ARTICLE 3. Sport Fishing Licenses [7145. - 7155.]

Cal. Fish and Game Code - FGC 3.

in effect

Cal. Fish and Game Code - FGC § 7145. Section 7145.

(a) Except as otherwise provided in this article, every person 16 years of age or older who takes any fish, reptile, or amphibian for any purpose other than profit shall first obtain a valid license for that purpose and shall have that license on his or her person or in his or her immediate possession or where otherwise specifically required by law or regulation to be kept when engaged in carrying out any activity authorized by the license. In the case of a person diving from a boat, the license may be kept in the boat, or in the case of a person diving from the shore, the license may be kept within 500 yards of the shore. (b) (1) This section does not apply to an owner of privately owned real property, or the owner’s invitee, who, without providing compensation, takes fish for purposes other than profit from a lake or pond that is wholly enclosed by that owner’s real property and that is located offstream and does not at any time derive water from, or supply water to, any permanent or intermittent artificial or natural lake, pond, stream, wash, canal, river, creek, waterway, aqueduct, or similar water conveyance system of the state. Access and control of the real property shall be under the direct authority of the owner and not that of another person or entity. (2) This subdivision does not, and shall not be construed to, authorize the introduction, migration, stocking, or transfer of aquatic species, prohibited species, or any other nonnative or exotic species into state waters or waterways. This subdivision does not supersede or otherwise affect any provision of law that governs aquaculture, including, but not limited to, the operation of trout farms, or any activity that is an adjunct to or a feature of, or that is operated in conjunction with, any other enterprise operated for a fee, including, but not limited to, private parks or private recreation areas.

Cal. Fish and Game Code - FGC § 7147. Section 7147.

The owner or operator of a boat or vessel licensed pursuant to Section 7920 shall not permit any person to fish from that boat or vessel unless that person has, in his or her possession, a valid California sport fishing license and any required stamp, report card, or validation issued pursuant to this code.

Cal. Fish and Game Code - FGC § 7149.2. Section 7149.2.

(a) In addition to Section 7149.05, the department shall issue a lifetime sport fishing license under this section. A lifetime sport fishing license authorizes the taking of fish, amphibians, or reptiles anywhere in this state in accordance with the law for purposes other than profit for the life of the person to whom issued unless revoked for a violation of this code or regulations adopted under this code. A lifetime sport fishing license is valid for a one-year period from January 1 through December 31 and may be renewed annually, regardless of any lapse of the license, at no additional cost to the licensee. A lifetime sport fishing license is not transferable. A lifetime sport fishing license does not include any special tags, stamps, or fees. (b) A lifetime sport fishing license may be issued to residents of this state, as follows: (1) To a person 62 years of age or over, upon payment of a base fee of three hundred sixty-five dollars ($365). (2) To a person 40 years of age or over and less than 62 years of age, upon payment of a base fee of five hundred forty dollars ($540). (3) To a person 10 years of age or over and less than 40 years of age upon payment of a base fee of six hundred dollars ($600). (4) To a person less than 10 years of age upon payment of a base fee of three hundred sixty-five dollars ($365). (c) Nothing in this section requires a person less than 16 years of age to obtain a license to take fish, amphibians, or reptiles for purposes other than profit. (d) Nothing in this section exempts a license applicant from meeting other qualifications or requirements otherwise established by law for the privilege of sport fishing. (e) Upon payment of a base fee of two hundred forty-five dollars ($245), a person holding a lifetime sport fishing license shall be entitled annually to the privileges afforded to a person holding a second-rod validation issued pursuant to Section 7149.45, a sport fishing ocean enhancement validation issued pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 6596.1, one steelhead trout report restoration card issued pursuant to Section 7380, and one salmon report card issued pursuant to regulations adopted by the commission. Lifetime privileges issued pursuant to this subdivision are not transferable. (f) The base fees specified in this section are applicable commencing January 1, 2004, and shall be adjusted annually thereafter pursuant to Section 713.

Cal. Fish and Game Code - FGC § 7149.3. Section 7149.3.

Notwithstanding Section 7149.05, a sport fishing license is not required for a resident to take a rattlesnake (genus Crotalus or Sistrurus).

Cal. Fish and Game Code - FGC § 7149.05. Section 7149.05.

(a) A sport fishing license granting the privilege to take any fish, reptile, or amphibian anywhere in this state for purposes other than profit shall be issued to any of the following: (1) (A) A resident, 16 years of age or older, for the period of a calendar year, or, if issued after the beginning of the year, for the remainder of the year, upon payment of a base fee of thirty-one dollars and twenty-five cents ($31.25). (B) The director may authorize the issuance of a license under subparagraph (A) that is valid for the period of 12 consecutive months beginning on the date specified on the license instead of only for the calendar year. (2) (A) A nonresident, 16 years of age or older, for the period of a calendar year, or, if issued after the beginning of the year, for the remainder of the year, upon payment of a base fee of eighty-four dollars ($84). (B) The director may authorize the issuance of a license under subparagraph (A) that is valid for the period of 12 consecutive months beginning on the date specified on the license instead of only for the calendar year. (3) A nonresident, 16 years of age or older, for a period of 10 designated consecutive days beginning on the date specified on the license, upon payment of the fee set forth in paragraph (1). Notwithstanding Section 1053.1, more than one 10-day license for different 10-day periods may be issued to, or possessed by, a person at one time. (4) A resident or nonresident, 16 years of age or older, for two designated consecutive days, upon payment of one-half the fee set forth in paragraph (1). Notwithstanding Section 1053.1, more than one two-day license for different two-day periods may be issued to, or possessed by, a person at one time. (5) A resident or nonresident, 16 years of age or older, for one designated day, upon payment of a base fee of ten dollars ($10). Notwithstanding Section 1053.1, more than one one-day license for different days may be issued to, or possessed by, a person at one time. (b) California sport fishing license validations shall be issued by authorized license agents in the same manner as sport fishing licenses, and no compensation shall be paid to the authorized license agent for issuing the validations except as provided in Section 1055.1. (c) This section applies only to licenses, permits, reservations, tags, and other entitlements issued through the Automated License Data System. (d) The base fees specified in this section are applicable to the 2004 license year, and shall be adjusted annually thereafter pursuant to Section 713. (e) The commission shall adjust the amount of the fees specified in subdivision (d), as necessary, to fully recover, but not exceed, all reasonable administrative and implementation costs of the department and the commission relating to those licenses. (f) (1) The director shall provide the Legislature, on or before January 1, 2025, recommendations for increasing fees for all sport fishing licenses to levels that provide adequate resources to fund sport fishing, including all necessary supporting activities, at the department. (2) The director shall submit to the Legislature, on or before July 1, 2028, a written report evaluating all sport fishing licenses issued pursuant to this section, including sales information, the cost of administering and implementing sport fishing licenses to the department and commission, and evidence of any changes in the number of new or renewing sport fishing license participants. The director shall collect all relevant, appropriate, and sufficient data necessary to evaluate sport fishing licenses issued pursuant to this section and to justify the amount of the license fees assessed pursuant to this section, including information about data collection and enforcement costs. Data collection efforts pursuant to this paragraph shall avoid duplication and use data collected for other purposes, to the extent feasible. (3) The requirement for submitting a report imposed under paragraph (1) is inoperative on January 1, 2029, pursuant to Section 10231.5 of the Government Code. (4) A report to be submitted pursuant to this subdivision shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code. (g) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2030, and as of that date is repealed.

Cal. Fish and Game Code - FGC § 7149.5. Section 7149.5.

For the purpose of obtaining a sport fishing license, enrollees in the Job Corps, created by the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 (Public Law 88-452), shall be deemed to be residents of California.

Cal. Fish and Game Code - FGC § 7149.7. Section 7149.7.

Notwithstanding Section 7145, the director may designate not more than two days, which may or may not be consecutive, in each year as free sportfishing days during which residents and nonresidents may, without having a sportfishing license and without the payment of any fee, exercise the privileges of a holder of a sportfishing license, subject to all of the limitations, restrictions, conditions, laws, rules, and regulations applicable to the holder of a sportfishing license.

Cal. Fish and Game Code - FGC § 7149.8. Section 7149.8.

(a) A person shall not take abalone from ocean waters unless he or she first obtains, in addition to a valid California sport fishing license and any applicable license validation or stamp issued pursuant to this code, an abalone report card, and maintains that report card in his or her possession while taking abalone. (b) The department or an authorized license agent shall issue an abalone report card upon payment of a fee of fifteen dollars ($15) in the 2004 license year, which shall be adjusted annually thereafter pursuant to Section 713. (c) The commission shall adjust the amount of the fees specified in subdivision (b) as necessary, to fully recover, but not exceed, all reasonable administrative and implementation costs of the department and the commission relating to those licenses.

Cal. Fish and Game Code - FGC § 7149.9. Section 7149.9.

(a) Fees received by the department pursuant to Section 7149.8 shall be deposited in the Abalone Restoration and Preservation Account within the Fish and Game Preservation Fund, which is hereby created. Notwithstanding Section 13340 of the Government Code, the moneys in the account are continuously appropriated, without regard to fiscal year, to the department to be used only for the Recreational Abalone Management Program. For the purposes of this article, “program” means the Recreational Abalone Management Program. The program shall include the following: (1) Research and management of abalone and abalone habitat. For the purposes of this section, “research” includes, but is not limited to, investigation, experimentation, monitoring, and analysis; and “management” means establishing and maintaining an optimal sustainable utilization. (2) Supplementary funding of allocations for the enforcement of statutes and regulations applicable to abalone, including, but not limited to, the acquisition of special equipment and the production and dissemination of printed materials, such as pamphlets, booklets, and posters, aimed at compliance with recreational abalone regulations. (3) Direction for volunteer groups relating to abalone and abalone habitat management, presentations of abalone related matters at scientific conferences and educational institutions, and publication of abalone related material. (b) At least 15 percent of the funds deposited in the account shall be used for program activities south of San Francisco. To the extent possible, participants in the management activities of the program in that area shall be former commercial abalone divers. (c) The department shall maintain internal accounts that ensure that the fees received pursuant to Section 7149.8 are disbursed for the purposes of subdivision (a). Not more than 20 percent of the fees received pursuant to Section 7149.8 shall be used for administration by the department. (d) Unencumbered fees collected pursuant to Section 7149.8 during any previous calendar year may be expended for the purposes of subdivisions (a) and (b). All interest and other earnings on the fees received pursuant to Section 7149.8 shall be deposited in the account and shall be used for the purposes of subdivisions (a) and (b).

Cal. Fish and Game Code - FGC § 7149.45. Section 7149.45.

(a) It is unlawful for any person to fish with two rods without first obtaining a second-rod sport fishing validation, in addition to a valid California sport fishing license validation, and having that validation affixed to his or her valid sport fishing license. Any person who has a valid second-rod sport fishing validation affixed to his or her valid sport fishing license may fish with two rods in inland waters in any sport fishery in which the regulations of the commission provide for the taking of fish by angling, except those waters in which only artificial lures or barbless hooks may be used and the waters of the Smith River in Del Norte County. (b) The department or an authorized license agent shall issue a second-rod sport fishing validation upon payment of a base fee of seven dollars and fifty cents ($7.50) during the 1995 calendar year and subsequent years, as adjusted under Section 713. (c) This section applies only to licenses, permits, reservations, tags, and other entitlements issued through the Automated License Data System.

Cal. Fish and Game Code - FGC § 7150. Section 7150.

(a) Upon application to the department’s headquarters office in Sacramento and payment of a base fee of four dollars ($4), as adjusted pursuant to Section 713, the following persons, who have not been convicted of any violation of this code, shall be issued a reduced fee sport fishing license that is valid for one year as specified in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 7149.05 and that authorizes the licensee to take any fish, reptile, or amphibian anywhere in this state as otherwise authorized pursuant to this code and regulations adopted pursuant to this code for purposes other than profit: (1) A disabled veteran having a 50 percent or greater service-connected disability upon presentation of proof of an honorable discharge from military service and proof of the disability. Proof of the disability shall be by certification from the United States Veterans Administration or by presentation of a license issued pursuant to this paragraph in the preceding license year. (2) A member of the military who is a “recovering service member” pursuant to paragraph (7) of Section 1602 of the federal National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 (10 U.S.C. Sec. 1071 note). A person shall be eligible for a reduced fee sport fishing license pursuant to this paragraph upon the submission of a letter, online or in hardcopy, to the department from that person’s commanding officer or from a military medical doctor stating that the person is a recovering service member. (3) A person over 65 years of age who is a resident of this state and who receives benefits pursuant to one of the following: (A) Section 12200 of the Welfare and Institutions Code. (B) The Cash Assistance Program for Aged, Blind, and Disabled Legal Immigrants (Chapter 10.3 (commencing with Section 18937) of Part 6 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code). (b) A person applying for a reduced fee sport fishing license shall submit adequate documentation for the department to determine whether the applicant is, in fact, eligible for a reduced fee sport fishing license. The documentation shall be in the form of a letter or other document, as specified by the department, from a public agency, except as provided in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subdivision (a). The department shall not issue a reduced fee sport fishing license to any person unless it is satisfied that the applicant has provided adequate documentation of eligibility for that license. (c) The adjustment of the base fee pursuant to Section 713 specified in subdivision (a) shall be applicable to the fishing license years beginning on or after January 1, 1996.

Cal. Fish and Game Code - FGC § 7151. Section 7151.

(a) Upon application to the department, the following persons, if they have not been convicted of any violation of this code, shall be issued, free of any charge or fee, a sport fishing license, that authorizes the licensee to take any fish, reptile, or amphibian anywhere in this state for purposes other than profit: (1) Any blind person upon presentation of proof of blindness. “Blind person” means a person with central visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye, with the aid of the best possible correcting glasses, or central visual acuity better than 20/200 if the widest diameter of the remaining visual field is no greater than 20 degrees. Proof of blindness shall be by certification from a qualified licensed optometrist or ophthalmologist or by presentation of a license issued pursuant to this paragraph in any previous license year. (2) Every resident Native American who, in the discretion of the department, is financially unable to pay the fee required for the license. (3) Any person with a developmental disability, upon presentation of certification of that disability from a qualified licensed physician, or the director of a state regional center for persons with developmental disabilities. (4) Any person who is a resident of the state and who is so severely physically disabled as to be permanently unable to move from place to place without the aid of a wheelchair, walker, forearm crutches, or a comparable mobility-related device. Proof of the disability shall be by certification from a licensed physician or surgeon or, by presentation of a license issued pursuant to this paragraph in any previous license year after 1996. (b) Sport fishing licenses issued pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) are valid for the calendar year of issue or, if issued after the beginning of the year, for the remainder thereof. (c) Sport fishing licenses issued pursuant to paragraphs (1), (3), and (4) of subdivision (a) are valid for five calendar years, or if issued after the beginning of the first year, for the remainder thereof. (d) Upon application to the department, the department may issue a group sport fishing license, free of any charge or fee, to a group of persons with mental or physical disabilities who are under the care of any of the following entities: (1) A certified federal, state, county, city, or private licensed care center that is a community care facility as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 1502 of the Health and Safety Code. (2) An organization exempt from taxation under Section 501(c)(3) of the federal Internal Revenue Code. (3) A school or school district. (e) The organization listed in subdivision (d) shall provide evidence that it is a legitimate private licensed care center, tax-exempt organization, school, or school district. (f) The license shall be issued to the person in charge of the group and shall be in that person’s possession when the group is fishing. (g) The license shall identify the location and the date or dates for which fishing is authorized, and the maximum number of people that may be included in the group that will be fishing. The licenseholder shall notify the local department office before sport fishing and indicate where, when, and how long the group will be sport fishing. (h) Employees of the organization listed in subdivision (d) are exempt from Section 7145 while assisting the group that is sport fishing pursuant to the license. (i) Upon application to the department, the department may issue, free of any charge or fee, a sport fishing license to a nonprofit organization for day-fishing trips that provide recreational rehabilitation therapy for active duty members of the United States military who are currently receiving inpatient care in a military or Veterans Administration hospital and veterans with service-connected disabilities. The license shall be valid for the calendar year of issue or, if issued after the beginning of the year, for the remainder of that year. The license shall be issued to the person in charge of the group, and shall be in the licenseholder’s possession when the group is fishing. The organization shall notify the local department office before fishing and indicate where, when, and how long the group will fish. To be eligible for a license under this subdivision, an organization shall be registered to do business in this state or exempt from taxation under Section 501(c) of the federal Internal Revenue Code. (j) On January 15 of each year, the department shall determine the number of free sport fishing licenses in effect during the preceding year under subdivisions (a), (d), and (i). (k) There shall be appropriated from the General Fund a sum equal to two dollars ($2) per free sport fishing license in effect during the preceding license year under subdivisions (a) and (d), as determined by the department pursuant to subdivision (j). That sum may be appropriated annually in the Budget Act for transfer to the Fish and Game Preservation Fund and appropriated in the Budget Act from the Fish and Game Preservation Fund to the department for the purposes of this part.

Cal. Fish and Game Code - FGC § 7153. Section 7153.

(a) A sport fishing license is not required to take fish by any legal means, for any purpose other than profit, from a public pier, as defined by the commission, in the ocean waters of the state, or while angling at an aquaculture facility site that is registered pursuant to Section 235 of Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations. (b) For purposes of this section, “ocean waters” include, but are not limited to, the open waters adjacent to the ocean and any island; the waters of any open or enclosed bay contiguous to the ocean; the San Francisco and San Pablo Bays, with any tidal bay belonging thereto; and any slough or estuary, if found between the Golden Gate Bridge and the Benicia-Martinez Bridge.

Cal. Fish and Game Code - FGC § 7155. Section 7155.

Notwithstanding any other provision of this code, California Indians who are bona fide registered members of the Yurok Indian Tribe may take fish, for subsistence purposes only, from the Klamath River between the mouth of that river and the junction of Tectah Creek with it, exclusive of tributaries, without regard to seasons, under the following conditions: (a) Upon application therefor, the department shall issue to any Yurok Indian who is listed on the register of the Yurok Tribal Organization, as furnished to the department, a renewable, nontransferable permit to take fish pursuant to this section for a period of one calendar year. Any Indian of the Yurok tribe while taking fish pursuant to this section shall have upon his person such valid permit, and shall display it upon the request of any duly authorized officer. (b) Hand dip nets, and hook and line only may be used for taking fish pursuant to this section. (c) Pursuant to this section not more than three trout or salmon or combination thereof, or more than one sturgeon, may be taken in any one day. There is no bag limit on any other fish. (d) No Yurok Indian while fishing pursuant to this section may be accompanied by any person who does not possess a valid permit as prescribed by this section. It is unlawful for any person who does not hold such permit to accompany any Yurok Indian who is taking fish pursuant to this section. (e) The sale of any fish taken under the provisions of this section shall constitute cause for permanent revocation by the commission of the permit held by the person making the sale.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026