South Carolina Fishing License & Regulations
Switch states with the selector, or jump back to the full engine.
South Carolina — License & Regulations
Agency: South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR)
| Resident annual fee | data pending verification |
|---|---|
| Non-resident annual fee | data pending verification |
| Source | verify locally — see South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) current license fees and regulations. |
Size & bag limits (representative)
| Species | Min size | Bag limit | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| All species | — | verify locally | see South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) current fishing regulations. |
License fees and size/bag limits for South Carolina are pending verification. Each state sets its own resident and nonresident fees and per-species limits — always confirm with South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) before fishing.
How the South Carolina rules fit together
A South Carolina fishing trip is governed by four separate layers, and they are set by different parts of the same agency. The license establishes that you may fish at all. The statewide size, bag, and possession limits set the default for any water not given special treatment. Waterbody-specific regulations override those defaults on named lakes, rivers, and zones. And season and gear restrictions can close a fishery entirely for part of the year or limit it to artificial lures or catch-and-release.
The order matters. Where a specific water has its own rule, the specific rule wins over the statewide default — so a legal statewide limit does not make a fish legal on a special-regulation lake, and a statewide season does not override a closed section of river. Whatever a summary page tells you, the enforceable answer for the water in front of you comes from the current South Carolina regulation booklet or the agency’s own site.
Two further layers are easy to miss. A stamp, validation, or report card may be required on top of the license for specific species or waters — you can hold a valid license and still be non-compliant. And aquatic invasive species rules apply to your boat and trailer rather than your catch, which means they can stop the trip at the ramp before a line is ever wet.
Because fees, limits, and seasons are revised annually and often mid-season, treat every number on this page as a starting point dated to the last verification and confirm the current figure with South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) before you buy a license or keep a fish.
South Carolina license, limits and reporting
Drawn from FishFig's verified South Carolina data layer. Every figure names the agency source it came from, and anything unverified is shown as "verify locally" rather than estimated.
What a South Carolina fishing license costs
A resident annual license for South Carolina is $10.00, and the non-resident annual license is $35.00 — a difference of $25.00. The non-resident rate is roughly 3.5 times the resident rate — meaning the license is usually the smallest expense in the trip budget.
Short-term options as published: Resident 14-day freshwater $5.00; nonresident 14-day freshwater $11.00; resident 14-day saltwater $10.00; nonresident 7-day saltwater $35.00, 1-day $10.00.
At the published short-term prices, a resident annual license breaks even at about 1 single days, 1 seven-day passes. Below that trip count the short-term pass is cheaper; above it the annual license is. (Break-even arithmetic from the published fees — confirm current products with South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR).)
Saltwater: Saltwater annual $15.00 resident / $75.00 nonresident (14-day $10.00 resident; 7-day $35.00 / 1-day $10.00 nonresident); required for shore/boat/dock saltwater; exempt on licensed charter boat or public fishing pier..
Senior and reduced-rate options: Residents 64+ Senior Lifetime License $9.00 (free if born before July 1, 1940)..
Source: South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) — Resident & Nonresident License Pricing, 2026. https://dnr.sc.gov/licenses/pricingResident.html and https://dnr.sc.gov/licenses/pricingNonresident.html
Size and bag limits tracked for South Carolina
South Carolina has 9 statewide limits resolved in this tool — Bluegill, Crappie, Flounder, Largemouth Bass, Red Drum (Redfish), Smallmouth Bass, Spotted Bass and Tarpon, among 9 in the tracked set. Each entry below carries the agency citation it came from.
Bluegill: bag 30 (bream); season Year-round; Redbreast sunfish has a separate 15-fish limit.. Citation: South Carolina Department of Natural Resources — 2026-2027 Freshwater Fish Size & Possession Limits (eRegulations).
Crappie: minimum length 8 in; bag 20; season Year-round. Citation: South Carolina Department of Natural Resources — 2026-2027 Freshwater Fish Size & Possession Limits (eRegulations).
Flounder: minimum length 16 in; bag 5 per person (max 10 per boat); season Year-round. Citation: South Carolina Department of Natural Resources — 2026-2027 Finfish Size & Catch Limits (eRegulations).
Largemouth Bass: bag 5 (combined smallmouth, largemouth, redeye bass); season Year-round; Statewide default any length 5 combined; many lakes have 12-14 in mins or different aggregates (Lakes Hartwell/Keowee/Russell 12 in / 10 combined; several lakes 14 in / 5).. Citation: South Carolina Department of Natural Resources — 2026-2027 Freshwater Fish Size & Possession Limits (eRegulations).
Red Drum (Redfish): protected slot 18–25 in (release fish in the slot); bag 1 per person (max 2 per boat); season Year-round; State waters only; possession prohibited in federal waters; no gig Dec 1-Feb 28. Changed from 15-23 in / 2 per person.. Citation: South Carolina Department of Natural Resources — 2026-2027 Finfish Size & Catch Limits (eRegulations); Red Drum changes effective July 1, 2026 (Act No. 231).
Smallmouth Bass: minimum length 12 in; bag No more than 5 combined total of smallmouth, largemouth, redeye bass; season Year-round; Statewide default 12 in; Lakes Hartwell/Keowee/Russell/Thurmond etc. 10 combined.. Citation: South Carolina Department of Natural Resources — 2026-2027 Freshwater Fish Size & Possession Limits (eRegulations).
These are statewide general rules only. Slot limits, special-regulation waters, catch-and-release stretches, and zone-by-zone seasons override them — and a general rule that is absent from this list is not the same as no restriction. Confirm the rule for the exact water you are fishing with South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) before keeping a fish.
Mandatory harvest reporting in South Carolina
South Carolina requires mandatory harvest reporting or registration for specific species. The tracked rule set covers Red Snapper (federal waters, EFP).
Reporting window: Declare trip before fishing; submit catch report within 24 hours of trip. How to report: VESL app via GoOutdoorsSC.com / dnr.sc.gov/redsnapper. Note: EFP mandatory reporting program (free experimental harvest permit + VESL trip declaration/report). NOTE: On May 21, 2026 a federal court injunction suspended the EFP, halting the federal-waters 2026 season; state-water red snapper remains open (2/day, 20 in min, no reporting requirement). Citation: South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) — Red Snapper Project (EFP)
A reporting requirement usually attaches to the fish, not the license: you can be fully licensed and still be out of compliance for failing to register a tagged or sensitive species within the stated window. Record the tag number and the date before you leave the water.
Free fishing days in South Carolina
Reported license-free dates for 2026: May 25 & July 4, 2026. Most states waive the license only, not the rules — size and bag limits, gear restrictions, seasons, and any required report card still apply, and some states still require a free or zero-cost license to be issued before you fish.
Reported for 2026 by public aggregators and may not match the official state schedule. Always confirm the current year’s dates and any species/stamp exceptions with the agency before planning.
Source: Compiled from 2026 public Free-Fishing-Day roundups (modefreefinds.com, heyitsfree.net, fishkillflea.com). Not an official source — verify with the state agency. (compiled 2026-08-29).
Boat inspection and invasive species rules in South Carolina
No statewide AIS stamp or universal inspection mandate for South Carolina is tracked here, so this section states the baseline rule that applies everywhere rather than a state-specific one.
South Carolina requires vessels and trailers to be free of aquatic organisms and all water drained before leaving or entering a waterbody (Clean, Drain, Dry). No paid AIS decal or pre-launch inspection is required. Verify current AIS rules with SCDNR before launching.
The baseline is not optional in practice. Water, mud, and plant fragments carried on a trailer or in a livewell are the main transport path for zebra mussels, Eurasian watermilfoil, and spiny water flea, and an inspection station can turn you around at the ramp. Clean, drain, and dry the hull, trailer, anchors, waders, and any livewell before you leave the water, and again before you launch somewhere new.
Citation: South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) — dnr.sc.gov
State agency & contact
Licenses, regulations, and stocking are set by the agency below. When FishFig can’t verify a figure, contact them directly.
South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR)
FishFig is an independent guide and is not affiliated with South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR). Verify every figure with the agency before purchasing a license, keeping fish, or relying on stocking data.