Florida Saltwater Fishing Licenses and Rules

Anyone 16 or older who fishes Florida salt water needs an FWC saltwater fishing license, even for catch and release, unless a specific exemption in section 379.353, Florida Statutes, applies.

FWC defines the license broadly: it is required to take or attempt to take saltwater fish, crabs, clams, marine plants or other saltwater organisms, with non-living seashells and lionfish taken with certain gear as the only carve-outs ; it is also required to land saltwater species in Florida regardless of whether they were caught in state or federal waters (FWC licenses). FWC treats casting a line and releasing the fish as fishing (FWC exemptions).

The Florida exemptions that matter most to visitors and families are these: youth under 16; Florida residents 65 or older with proof of age or residency, such as a valid Florida driver license or ID card; anyone fishing from a for-hire guide, charter or party boat with a valid charter license; anyone on a vessel whose operator holds a recreational saltwater vessel license; anyone fishing from a pier that holds a saltwater pier license; and everyone on a free saltwater fishing day (FWC exemptions). Florida residents may also fish without a license for noncommercial purposes in their home county with live or natural bait, using poles or lines not equipped with a fishing-line-retrieval mechanism.

Residents who fish only from land have a cheaper path: the Florida resident shoreline license costs nothing and covers fishing from the shoreline or a structure fixed to shore, but it is not valid from a vessel, on a shoreline reached by boat, or while swimming or diving (FWC licenses).

A Florida resident annual saltwater fishing license costs $17.00 and a nonresident annual license costs $47.00 in October 2026, with snook, lobster and tarpon permits sold separately (FWC licenses).

Florida statute and FWC price lists differ. Section 379.354 sets the resident annual saltwater license at $15.50 (s. 379.354, F.S.), while FWC posts $17.00 and says its prices include an issuance fee allowed by statute, and a license vendor may add another 50-cent issuance fee (FWC licenses). All license and permit sales are final, and FWC warns that a snook permit is not refunded even if snook are closed to harvest where the buyer plans to fish.

Residents who also hunt or fish fresh water can bundle: FWC lists a saltwater and freshwater combination at $32.50, a saltwater, freshwater and hunting combination at $48.00, and the Gold Sportsman's License, which includes snook and lobster permits, at $100.00 a year (FWC licenses). FWC lists GoOutdoorsFlorida.com, the Fish/Hunt Florida mobile app, 1-888-FISHFLORIDA, tackle shops, sporting goods stores and tax collector offices as places FWC saltwater licenses are sold (FWC State Reef Fish Survey); the tarpon tag is sold only at tax collector offices (FWC licenses).

The State Reef Fish Angler designation is a free annual FWC sign-up required for anglers and divers 16 and older who fish from a private boat in Florida for any of 13 reef fish, including red snapper, gag and hogfish (FWC State Reef Fish Survey).

The 13 species are mutton, yellowtail, red and vermilion snapper; hogfish; gag, red and black grouper; greater and lesser amberjack; banded rudderfish; almaco jack; and gray triggerfish (FWC). The statewide State Reef Fish Survey replaced the Gulf Reef Fish Survey in July 2020, and FWC says the designation helps it see how many people are targeting reef fish like red snapper and gag and what they are seeing and harvesting.

The Florida rule catches people who are otherwise license-exempt. Anglers 65 and older, holders of multi-year or lifetime licenses, and residents certified as totally and permanently disabled must still sign up every year (FWC). The designation is not needed by anglers under 16, by customers of a licensed charter, headboat or guide, or by anyone on a vessel with a recreational vessel fishing license. The two FWC pages conflict on this point: the license page lists the designation with no exemptions at all (FWC licenses).

Florida snook may be kept only in open season, one per person per day, in a slot of 28 to 33 inches on the Gulf coast and 28 to 32 inches on the Atlantic coast (FWC snook).

The Atlantic coast regions (Northeast, Indian River Lagoon and Southeast) close December 15 to January 31 and June 1 to August 31. The Gulf regions close December 1 to the end of February and May 1 to August 31, except Charlotte Harbor and Southwest, where the summer closure runs to September 30 (FWC snook). Snook must remain whole until landed ashore and may be taken by hook and line only, and no commercial harvest or sale of snook is permitted.

Florida has regulated snook since the mid-1950s, and FWC reports the stocks on both coasts now exceed its management goal of a 40 percent spawning potential ratio (FWC snook). Since 2023 FWC has set snook rules region by region under a regional management approach that evaluates each region every year using spawning potential ratio, relative abundance, habitat, harmful algal blooms, fishing effort, temperature and stakeholder feedback, and it publishes an Annual Review for each region, including a 2025 Indian River Lagoon review. Region lines matter: the Indian River Lagoon Region starts at Lytle Avenue/South Causeway in New Smyrna Beach and ends at the Martin-Palm Beach county line.

Florida red drum have an 18 to 27 inch slot and a one-fish daily bag in most regions, but the Indian River Lagoon Region is catch-and-release only (FWC red drum).

Vessel limits differ by Florida region: four red drum per vessel in the Panhandle, Big Bend and Northeast regions, and two in Tampa Bay, Sarasota Bay, Charlotte Harbor, Southwest and Southeast (FWC red drum). A four-fish transport limit per person applies when traveling in a vehicle on land away from a fishing site.

Spotted seatrout now carry regional rules across Florida with a common 15 to 19 inch slot (FWC spotted seatrout). The bag is three fish per person in most regions, five in the Big Bend and two in the Indian River Lagoon; the Panhandle closes in February and the Indian River Lagoon closes November 1 to December 31; and in the Indian River Lagoon and Northeast regions no seatrout over 19 inches may be kept, while Gulf and Southeast regions allow one oversized fish per vessel or per shore angler within the bag. Seatrout may be taken by hook and line or cast net.

Florida state waters run from shore to 3 miles in the Atlantic and to 9 miles in the Gulf, and FWC regulations apply in state waters unless otherwise noted (FWC recreational regulations).

Tarpon are catch-and-release only in Florida state and federal waters. A tarpon over 40 inches must stay in the water unless the angler holds a tarpon tag and is pursuing a state or world record, and each person may buy one tag a year (FWC tarpon). Tarpon may be taken by hook and line only; snagging and spearing are banned.

Shark fishing from shore in Florida, including from jetties, bridges and piers, has required a free shore-based shark fishing permit since July 1, 2019, for anglers 16 and older, available after completing FWC's Shore-based Shark Fishing Educational Course, with no exemption even for people who are otherwise license-exempt (FWC licenses). FWC's main office is the Farris Bryant Building, 620 S. Meridian St., Tallahassee, (850) 488-4676 (FWC).

Last verified: October 15, 2026, on the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) website.