Utah Fishing License & Regulations
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Utah — License & Regulations
Agency: Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR)
| Resident annual fee | data pending verification |
|---|---|
| Non-resident annual fee | data pending verification |
| Source | verify locally — see Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) current license fees and regulations. |
Size & bag limits (representative)
| Species | Min size | Bag limit | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| All species | — | verify locally | see Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) current fishing regulations. |
License fees and size/bag limits for Utah are pending verification. Each state sets its own resident and nonresident fees and per-species limits — always confirm with Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) before fishing.
How the Utah rules fit together
A Utah 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 Utah 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 Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) before you buy a license or keep a fish.
Utah license, limits and reporting
Drawn from FishFig's verified Utah data layer. Every figure names the agency source it came from, and anything unverified is shown as "verify locally" rather than estimated.
What a Utah fishing license costs
A resident annual license for Utah is $40.00, and the non-resident annual license is $120.00 — a difference of $80.00. The non-resident rate is roughly 3.0 times the resident rate — meaning the license is usually the smallest expense in the trip budget.
Short-term options as published: 3-day $19.00 (resident) / $44.00 (nonresident); 7-day $30.00 (resident) / $91.00 (nonresident).
At the published short-term prices, a resident annual license breaks even at about 3 three-day passes, 2 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 Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR).)
Senior and reduced-rate options: Resident senior (age 65+) annual $31.00; resident disabled veteran $12.00.
Separate aquatic-invasive-species stamp: Resident $20 / nonresident $25 per watercraft, plus mandatory annual mussel-aware boater course..
Reciprocal border waters to check before travelling: Lake Powell, Flaming Gorge Reservoir and Bear Lake.
Source: Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) — 2026 Fees schedule (wildlife.utah.gov/fees).
Size and bag limits tracked for Utah
Utah has 12 statewide limits resolved in this tool — Bluegill, Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Channel Catfish, Crappie, Largemouth Bass, Muskellunge (Muskie) and Northern Pike, among 12 in the tracked set. Each entry below carries the agency citation it came from.
Bluegill: bag 50 (bluegill and green sunfish combined); season Year-round. Citation: Utah Division of Wildlife Resources — 2026 Utah Fishing Guidebook (Statewide Daily Limits). https://wildlife.utah.gov/fishing
Brook Trout: bag 4 (trout aggregate); season Year-round. Citation: Utah Division of Wildlife Resources — 2026 Utah Fishing Guidebook (Statewide Daily Limits). https://wildlife.utah.gov/fishing
Brown Trout: bag 4 (trout aggregate); season Year-round. Citation: Utah Division of Wildlife Resources — 2026 Utah Fishing Guidebook (Statewide Daily Limits). https://wildlife.utah.gov/fishing
Channel Catfish: bag 8; season Year-round. Citation: Utah Division of Wildlife Resources — 2026 Utah Fishing Guidebook (Statewide Daily Limits). https://wildlife.utah.gov/fishing
Crappie: bag 50 (black and white combined); season Year-round. Citation: Utah Division of Wildlife Resources — 2026 Utah Fishing Guidebook (Statewide Daily Limits). https://wildlife.utah.gov/fishing
Largemouth Bass: bag 6 (combined with smallmouth bass); season Year-round. Citation: Utah Division of Wildlife Resources — 2026 Utah Fishing Guidebook (Statewide Daily Limits). https://wildlife.utah.gov/fishing
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 Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) before keeping a fish.
Mandatory harvest reporting in Utah
Utah requires mandatory harvest reporting or registration for specific species. The tracked rule set covers controlled/prohibited aquatic species (collection permits).
Reporting window: Report within 73 hours of collection. How to report: Online reporting under Utah Admin Code R657-53-19 (controlled/prohibited fish collection). Commercial aquatic wildlife records under R657-14.. Citation: Utah Admin Code R657-53-19 / R657-14
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 Utah
Reported license-free dates for 2026: June 6, 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 Utah
Utah has a tracked aquatic-invasive-species requirement for boaters: AIS Program decal.
Fee or cost: Resident $20 / nonresident $25 per watercraft, plus mandatory annual mussel-aware boater course..
Inspection: Exit inspection required when leaving Lake Powell (currently the only UT waterbody with quagga mussels). Drain plugs must be removed when leaving any waterbody..
Education requirement: Annual mussel-aware boater education course required for all vessel types (including paddlecraft) before launching..
Complex (wakeboard) boats require a 30-day dry time unless professionally decontaminated. Dry times at Lake Powell: 7 days summer, 18 days fall/spring, 30 days winter.
Citation: Utah Division of Wildlife Resources — 2026 Aquatic Invasive Species program (course + vessel enrollment + decal).
State agency & contact
Licenses, regulations, and stocking are set by the agency below. When FishFig can’t verify a figure, contact them directly.
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR)
FishFig is an independent guide and is not affiliated with Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR). Verify every figure with the agency before purchasing a license, keeping fish, or relying on stocking data.