Wyoming charter captain requirements
Quick answer
What license do I need to run a charter in Wyoming?
You need the federal USCG captain's license, plus Wyoming's licensing depends on the activity: hunting outfitting and guiding needs a Board of Outfitters and Professional Guides license, while commercial fishing guiding needs the WGFD's commercially-guided fishing boat registration sticker that took effect January 1, 2026.
| Layer | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Federal credential | USCG captain's license (OUPV six-pack or Master 25 to 100 Ton), required for all for-hire carriage of passengers |
| State outfitter/guide license | Wyoming Board of Outfitters and Professional Guides license for hunting and general outfitting businesses and their professional guides |
| State fishing-guide registration (new 2026) | WGFD commercially-guided fishing boat registration: register the boat, display the sticker, and file biannual activity reports |
| Layer | What you need | Who it applies to | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal credential | USCG captain's license (OUPV six-pack or Master 25 to 100 Ton), required for all for-hire carriage of passengers | Every operator taking paying passengers on navigable water | 46 CFR / National Maritime Center (read 2026-07-22) |
| State outfitter/guide license | Wyoming Board of Outfitters and Professional Guides license for hunting and general outfitting businesses and their professional guides | Hunting outfitters and professional guides operating in Wyoming | Wyoming Board of Outfitters and Professional Guides (read 2026-07-29) |
| State fishing-guide registration (new 2026) | WGFD commercially-guided fishing boat registration: register the boat, display the sticker, and file biannual activity reports | Anyone providing commercial fishing guide services from a boat on Wyoming waterways, effective January 1, 2026 | WGFD fishing outfitters and guides (read 2026-07-29) |
Wyoming charter license, in detail
Wyoming runs two separate systems. Hunting outfitting and guiding has long required a license from the Wyoming Board of Outfitters and Professional Guides. Commercial fishing guiding was NOT licensed the same way until a new WGFD requirement took effect January 1, 2026: any boat providing commercial fishing guide services on Wyoming waterways must be registered and display a commercially-guided fishing boat sticker, with guide-service operators filing activity reports twice a year (by July 15 for January through June, and by January 15 for July through December).
Wyoming Board of Outfitters and Professional Guides (read 2026-07-29)
Fish and game interplay
Wyoming is the clearest example in this batch of a state that historically regulated hunting guiding far more tightly than fishing guiding: the Board of Outfitters and Professional Guides system, with its exam and licensing structure, grew out of big-game outfitting. Commercial fishing guiding on Wyoming's rivers and reservoirs, such as the Snake River, Flaming Gorge Reservoir, and Boysen Reservoir, ran without a comparable state license until the Wyoming Game and Fish Department's commercially-guided fishing boat registration took effect January 1, 2026, requiring registered boats to display a sticker and guide-service operators to file biannual activity reports. Yellowstone Lake sits inside Yellowstone National Park and is governed separately by the National Park Service, not by this state system. A for-hire operator carrying paying passengers on any of these waters still needs the federal USCG credential, which is not affected by which state licensing track applies.
Wyoming Game and Fish Department, fishing outfitters and guides (read 2026-07-29)
State vs federal water boundary
Landlocked jurisdiction: no marine seaward boundary. The federal USCG credential still governs for-hire carriage on navigable waters, including reservoirs such as Flaming Gorge, Jackson Lake, and Boysen Reservoir.
Submerged Lands Act, 43 U.S.C. 1301 and 1312 (read 2026-07-29)
Wyoming charter FAQ
Do I need a Wyoming license to guide fishing trips, or just the federal captain's license?
Both. The federal USCG credential lets you carry passengers for hire, but since January 1, 2026 Wyoming also requires commercial fishing guide boats to be registered with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and display a sticker, with biannual activity reports. This is separate from, and lighter than, the Board of Outfitters license that hunting guides need.
Is Wyoming's fishing guide requirement the same as its hunting outfitter license?
No. Hunting outfitting and guiding has long required a Board of Outfitters and Professional Guides license. Commercial fishing guiding was not licensed the same way until the WGFD's boat registration and sticker requirement took effect in 2026, and the two systems are administered separately.