New This Year: Anglers Can Choose to Auto-Renew Sport Fishing Licenses

California anglers can now purchase 2021 fishing licenses and related items directly through the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) website or authorized license agents. (Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, license sales counters at CDFW offices remain temporarily closed to the public.)

The cost of a 2021 annual resident fishing license has been set at $52.66, while a one-day license will cost $17.02.

For the first time, anglers have the option to sign up for auto-renewal of their annual sport fishing licenses, report cards and validations.

“More than a million anglers purchase annual licenses to fish California waters and for many of them, this will be a welcome feature,” said Josh Morgan, chief of CDFW’s License and Revenue Branch. “Signing up for auto-renewal helps ensure that you won’t end up on the water with an expired license.”

Anglers must enroll in the auto-renewal program through CDFW’s online sales website. License agents cannot enroll customers in the auto-renewal program, but customers who make purchases in person from license agents can go online later and enroll themselves.

Not all CDFW products for sale are eligible for auto-renewal at this time, although the feature will be expanded to other items in the future. For more information and a complete list of items available for auto-renewal, please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions about auto-renewal on CDFW’s website.

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Media Contact: Kirsten Macintyre, CDFW Communications, (916) 804-1714