt Everyone Official source

• Maryland residents on active military duty or official military leave (tidal waters)

  Salt Residents · check this applies to you Official source

• Holders of a Potomac River Fisheries Commission or Virginia saltwater license (tidal waters, with registration where required)

  Salt Everyone · check this applies to you Official source

• Anglers on a licensed charter boat or licensed commercial fishing pier, or registered anglers on a free fishing pier (tidal waters)

  Salt Everyone Official source

• Passengers on a boat with a consolidated Chesapeake Bay and Coastal sport boat license (must register with DNR)

  Salt Everyone Official source

• Anyone on free fishing days (first two Saturdays in June and July 4)

  FreshSalt Everyone Official source

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

The rule: First Saturday in June; Second Saturday in June; July 4.

No license needed on these days; all other rules apply.

Official source

Who counts as a resident

A resident is someone who keeps a home in Maryland for more than 6 months of the tax year, or who moves to Maryland intending to make it their home.

Military

Maryland residents on active duty or military leave do not need a tidal license.

Secondary source: Maryland Natural Resources Article 4-101 (FindLaw)

Sold online through Maryland Outdoors, at license agents and at DNR Regional Service Centers. Reprints are free through your Maryland Outdoors account.

Online

Maryland Department of Natural Resources license sales

Buy online through Maryland Outdoors, at agents or at Regional Service Centers. Replacements can be reprinted free online.

Official source

Maryland splits fishing into non-tidal (fresh) waters and tidal waters (Chesapeake Bay, tidal rivers and the coast). Each needs its own license; the senior consolidated license covers both.

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

Tidal waters: anglers on a licensed charter boat or licensed commercial pier need no license; registered anglers on free fishing piers are also exempt. Private boats with a consolidated boat license cover their passengers, who must register. Non-tidal guided trips: anglers need their own license.

Official source

Border waters

• Potomac River (non-tidal, Virginia and West Virginia shores)

  Virginia and West Virginia residents with their home-state license may fish the non-tidal Potomac opposite their shore (and, for West Virginia, the North Branch and Jennings Randolph Reservoir) without a Maryland license, while a reciprocal agreement is in place. Secondary source: Maryland Natural Resources Article 4-606 (LegalFix)2

• Tidal Potomac River

  Below Route 301 the main stem is regulated by the Potomac River Fisheries Commission; Virginia saltwater, Maryland Bay sport and PRFC licenses are honored. Between Route 301 and the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, Virginia freshwater and saltwater, PRFC and Maryland Bay sport licenses are honored. Above that to Little Falls, D.C. rules and licenses apply. Official source2

• Conowingo and Youghiogheny reservoirs (Pennsylvania portions)

  Pennsylvania residents with a Pennsylvania license may fish the Pennsylvania portion without a Maryland license, while a reciprocal agreement is in place. Secondary source: Maryland Natural Resources Article 4-606 (LegalFix)

Statewide non-tidal rules and Chesapeake Bay and tidal tributary rules (2026). Atlantic coastal limits and many local waters differ. Limits shown are daily limits; non-tidal possession limits are twice the daily limit.

Compare Maryland with other states

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

• Maryland vs Delaware
• Maryland vs Pennsylvania
• Maryland vs Virginia
• Maryland vs West Virginia

Questions

Sources and checks

Every fact on this page comes from Maryland Department of 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)

Free fishing days

Checked Nov 4, 2026

Seasons and limits

Checked Nov 4, 2026

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