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Do I need a fishing license in West Virginia?
West Virginia's license age rule, quoted from West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, checked against your age and residency, plus its free fishing days.
The rule in West Virginia
Residents 15 and older need a license. Nonresidents 15 and older need a license.
"no resident who has reached his or her 15th birthday and who has not reached his or her 65th birthday before January 1, 2012, and no nonresident shall at any time ... fish for, take, kill or catch any fish, amphibians or aquatic life of any kind whatsoever in this state without first having secured a license or permit"
"except that a nonresident who has not reached his or her 15th birthday may fish for, take, kill or catch any fish, amphibians or aquatic life of any kind whatsoever in this state without first having secured a license or permit."
West Virginia Division of Natural Resources. West Virginia Code §20-2-27. Necessity for license., checked October 2026.
Fishing License CheckWest Virginia
It depends on your age.
The rule
Residents 15 and older need a license.
"no resident who has reached his or her 15th birthday and who has not reached his or her 65th birthday before January 1, 2012, and no nonresident shall at any time ... fish for, take, kill or catch any fish, amphibians or aquatic life of any kind whatsoever in this state without first having secured a license or permit"
Source: West Virginia Code §20-2-27. Necessity for license., checked October 2026.
Exemptions
"resident landowners or their resident children, or bona fide resident tenants of land, may, without a permit or license, hunt and fish on their own land during open seasons in accordance with laws and rules applying to such hunting and fishing unless the lands have been designated as a wildlife refuge or preserve."
A guide to each state's published rule, not legal advice. Rules change; the linked page is the authority.
- Each state's own rule, quoted
- Residents and visitors
- Free fishing days by date
Fishing in West Virginia
9 guides, charters and outfitters listed in West Virginia.
By state
Fishing license rules by state
- Alabama
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- Colorado
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- Delaware
- Florida
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- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
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- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Common questions
Fishing license questions
Residents 15 and older need a license. Nonresidents 15 and older need a license. Source: West Virginia Code §20-2-27. Necessity for license..
It depends on the state. Across the 48 states we have checked, a resident needs one from age 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 depending on the state. Nonresidents often start at a different age. Pick your state in the tool for its exact rule, quoted from the state's own page.
A day or weekend when the state lets anyone fish without a license. 41 of the states we have checked publish them. The next ones: New York, Nov 11, 2026; Oregon, Nov 27 to 28, 2026; North Dakota, Dec 26 to 27, 2026. Size, bag and season limits still apply.
In some coastal states, yes; in others the same license covers both, or saltwater anglers sign a free registry instead. Pick a coastal state in the tool to see its own wording.
Yes. It is free, needs no account, and links every answer to the state page it comes from. Always read the state's current rules before you fish.
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