Good to know

• Under 16? No fishing license is needed at any age under 16, resident or not. Hunters 17 and under buy the reduced youth hunting license.
• Seniors: Ohio residents born on or before December 31, 1937 get a free fishing license, hunting license, deer and turkey permits, and wetlands stamp. Residents age 66+ born on or after January 1, 1938 get reduced senior prices (for example, a $10 one-year fishing license). Nonresidents do not get senior discounts.
• Lake Erie: no separate permit exists anymore — your regular fishing license covers it.
• Durations: one-year fishing licenses run 365 days from purchase; the hunting license year runs March 1 to the end of February. Multi-year (3, 5, 10-year) and lifetime licenses are Ohio-resident only.
• Where to buy: at wildohio.gov, in the HuntFish OH app, or from a license agent statewide. Prices here include the agent writing fee where the published schedule charges one.
• Landowners: Ohio landowners (and their children/grandchildren under 18) hunting or fishing on their own land may be exempt from some licenses and permits — check the current regulations.

How Ohio license pricing works

Your price is set by two things: residency and age class. A resident is someone domiciled in Ohio for the six consecutive months before applying. Your date of birth then places you in a class — youth, adult, senior, or free senior — and each class has its own price schedule. Nonresidents pay higher prices, get no senior discount, and cannot buy the multi-year or lifetime licenses, which are resident-only (a multi-year or lifetime license you already hold stays valid even if you later move out of Ohio).

Durations work differently for fishing and hunting. A one-year fishing license is valid for 365 days from the day you buy it. The hunting license year runs March 1 through the end of February. Deer and turkey permits and the wetlands stamp are priced per item on top of a hunting license — permits are never valid on their own.

Worked example. A resident adult heading out for deer season pays $19.00 for the one-year hunting license plus $31.20 for an either-sex deer permit — $50.20 in total. Build the full basket this calculator totals — one-year fishing license ($25.00), one-year hunting license ($19.00), one either-sex deer permit ($31.20), a spring turkey permit ($31.20), and the Ohio Wetlands Habitat Stamp ($15.00) — and the itemized total is $121.40. A single one-year resident fishing license on its own is $25.00.

2026-27 price list — the most common choices

Published 2026-27 Division of Wildlife prices, including the agent writing fee where the schedule charges one. Multi-year fishing and hunting licenses (3, 5, and 10-year) are also available to residents — the calculator above prices every option for your age class.

How to use this calculator

1. Choose whether you are an Ohio resident and enter your date of birth — that sets your youth, adult, or senior pricing.
2. Pick a fishing license and a hunting license duration from the menus; the prices shown are the ones for your class.
3. Add any deer permits, turkey permits, and the wetlands stamp you plan to buy.
4. Press “Calculate my total” for an itemized list and the full amount to expect at the counter, plus any warnings (for example, permits selected without a hunting license).

License cost — frequently asked questions

How much is an Ohio fishing license?

For an Ohio resident adult, a one-year fishing license costs $25.00 for the 2026-27 license year, and a one-day license costs $14.00. A nonresident one-year fishing license costs $76.96. Anglers under 16 need no license at all.

How much is an Ohio lifetime fishing license?

A resident adult lifetime fishing license costs $599.04. The youth lifetime license (bought while the angler is under 16) costs $430.56, and the senior lifetime fishing license costs $84.24. Lifetime licenses are Ohio-resident only.

How much is an Ohio deer permit?

An either-sex deer permit costs $31.20 for a resident adult, $12.00 for a senior resident, $16.00 for a youth hunter, and $218.40 for a nonresident. A deer management (antlerless) permit costs $15.00. Every deer permit also requires a valid hunting license.

How much is a nonresident hunting license in Ohio?

A one-year nonresident hunting license costs $180.96. There is also a 3-day tourist hunting license at $40.56, but it is not valid for deer, turkey, furbearers, or waterfowl.

Do I need a separate permit to fish Lake Erie?

No. A separate Lake Erie permit no longer exists — a standard Ohio fishing license, resident or nonresident, covers Lake Erie and its tributaries.

Who gets free Ohio licenses?

Ohio residents born on or before December 31, 1937 receive a free fishing license, hunting license, deer and turkey permits, and wetlands stamp. Residents age 66 and over who were born on or after January 1, 1938 pay reduced senior prices instead, such as the $10 one-year fishing license.