Minnesota Fishing License and Limits
License fees, who needs one, stamps, openers, 2026 changes and the limits pages.
Photo of Lake Superior North Shore: Dougtone, CC BY-SA 2.0
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To legally fish in Minnesota, all residents of Minnesota, age 16 through 89, must have a current Minnesota fishing license unless an exemption applies. A self-printed or electronic license is sufficient proof of licensing. All nonresidents need a license except those younger than 16 do not need a license if a parent or guardian is licensed.
To qualify as a resident, a person must maintain a legal residence in Minnesota for at least 60 consecutive days before purchasing a license. Residents 21 or older must provide a current Minnesota driver’s license or public safety ID card, or a receipt for an application that is at least 60 days old.
Minnesota residents may fish without a license for any species except trout when shore fishing or wading on state-owned land within a state park, or fishing from a boat or on the ice on water bodies completely inside state park boundaries. To fish a designated trout stream or lake or harvest trout in a state park you must have a fishing license and a trout/salmon stamp validation.
2026 Minnesota Fishing Regulations, pages 21 to 28, and the DNR fishing license page. Checked October 2026.
Minnesota angling license fees, 2026-27
| License | Fee | Valid | Covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resident Youth Annual Angling | $5 | license year (March 1 – Feb. 28) | angling in Minnesota waters (inland, border and Lake Superior Minnesota waters); trout/sal |
| Resident Individual Angling (Adult Annual) | $25 | license year | angling in Minnesota waters (inland, border and Lake Superior Minnesota waters); trout/sal |
| Resident Individual Angling 24-hour | $12 | consecutive 24 hours | angling in Minnesota waters (inland, border and Lake Superior Minnesota waters); trout/sal |
| Resident Individual Angling 72-hour | $14 | consecutive 72 hours | angling in Minnesota waters (inland, border and Lake Superior Minnesota waters); trout/sal |
| Resident Individual Angling 3-year | $71 | 3 consecutive license years | angling in Minnesota waters (inland, border and Lake Superior Minnesota waters); trout/sal |
| Resident Individual Conservation Angling (1/2 bag limit) | $17 | license year | angling in Minnesota waters (inland, border and Lake Superior Minnesota waters); trout/sal |
| Resident Individual Sports (angling and small game) | $41 | license year | angling and small game |
| Resident Individual Super Sports | $100 | license year | angling including trout/salmon stamp; small game including pheasant and state waterfowl st |
| Resident Married Combination Angling | $40 | license year | angling in Minnesota waters (inland, border and Lake Superior Minnesota waters); trout/sal |
| Resident Married 1/2 Bag Limit Conservation Combination | $27 | license year | angling in Minnesota waters (inland, border and Lake Superior Minnesota waters); trout/sal |
| Resident Married Combination Sports | $57 | license year | 2 angling and 1 small game |
| Resident Married Combination Super Sports | $126 | license year | combination angling including 2 trout/salmon stamps; primary licensee small game with phea |
| Nonresident Youth Annual Angling | $5 | license year | angling in Minnesota waters (inland, border and Lake Superior Minnesota waters); trout/sal |
| Nonresident Individual Angling (Annual) | $51 | license year | angling in Minnesota waters (inland, border and Lake Superior Minnesota waters); trout/sal |
| Nonresident Individual Angling 24-hour | $14 | consecutive 24 hours | angling in Minnesota waters (inland, border and Lake Superior Minnesota waters); trout/sal |
| Nonresident Individual Angling 72-hour | $36 | consecutive 72 hours | angling in Minnesota waters (inland, border and Lake Superior Minnesota waters); trout/sal |
| Nonresident Individual Angling 7-Day | $43 | consecutive 7 days | angling in Minnesota waters (inland, border and Lake Superior Minnesota waters); trout/sal |
| Nonresident Family Angling (Combination Annual) | $68 | license year | angling in Minnesota waters (inland, border and Lake Superior Minnesota waters); trout/sal |
| Nonresident Married Couple Combination 14-Day | $54 | consecutive 14 days | angling in Minnesota waters (inland, border and Lake Superior Minnesota waters); trout/sal |
Licenses, including free licenses, are subject to a $1 issuing fee for original licenses or a 50-cent fee for duplicates (codes 128 and 129: 50-cent duplicate fee; no issuing fee for codes 130, 134, 135, 407, 411, 413, 415). Online sales add a convenience fee. A $5 surcharge is included in nonresident fees. Duplicate license at an agent: $2.50.
Trout stamp, spearing, sturgeon and shelter licenses
| Item | Fee | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Trout/Salmon Stamp Validation | $10 | required for designated trout streams and lakes, Lake Superior, and to possess trout |
| Trout/Salmon Pictorial Stamp (mailed) | $0.75 | collectible pictorial stamp in addition to validation |
| Walleye Stamp Validation (voluntary) | $5 | voluntary donation; not needed for fishing |
| Walleye Pictorial Stamp (mailed) | $0.75 | collectible pictorial stamp |
| Sturgeon tag/endorsement | $5 | required to harvest a lake sturgeon |
| Resident Spearing Annual (dark house) | $6 | dark house spearing (angling license also required) |
| Nonresident Spearing Annual (dark house) | $17 | dark house spearing (angling license required) |
| Recreational Turtle License | $25 | required to harvest turtles |
| Whitefish and cisco (tullibee) sport netting license | $10 | sport gillnetting for whitefish and cisco on lakes open to netting |
| Resident Fish House, Dark House or Shelter – Annual | $15 | ice shelter license |
| Resident Fish House, Dark House or Shelter – 3-year | $42 | ice shelter license |
| Resident Rented Fish House/Dark House/Shelter – Annual | $30 | rental ice shelter license |
| Resident Rented Fish House/Dark House/Shelter – 3-year | $87 | rental ice shelter license |
| Nonresident Fish House, Dark House or Shelter – Annual | $37 | ice shelter license |
| Nonresident Fish House, Dark House or Shelter – 7-Day | $21 | ice shelter license |
| Nonresident Fish House, Dark House or Shelter – 3-year | $111 | ice shelter license |
Anglers need a trout/salmon stamp validation and a fishing or sports license when fishing designated trout streams, designated trout lakes, Lake Superior, or when possessing trout on non-designated waters. Not required for children younger than 18, adults 65 and older, people with a 24-hour or 72-hour license, or people exempt from license requirements or receiving a free license.
Purchase is voluntary and not needed for fishing. Revenues are used for stocking walleyes purchased from the private sector.
Residents age 18 through 89 and nonresidents age 18 and older need a spearing license and an angling license to spear from a dark house. Youth 16 and 17 need an angling license only.
Who fishes without a license
- Residents younger than 16, or residents 90 and older.no license needed
- Minnesota residents serving in the U.S. Armed Forces stationed outside the state and home on leave (carry leave or furlough papers).no license needed
- Minnesota residents who served in federal active service outside the U.S. during the preceding 24 months and are now discharged (carry discharge papers).no license needed
- An adult showing a child under 16 how to bait, cast and remove fish (the child must hold the rod, set the hook and reel in).no license needed
- A person assisting a disabled licensed angler (only the lines allowed for licensed or exempt anglers).no license needed
- Anyone not requiring a license may keep a possession limit of fish.no license needed
Available only to residents; daily and possession limits half of standard (rounded down); conservation licensees may not keep walleye over 20".
2026 Minnesota Fishing Regulations, page 25.
2026 Minnesota season openers
| Season | Date |
|---|---|
| Walleye and northern pike | May 9, 2026 |
| Muskellunge | June 6, 2026 |
| Stream trout harvest | April 11, 2026 |
| Bass harvest, southern and north-central | May 23, 2026 |
| Bass harvest, northeast zone | May 9, 2026 |
| Lake trout, summer | May 9, 2026 |
| Winter trout lakes outside the BWCAW | January 17, 2026 |
Season openers may reflect a harvest season or a catch-and-release season.
New Minnesota rules for 2026
- A new catch-and-release season for largemouth and smallmouth bass now extends to all portions of the calendar year (began Feb. 23, 2026 when the prior season closed).2026
- The season opener for stream trout harvest is now the second Saturday in April every year.2026
- Up to three hooks within 18 inches on a single tackle configuration; only one bait per line; stinger hooks only on artificial baits.2026
- Ice anglers may use nonmotorized hook setting devices.2026
- Updated rules on harvesting crayfish in infested waters and labeling traps.2026
- No closed season for taking dead freshwater mussel shells; harvest of live mussels prohibited.2026
- Inland portions of Mississippi River Pool 3 now follow Wisconsin-Minnesota border water rules for Pools 3-8 including Lake Pepin.2026
- Lake Superior: the separate limit of one Atlantic salmon was removed; limit is five combined total for all salmon.2026
- Lake Superior and tributaries below posted boundaries: brook trout and splake season now closes Sept. 30.2026
- New/modified special regulations: Clear Lake (Jackson), Fairmont Chain of Lakes (Martin) and Imogene Lake (Martin) yellow bass daily limit 100, no possession limit, no closed season; Green Prairie Fish Lake (Morrison) and Long Lake near Spaulding (Todd) sunfish daily limit 5; Maple Lake (Todd) sunfi2026
- Electronic licensing system (ELS) replaced; license sales paused June 2-8, 2026 and the new system opened June 9, 2026.2026
- Reduce the statewide inland walleye daily and possession limit from 6 to 4 combined (only 1 walleye over 20"); would not affect border waters or special regulations. If enacted, effective March 1, 2027. Comments closed March 5, 2026.proposed, not adopted as of October 2026
- Native rough fish limits: bowfin 6; bigmouth and smallmouth buffalo in aggregate 5 (northern zone) and 30 (southern zone); suckers and redhorses 30; carpsuckers and quillback 30; freshwater drum 30; mooneye and goldeye 30. If approved, effective March 1, 2027.proposed, not adopted as of October 2026
- 2027 special regulation proposals: Cedar Lake near Annandale (Wright) sunfish; Cuyuna Country SRA mine pits (Crow Wing) northern pike; German Lake (Otter Tail) sunfish; Hovde Lake (Cass) sunfish; Mink and Somers lakes (Wright) sunfish, walleye and minnows; Namakan Reservoir lakes (St. Louis) walleyeproposed, not adopted as of October 2026
- Trout stream and stream trout lake designation changes (~125 miles in 11 counties); comments through Sept. 11, 2026.proposed, not adopted as of October 2026
- Review of winter trout season dates in lakes (BWCAW and non-BWCAW); input through Jan. 31, 2027; changes no earlier than March 2028.proposed, not adopted as of October 2026
Minnesota lifetime angling licenses by age
| License | Fee | Age class |
|---|---|---|
| Resident Lifetime Angling | $344 | Resident |
| Resident Lifetime Angling | $469 | Resident |
| Resident Lifetime Angling | $574 | Resident |
| Resident Lifetime Angling | $379 | Resident |
| Resident Lifetime Angling and Spearing | $432 | Resident |
| Resident Lifetime Angling and Spearing | $579 | Resident |
| Resident Lifetime Angling and Spearing | $678 | Resident |
| Resident Lifetime Angling and Spearing | $439 | Resident |
| Resident Lifetime Sports | $522 | Resident |
| Resident Lifetime Sports | $710 | Resident |
| Resident Lifetime Sports | $927 | Resident |
| Resident Lifetime Sports | $603 | Resident |
| Nonresident Lifetime Angling | $821 | Nonresident |
| Nonresident Lifetime Angling | $1,046 | Nonresident |
| Nonresident Lifetime Angling | $1,191 | Nonresident |
| Nonresident Lifetime Angling | $794 | Nonresident |
First-time purchase of lifetime licenses is only available at the DNR License Center in St. Paul. Lifetime holders must obtain a no-fee annual renewal each year the license is used.
Buying a Minnesota license
- Online at mndnr.gov/buyalicense (convenience fee added); e-license by email/print, no paper copy.where to buy
- At about 1,400 license agent locations statewide (Electronic Licensing System).where to buy
- Lifetime licenses: first purchase only at the DNR License Center, St. Paul.where to buy
- DNR Information Center: 888-646-6367 or 651-296-6157.where to buy
All sales are final; refunds only if the licensee dies before the season opens, is called to active military duty for the entire season, or bought 2 licenses for the same season in error.
Minnesota limits by topic
- Minnesota Inland Waters Limitsstatewide limits, pike zones and line rules
- Minnesota Ice Fishing Ruleslines, shelters, removal dates and spearing
- Minnesota Border Waters RulesCanada, Wisconsin, Iowa and the Dakotas
- Minnesota Trout and Lake Superior Rulesstream trout seasons, stamp and Lake Superior limits
- Minnesota Special Regulations Waterslakes and streams with their own limits
- Free fishing weekendslicense-free dates for residents
- Lake SuperiorNorth Shore limits and stamp
Minnesota waters, pictured
Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Midwest Region, Public domain
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Photo: Lorne Sunley, CC BY 3.0
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Photo: Chris Light, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Jimmy Dreger, CC BY-SA 3.0
Minnesota license questions
Who needs a Minnesota fishing license?
To legally fish in Minnesota, all residents of Minnesota, age 16 through 89, must have a current Minnesota fishing license unless an exemption applies. A self-printed or electronic license is sufficient proof of licensing. All nonresidents need a lic
How much is a Minnesota fishing license?
$25 for a resident adult and $51 for a nonresident, for the license year, plus the $1 issuing fee.
Do I need a trout stamp in Minnesota?
Yes, the $10 trout and salmon stamp validation for designated trout streams and lakes and Lake Superior, for anglers 18 to 64.
When is the Minnesota walleye opener in 2026?
May 9, 2026.
Can residents fish in state parks without a license?
Residents may shore fish or wade on state park land, or fish water entirely inside a park, without a license, except for trout.
What is a conservation license?
A resident license at half the usual daily and possession limits; holders may not keep walleye over 20 inches.
How long does a Minnesota license last?
The license year runs March 1 to the last day of February.
Where do I buy a Minnesota license?
Online at mndnr.gov/buyalicense or at about 1,400 license agents; lifetime licenses are first bought at the DNR License Center in St. Paul.
Is there a short license for visitors?
Nonresidents can buy 24-hour ($14), 72-hour ($36) and 7-day ($43) licenses.