Vermont 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. Prices as set by state law and listed by the department. No agent fee for new licenses is published; agents may charge up to $1.50 for a reprint.

Where these prices come from: Prices from Vermont statute (10 V.S.A. 4255) and the department's 2026 lifetime license page; 5-year prices from the 2026-27 eRegulations guide.

How long annual licenses last: The eRegulations guide says annual fishing licenses cover the whole year; the exact start and end dates weren't found on the pages checked. Term licenses cover consecutive days starting on the day you choose. Lifetime and permanent holders reprint their license each year. Secondary source: Vermont Fishing Regulations 2026-27 (eRegulations)

Non-residents (visitors)

Residents

• Anyone under 15

  Fresh Everyone Secondary source: Vermont Fishing Regulations 2026-27 (eRegulations)2

• Resident landowners, their spouses and minor children fishing a private pond on their own land

  Fresh Residents · check this applies to you Secondary source: Vermont Fishing Regulations 2026-27 (eRegulations)

• Non-resident landowners fishing a private pond on their land, if the land is not posted

  Fresh Non-residents · check this applies to you Secondary source: Vermont Fishing Regulations 2026-27 (eRegulations)

• Legally blind residents, severely mobility-impaired residents, veterans rated 60% disabled, and residents on qualifying active duty (free license; apply to the department)

  Fresh Residents · check this applies to you Secondary source: Vermont Fishing Regulations 2026-27 (eRegulations)

• Anyone on Free Fishing Days (second Saturday in June and last Saturday in January)

  Fresh Everyone Secondary source: Vermont Fishing Regulations 2026-27 (eRegulations)

• Up to four unlicensed anglers 15 or older fishing with one licensed angler over Labor Day weekend (free mentored fishing)

  Fresh Everyone Secondary source: Vermont Fishing Regulations 2026-27 (eRegulations)

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

The rule: Summer Free Fishing Day: second Saturday in June; Winter Free Fishing Day: last Saturday in January.

Residents and non-residents may fish without a license; all legal methods and limits still apply. Labor Day weekend is also a free mentored fishing weekend (up to four unlicensed anglers 15+ with one licensed angler).

Secondary source: Vermont Fishing Regulations 2026-27 (eRegulations)2

Who counts as a resident

To buy an annual resident license you must have lived in Vermont for the six months before applying and not claimed residence elsewhere. A resident lifetime license needs 12 months' residence (or dependent status with a resident). (at least 180 days)

Military

Non-resident military members stationed in Vermont may buy licenses at the resident fee.

Students

Non-resident students at a Vermont school can buy resident licenses after two successive semesters, with an admission card.

Secondary source: Vermont Fishing Regulations 2026-27 (eRegulations)

Sold online through the department's license center, at district offices and authorized license agents, or by mail-in application.

Online

Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department license sales

Phone

(802) 828-1190

License on your phone

Accepted

Buy online (Visa, Discover or MasterCard), at a district office or license agent (call (802) 828-1190 to find one), or by mail. A printed or digital license may be carried and must be shown on demand. Department enquiries: 802-828-1000.

Secondary source: Vermont Fishing Regulations 2026-27 (eRegulations)23

It depends on the boat and where you fish.

Vermont pages checked give no exemption for guided anglers; anyone 15 or over needs their own license except on Free Fishing Days.

Secondary source: Vermont Fishing Regulations 2026-27 (eRegulations)

Border waters

• Lake Champlain (New York)

  Vermont license holders may fish Lake Champlain out to the New York shore, but not South Bay or New York tributaries. New York license holders may fish the Vermont side only up to a line from the Poultney River mouth at East Bay north to the Alburgh peninsula. Each state's rules apply in its own waters. Secondary source: Vermont Fishing Regulations 2026-27 (eRegulations)

• Connecticut River (New Hampshire)

  A Vermont resident fishing license lets you fish anywhere in the Connecticut River, subject to Vermont and New Hampshire rules. Secondary source: Vermont Fishing Regulations 2026-27 (eRegulations)

Vermont's general (statewide) fishing regulations and Lake Champlain rules, 2026-27. Many waters listed in the index have their own rules. Limits shown are daily limits.

Compare Vermont with other states

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

• Vermont vs Massachusetts
• Vermont vs New Hampshire
• Vermont vs New York

Questions

Sources and checks

Every fact on this page comes from Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department 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.