A Tennessee resident fishing license can cost as little as $6 for one day or $33 for the standard annual Combination Hunt/Fish license before processing fees. Your final cost depends on your age, whether you fish for trout, and whether the lake or stream requires an extra permit. This guide explains the current resident fees, exemptions, senior choices, disability programs, and purchasing rules.
Quick Answer
The Tennessee resident Combination Hunt/Fish annual license costs $33 before processing fees. A trout supplemental license adds $21. Resident one-day licenses cost $6 without trout or $11 for all species. Residents ages 13–15 normally use the $9 junior license, although the official portal currently offers a one-time free youth application.
Key Takeaways
- The standard resident annual base license is $33, not including processing fees.
- Fishing for trout normally requires the $21 annual trout supplemental or an eligible one-day all-species license.
- Children under 13 normally fish without a license; residents ages 13–15 use the junior category.
- Residents 65 or older can choose among $4 annual, $49 permanent, $49 Senior Sportsman, and $329 lifetime Sportsman products.
- Most annual Tennessee licenses are valid for 365 days from their purchase date.
- Gatlinburg, Tellico-Citico, TWRA lakes, Reelfoot, Lake Halford, and the Virginia portion of South Holston may require extra permits.
Resident License Costs at a Glance
| Resident license or permit | Base fee |
| Combination Hunt/Fish Annual, ages 16–64 | $33 |
| Annual trout supplemental | $21 |
| One-day fishing, no trout | $6 |
| One-day fishing, all species | $11 |
| Junior Hunt/Fish/Trap, ages 13–15 | $9, with a current one-time free application available to qualifying resident youth |
| County of Residence Fishing, no trout | $10 |
| Annual Senior Citizen Hunt/Fish/Trap, age 65+ | $4 |
| Permanent Senior Citizen Hunt/Fish/Trap, age 65+ | $49 |
| Annual or Senior Sportsman | $165 or $49 |
Warning: These are base fees. TWRA applies processing fees to purchases, and an online package may include an optional durable card or other item. Review the individual licenses and the final cart total before paying.
Who Needs a Tennessee Fishing License and Who’s Exempt
Under the general Tennessee age rules, anglers younger than 13 can fish without a license. Residents ages 13–15 need a Junior Hunt/Fish/Trap license or an approved free youth license. Most residents age 16 or older must carry an adult fishing license unless they qualify for a specific exemption.
The TWRA licensing FAQ lists the following main exceptions:
- Children under 13: No general fishing license is required, although a permit required for all ages may still apply at a special water.
- Residents born before March 1, 1926: No fishing license is required, but the angler must carry proof of age and Tennessee residency.
- Qualifying farmland owners and tenants: Owners, tenants, and certain family members may fish qualifying farmland without a license when the statutory conditions are met.
- Military leave or furlough: Qualifying personnel must carry their official leave orders. A pass alone does not meet the requirement.
- Free Fishing Day and youth week: TWRA holds an annual free-fishing day for everyone and an extended free-fishing period for children age 15 or younger. Dates change each year.
Note: Permission to fish a private pond is not automatically a license exemption. The farmland-owner or tenant exemption has specific ownership, residency, family, and land-use requirements. Other anglers may still need a license even when the landowner allows them to fish.
Giving false information to obtain a resident license can lead to penalties and loss of licensing privileges. Licenses are issued to one person and cannot be transferred to a relative or fishing partner.
Resident License Types and Annual Pricing
The standard adult resident license is officially called the Combination Hunt/Fish Annual license. It costs $33 before processing fees and provides the minimum statewide license needed to fish for species other than trout. It also includes basic small-game hunting privileges, although extra hunting licenses are required for many hunting activities.
Residents who plan to fish for trout can add the $21 Annual Trout Supplemental, bringing the combined base cost to $54 before processing fees and optional purchases. The trout supplement must accompany an eligible base license.
The County of Residence Fishing license costs $10 and is much more restrictive. It allows an angler to fish only in the county of residence and only with approved natural bait, such as worms, crickets, or corn. Minnows and artificial lures are not allowed under this license. Trout requires an additional trout supplemental license.
The $165 Annual Sportsman license includes statewide hunting, trapping, and sport-fishing privileges without most state supplemental licenses or non-quota permits. It can be useful for residents who regularly take part in several outdoor activities, but it does not replace every location-specific or federal requirement.
Pro Tip: Compare individual license items instead of relying only on a package name. The official portal may show a package total above the $33 base fee because of processing charges or an optional durable card.
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One-Day and Short-Term Resident Options
Tennessee residents who fish only occasionally can choose between two one-day licenses:
- One-Day Fishing — No Trout: $6 for residents ages 13–64.
- One-Day Fishing — All Species: $11 for residents ages 16–64 and suitable for a one-day trout trip.
Before processing fees, the $33 annual base license becomes cheaper than buying six separate $6 no-trout day licenses.
For trout anglers, the $33 annual base license plus the $21 trout supplement totals $54. Five separate $11 all-species days would cost $55 before processing fees, so the annual combination generally begins to make financial sense on the fifth trout-fishing day.
Tennessee does not list general three-day or 10-day resident fishing licenses. Those vacation-length products are mainly nonresident options. Residents who need more than one day should compare the annual license with the total cost of separate day licenses.
Residents ages 13–15 normally use the $9 Junior Hunt/Fish/Trap license. The official Go Outdoors Tennessee portal currently offers a one-time free Youth Customer Application for qualifying resident youth. Applications are reviewed by TWRA, and later or replacement licenses may need to be purchased.
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Lifetime and Senior Resident License Rates
Tennessee offers several products for residents age 65 or older. They are not interchangeable:
- Annual Senior Citizen Hunt/Fish/Trap — $4: Renewable annual license with basic privileges and no state supplemental licenses required, although certain WMA or special permits may still apply.
- Permanent Senior Citizen Hunt/Fish/Trap — $49: One-time permanent license available after the resident’s 65th birthday.
- Senior Sportsman — $49: An annual all-inclusive state hunting, trapping, and fishing license with broader privileges.
- Lifetime Sportsman, age 65 or older — $329: Lifetime version of the Sportsman license.
The resident Lifetime Sportsman license remains valid for the holder’s life, even after the holder moves out of Tennessee. It provides the state privileges of an Annual Sportsman license, but federal stamps and certain special-location products can still be required.
Current lifetime base prices are:
- Under age 3: $320
- Ages 3–6: $659
- Ages 7–12: $988
- Ages 13–50: $1,976
- Ages 51–64: $1,153
- Age 65 or older: $329
- Qualifying adopted child under 13, purchased within three years of adoption: $320
A lifetime applicant generally must have lived continuously in Tennessee for the 12 months immediately before purchase. Additional parent or guardian residency records are required for young children.
Reduced-Fee and Disability License Programs
Tennessee has several application-based disability licenses. Most permanent disability licenses have a one-time fee, but the license is not the same as a Lifetime Sportsman license and additional location permits may still apply.
| Program | Fee and qualification |
| Disabled resident under 18 | $5 annually; requires certification of total and permanent disability from a Tennessee-licensed physician. |
| Certified blind fishing license | $10 permanent sport-fishing license with required certification. |
| Wheelchair-restricted resident license | $10 permanent license; requires a Tennessee physician’s certification of the qualifying mobility restriction or amputation. |
| Resident disabled veteran license | $10 permanent license for veterans who meet TWRA’s specified VA disability criteria. |
| SSI intellectual-disability fishing license | $10 permanent sport-fishing license for a resident receiving SSI because of an intellectual disability. |
These products require an application and supporting medical, VA, benefits, residency, or age records. The forms and current instructions are available through the TWRA license-sales page and its application links.
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Required Supplemental Permits and Their Costs
A base fishing license does not cover every species or location. The main fishing-related supplements are:
- Annual Trout Supplemental — $21: Required with an eligible annual or county base license when fishing for trout.
- South Holston Reservoir Supplemental — $20: Allows a licensed Tennessee resident age 13 or older to fish the Virginia portion of South Holston Reservoir. Annual and lifetime Sportsman holders also need this product for the Virginia portion.
- County of Residence Fishing — $10: This is a restricted base-license alternative, not a statewide fishing supplement. It covers only the resident’s home county and limits the angler to approved natural bait.
Note: The $37 waterfowl license and $33 gun, archery, and muzzleloader big-game supplements are hunting products. They are not required merely to fish.
Check the individual license description before paying. Sportsman and lifetime licenses remove many state supplements, but they do not eliminate every federal stamp, refuge permit, city permit, or interstate reservoir requirement.
Special Fishing Area Permits and Fees
Some Tennessee waters require a permit in addition to the angler’s normal license. Current base fees include:
- Tellico-Citico Trout Permit — $6 per day: Required seasonally in designated Tellico River and Citico Creek permit areas. Current TWRA trout regulations list the permit period as March 1 through August 15. Fishing is closed on Thursday and Friday during that period, with limited holiday exceptions.
- TWRA State Lake Fishing Permit — $6 daily or $48 annually: Required with a base fishing license at covered TWRA family fishing lakes. Garrett and Whiteville lakes are listed exceptions.
- Bedford Lake Permit — $6 daily: Separate daily fishing permit for Coy Gaithers Bedford Lake.
- Gatlinburg one-day trout license — $11: This stand-alone one-day license is the only state licensing item needed for that day in Gatlinburg waters.
- Gatlinburg permit — $3 daily or $9 for three days: Used with the appropriate base fishing license. Gatlinburg streams are generally closed on Thursdays for stocking.
- Lake Halford Permit — $6 daily or $48 annually: Required for covered recreational use, with listed age exemptions.
- Reelfoot Preservation Permit — $3 daily, $10 for three days, or $16 annually: Required for covered use of Reelfoot WMA and associated waters unless an exemption applies.
- South Holston Reservoir Supplemental — $20: Required for Tennessee residents using the Virginia portion instead of obtaining a separate Virginia fishing license.
Warning: Special-area exemptions are not identical. Age, Sportsman-license, lifetime-license, and senior exemptions vary by permit. Check the current license description and the regulation page for the exact water before fishing.
Where and How to Buy or Replace Your License
The fastest purchasing method is the official Go Outdoors Tennessee licensing service. Licenses are also available through the TWRA On the Go app, authorized licensing agents, participating retailers, and TWRA regional offices.
A new customer normally needs:
- A valid Tennessee driver’s license or Tennessee-issued photo ID for resident verification
- A Social Security number, as required for the licensing account
- Date of birth and contact information
- Medical, military, age, adoption, or benefits documents when applying for a specialty license
The electronic license delivered by email is a legal copy. You can keep it on your phone or print it. Active licenses can also be reprinted free by signing in to the official account and selecting the reprint option.
If you need help replacing a license through an agent or regional office, ask about any transaction or card charge before completing the request. Do not confuse a fishing-license reprint with the separately priced replacement hunter-education card.
Rules, Age Limits, and License Validity
Age-Based Eligibility Rules
- Under 13: No general fishing license is required, although certain special permits can apply to all ages.
- Ages 13–15: Junior Hunt/Fish/Trap license or an approved free resident-youth license.
- Ages 16–64: Adult license required unless a specific exemption applies.
- Age 65 or older: Eligible for senior products after reaching the 65th birthday.
- Born before March 1, 1926: Exempt with proof of age and Tennessee residency.
Annual and One-Day License Validity
Most Tennessee annual licenses and permits are valid for 365 days from the date of purchase, unless the individual product states otherwise. For example, a qualifying annual license bought on August 10 generally expires on August 10 of the following year.
The official licensing system normally allows renewal when the existing license is within 10 days of expiration. Always review the effective and expiration dates displayed in the cart because certain permits, stamps, and seasonal products use fixed dates.
A one-day license covers only its selected calendar day. It does not remain valid for 24 hours after the purchase time.
Carrying and Showing Your License
Keep an electronic or printed copy available while fishing. Wildlife officers may inspect licenses and permits to confirm compliance. Exempt anglers should carry the records needed to prove their age, residency, landowner status, military leave, or other qualification.
A fishing license does not override species seasons, daily creel limits, length limits, legal-method rules, trout closures, refuge closures, or private-property access requirements. Review the current Tennessee Fishing Guide and Regulations before each trip.
How License Revenue Supports Conservation
TWRA states that 100% of Tennessee license dollars support wildlife conservation. Fishing-license revenue helps fund fisheries management, while additional federal aid comes through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Sport Fish Restoration Program.
A fishing license pays for more than permission to fish: it supports hatcheries, habitat work, fish surveys, public access, ramps, piers, and long-term fisheries management.
Habitat and Public Access Projects
Documented TWRA projects include stream-habitat improvements, fish-attractor construction, pollution investigations, fishing piers, boat-ramp work, and the acquisition of public stream-access sites. These projects help protect aquatic habitat while making legal fishing more accessible.
Research, Hatcheries, and Stocking Programs
License and federal-aid funding also supports fish hatcheries, reservoir and stream population surveys, stocking evaluations, length-limit research, and scheduled fish releases. Biologists use this information to adjust stocking plans and fishing regulations as fish populations and habitat conditions change.
Federal Sport Fish Restoration revenue comes from excise taxes on fishing equipment, import duties on tackle and boats, and part of the fuel tax associated with motorboats and small engines. State license sales are also part of the federal funding formula.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do nonresident family members qualify under a resident license?
No. A fishing license belongs only to the named holder. A nonresident family member must obtain the appropriate nonresident license unless that person independently qualifies for a statutory exemption or an approved Native Tennessean license.
Can I fish a private pond without a Tennessee license?
Landowner permission is required, but permission alone does not always remove the license requirement. Qualifying farmland owners, tenants, and certain family members may use the statutory exemption on eligible property. Other guests should obtain the normal license unless TWRA confirms that another exemption applies.
Are fishing tournaments covered by a standard resident license?
A participant still needs the same fishing license, trout supplement, and location permits required for ordinary fishing at that water. Tournament organizers may also have to meet separate launch, park, property, event, or managing-agency requirements. Check with the waterbody manager before the event.
Does a lost fishing license have a replacement fee?
You can reprint an active license free through your Go Outdoors Tennessee account. An agent or regional office may also help with a replacement or physical card, but ask about any transaction or card charge before completing the request.
Do kayak and float-tube anglers pay different license fees?
No separate fishing-license rate applies simply because you use a kayak or float tube. You still need the license, trout supplement, and location permits required for the species and water. Watercraft registration, access, life-jacket, and hazardous-area rules are separate issues.
Do I need the $21 trout supplement for a one-day trip?
Not when you purchase the eligible $11 one-day all-species license for that trip. The annual $21 trout supplement is used with an eligible annual or county base license. Gatlinburg and Tellico-Citico waters can have additional permit rules.
How long is a Tennessee annual fishing license valid?
Most annual licenses are valid for 365 days from the date of purchase, not only through the following February. Check the effective and expiration dates printed on the license because some stamps and special permits use fixed dates.
Conclusion
The standard Tennessee resident Combination Hunt/Fish annual license costs $33 before processing fees, while a one-day resident license costs $6 without trout or $11 for all species. Trout, special lakes, city waters, interstate reservoirs, and senior or disability programs can change the total. Confirm the individual products in your cart, keep an electronic or printed copy with you, and review the current rules for the exact water you plan to fish.
Sources
- Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency — License Structure and Fees — resident prices, senior products, lifetime fees, disability programs, exemptions, and special permits.
- Go Outdoors Tennessee — Official Licensing System — expiration rules, residency verification, electronic copies, and account requirements.
- TWRA Frequently Asked Questions — age rules, senior exemptions, landowner provisions, and lost-license guidance.
- TWRA Trout Regulations — Gatlinburg and Tellico-Citico seasons, closures, and permit-area rules.
- Tennessee Fishing Guide and Regulations — current statewide fishing rules and 2026–27 updates.
- TWRA Fishing in Tennessee — fisheries management, hatcheries, habitat work, stocking research, public access, and federal-aid projects.
