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Original data study
What does a state charter license cost in every U.S. jurisdiction?
How this was collected
A U.S. Coast Guard captain's license lets you carry passengers for hire, but almost every coastal and inland state charges its own charter or fishing-guide license on top of it, and nobody publishes those 51 prices in one place. So we built the list ourselves. For each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia we opened that jurisdiction's own fish and wildlife, marine resources, or outfitter-board page, read the charter or guide license fee as the agency states it, and recorded the fee text verbatim with the agency name, the page it came from, and the date we read it. Nothing here is copied from another site's compiled table, and no fee is estimated: a jurisdiction whose agency does not publish the figure is listed as not published rather than filled in with a guess.
Fee notes read from agency sources between and . Fees change without notice; confirm the current amount with the linked agency before you pay it.
What the data shows
Jurisdictions mapped
51
Cost nothing at the state layer
10
Publish one flat rate
10
Lowest flat rate
$10
Median flat rate
$137.50
Highest flat rate
$487.50
Across the 10 jurisdictions that publish a single rate charged to everyone, the state charter or guide license runs from $10 in West Virginia to $487.50 in California, a median of $137.50 and a mean of $182.75. That is the narrow, comparable slice. The wider finding is that the state layer is not one market at all: 10 jurisdictions charge nothing for it, 18 charge nonresidents more than residents, 7 price by passenger capacity or by role, and 6 do not publish the figure on a page we could read.
How the 51 jurisdictions break down
- 10 One flat rate
- 18 Resident and nonresident rates
- 7 Tiered by capacity or role
- 7 No state license
- 3 No fee charged
- 6 Fee not published
Every jurisdiction, with its published fee note
The fee column is the state's own published fee text, not a rounded summary. Only the rows marked "One flat rate" feed the computed figures above.
| Jurisdiction | State charter or guide license | Published fee | Fee structure | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Commercial Party Boat License Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR), Marine Resources Division | $200 (up to 6 passengers), $300 (7 to 25 passengers), $500 (more than 25 passengers); confirm the current amount before relying on it | Tiered by capacity or role | Outdoor Alabama, Saltwater Commercial Party Boat License |
| Alaska | ADF&G Sport Fishing Business, Guide, and Vessel Registration Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) | No fee; all three registrations are free | No fee charged | ADF&G Sport Fishing Guides and Charters |
| Arizona | Arizona Guide License (hunting, fishing, or combination) Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) | $300 $300 guide license fee; confirm the current amount before relying on it. | One flat rate | Arizona Game and Fish Department, guide license application |
| Arkansas | Resident Guide License (Fishing), AGFC product GLF Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) | Fee not published on the fetchable AGFC licensing-portal product page; confirm the current amount on AGFC's licensing portal (agfc.com/resources/licensing/) before relying on it | Fee not published | AGFC licensing portal, Resident Guide License (Fishing) |
| California | Commercial Passenger Fishing Vessel (CPFV) License California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) | $487.50 $487.50 per year (CDFW commercial license fee schedule; confirm the current amount before relying on it) | One flat rate | CDFW Commercial Fishing Fees and Descriptions |
| Colorado | Colorado River Outfitter's License (river-running only, not reservoirs) Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) | Nonrefundable license fee set by the CPW Commission fee schedule to cover inspection, licensing, and enforcement costs; the exact current amount is not published in statute, confirm with CPW. | Fee not published | C.R.S. 33-32-104, license required |
| Connecticut | Party/Charter Vessel Registration Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) | $315 $315 per vessel (per the current DEEP fishing vessel permit application) | One flat rate | CT DEEP Fishing Vessel Permit Application (Party/Charter Vessel Registration) |
| Delaware | Charter Boat License / Head Boat License Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife (DNREC) | Charter Boat License: $150 resident / $300 nonresident; Head Boat License: $300 resident / $600 nonresident; confirm the current amount before relying on it | Resident and nonresident rates | Delaware DNREC, Fish and Wildlife License Fees |
| District of Columbia | No state charter or guide license DC Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE), Fisheries and Wildlife Division | No DC charter-specific fee exists; a standard DC recreational fishing license fee applies to non-commercial anglers | No state license | DC Code Sections 8-2231.01 and 8-2231.02 |
| Florida | FWC Charter Captain / Charter Boat License Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) | FWC charter license fee; confirm the current amount on the FWC fee schedule before relying on it. | Fee not published | FWC saltwater products / charter licenses |
| Georgia | Salt Water Fishing Guide License Georgia Department of Natural Resources | $25 resident / $50 nonresident for the guide license; the companion Salt Water Charter Fishing License for customers runs about $150 to $400 depending on vessel capacity and residency; confirm current amounts before relying on them | Resident and nonresident rates | O.C.G.A. Section 27-2-23.2, Salt Water Fishing Guide License |
| Hawaii | Commercial Marine License (CML) Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Aquatic Resources (DLNR-DAR) | $100 annual (resident) / $250 annual (nonresident); $10 for a duplicate license | Resident and nonresident rates | DLNR-DAR Commercial Fishing |
| Idaho | Idaho Outfitter License (business) and Guide License (individual), with activity-specific endorsements including Power Boating and Unclassified Water for lakes Idaho Outfitters and Guides Licensing Board (IOGLB), Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses | Outfitter license $400 per year (online), Designated Agent $140 per year, Guide license $105 per year (online); confirm the current schedule before relying on it. | Tiered by capacity or role | Idaho Outfitters and Guides Licensing Board |
| Illinois | Passenger Boat License Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) | $50 $50 per boat, annual | One flat rate | Illinois DNR, Passenger & Rental Boat License |
| Indiana | Fishing Guide License (unified for Lake Michigan and inland; separate monthly catch reports by water) Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Division of Fish & Wildlife | $125 $125, annual; a separate Passenger-for-Hire Watercraft permit runs $50 to $138 depending on vessel specifics | One flat rate | Indiana DNR, Permits & Commercial Licenses |
| Iowa | None. A guide operates on the standard Iowa resident or nonresident fishing license, same as any angler. Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) | Not applicable; there is no guide license fee. Standard Iowa resident and nonresident fishing license fees apply per person. | No state license | Iowa Code Chapter 483A, Fishing and Hunting Licenses, Contraband, and Guns |
| Kansas | No state charter or guide license Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) | No guide-specific fee exists; standard KDWP resident/nonresident fishing license fees apply to the guide personally | No state license | KDWP fishing and licenses-permits-fees pages |
| Kentucky | Commercial Guide License Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) | $150 resident / $400 nonresident | Resident and nonresident rates | 301 KAR 2:030, Commercial Guide License; KRS 150.175(11) |
| Louisiana | Saltwater Charter Boat Fishing Guide License Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) | $300 resident / $2,000 nonresident (up to 6 passengers); $700 resident / $2,500 nonresident (more than 6 passengers); confirm current amounts | Resident and nonresident rates | LDWF For-Hire/Charter Fishing Licenses and Permits |
| Maine | For-Hire Charter Boat Operator's License Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) | No state license fee; only a small agent fee applies ($2 through an agent, $1 online or at a department office) | No fee charged | Maine Revised Statutes, Title 12 section 6313, For-hire charter boat operator's license |
| Maryland | Master Fishing Guide License Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) | $100 resident / $200 nonresident base guide fee, plus $100 per vessel; confirm the current amount before relying on it | Resident and nonresident rates | Maryland Natural Resources Article, Section 4-701 |
| Massachusetts | DMF Saltwater For-Hire Fishing Permit (charter or head boat) Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) | Fee not published in DMF's public permit summary; confirm the current amount when applying | Fee not published | Mass.gov, Buy a Saltwater For-Hire Fishing Permit; DMF For-Hire Permitting and Reporting Summary |
| Michigan | Sport Trolling License (lake trout only) plus mandatory FACTS catch reporting Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Fisheries Division | Sport Trolling License: $16.00 resident, $80.00 nonresident, annual. FACTS reporting has no fee. The separate Inland Sportfishing Guide License ($150 resident/$300 nonresident, 3-year term, fee waived for USCG captain's license holders) applies only to inland-water trips, not Great Lakes charters. | Resident and nonresident rates | Michigan DNR, Charter boat operators |
| Minnesota | Lake Superior Guide's License Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), License Center | $125 resident, $400 nonresident | Resident and nonresident rates | Minnesota DNR, Information on Charter Boat/Fishing Guide Licensing in Minnesota |
| Mississippi | Charter Guide License Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (DMR) | $200 resident; nonresident tiers vary by home state and passenger count, from $200 up to $2,500; confirm the current schedule before relying on it | Tiered by capacity or role | Mississippi DMR Licensing |
| Missouri | No state charter or guide license Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) | No guide-specific fee exists; standard MDC resident/nonresident fishing permit fees apply to the guide personally | No state license | MDC fishing and fishing-regulations pages |
| Montana | Montana Outfitter License (business) and Guide License (individual), with a watercraft endorsement for boat-based guiding Montana Board of Outfitters, Montana Department of Labor and Industry | Outfitter license: $1,800 nonrefundable application fee, $150 annual renewal. Individual guide license fees are set separately by the board; confirm the current amount before relying on it. | Tiered by capacity or role | Montana Board of Outfitters, license information |
| Nebraska | Voluntary Hunting and Fishing Guide and Outfitter Database (Neb. Rev. Stat. ยง 37-356) Nebraska Game and Parks Commission | The commission may set a registration fee "in a reasonable amount... necessary to cover the costs of administering the database"; the statute does not fix a dollar figure, and this is a database placement fee, not a license fee. | No state license | Nebraska Revised Statute 37-356, Hunting and fishing guide and outfitter database |
| Nevada | Nevada Master Guide License Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) | Resident $750, nonresident $1,500, plus a $1,500 nonrefundable application processing fee for anyone not licensed the prior year; liability insurance of $100,000 per person and $300,000 per occurrence is required. | Resident and nonresident rates | NDOW Master Guide license instructions and law |
| New Hampshire | Party/Charter Boat License New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, Marine Division | Fee not published on the state's public licensing pages; confirm the current amount with the Marine Division before applying | Fee not published | NH Fish and Game, NH Licensed Charter and Party Boats |
| New Jersey | NJ Saltwater Recreational Registry Program (for-hire blanket registration) New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Fish and Wildlife | Free (the registry replaced the $15 federal saltwater angler registration fee for NJ anglers in 2011) | No fee charged | NJDEP Fish & Wildlife, NJ Saltwater Recreational Registry Program |
| New Mexico | New Mexico Fishing Guide registration ($50 resident / $100 nonresident) or Outfitter registration ($500 resident or nonresident) New Mexico Department of Game and Fish (NMDGF) | $50 resident / $100 nonresident guide fee; $500 flat outfitter fee (resident or nonresident), per N.M. Admin. Code 19.30.8.11 | Resident and nonresident rates | N.M. Admin. Code 19.30.8.11, Guide and Outfitter Registration |
| New York | Marine District Party and Charter Boat License New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), Division of Marine Resources | $250 $250 per license, no resident/non-resident distinction | One flat rate | NYSDEC, Marine District Party and Charter Boat License |
| North Carolina | Blanket For-Hire Vessel/Captain's Coastal Recreational Fishing License (CRFL) North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries (NC DEQ) | Blanket Vessel or Captain's CRFL: $250 resident / $437.50 nonresident scaled by passenger count over 6; Non-Blanket Vessel License: $25 to $37.50; confirm the current amount before relying on it | Resident and nonresident rates | NC DEQ Division of Marine Fisheries, For-Hire Fishing Licenses |
| North Dakota | Fishing Outfitter License North Dakota Game and Fish Department (NDGF) | $250 per year for a resident, $500 for a nonresident; reduced to $125 (resident) or $250 (nonresident) if the same individual also holds a hunting guide or outfitter license for the same year | Resident and nonresident rates | North Dakota Century Code 20.1-03-36.1, Fee for guide or outfitter license |
| Ohio | Lake Erie Fishing Guide License Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), Division of Wildlife | $50 $50 per person, annual | One flat rate | ODNR Division of Wildlife, Lake Erie Fishing Guide License Application |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma Fishing Guide License Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) | $90 $90 resident and nonresident; $20 reduced fee for applicants holding a USCG Merchant Mariner credential | One flat rate | ODWC license fees, Fishing Guide License |
| Oregon | Outfitter and Guide Registration Oregon State Marine Board (OSMB) | $150 $150 per year (residents and nonresidents; nonresidents pay a reciprocal rate if their home state charges Oregon residents more) | One flat rate | ORS 704.020, Outfitter and Guide registration |
| Pennsylvania | Charter Boat/Fishing Guide Permit Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission | $101.97 resident (including $1.97 in agent/transaction fees over the $100 statutory fee), $401.97 nonresident (over the $400 statutory fee) | Resident and nonresident rates | Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, Apply to Become a Charter Boat Operator or Fishing Guide |
| Rhode Island | RI Party and Charter Vessel License Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM), Office of Boat Registration and Licensing | $100 per year for a Rhode Island resident, $300 per year for a non-resident | Resident and nonresident rates | RI DEM, Party and Charter Vessel License notice |
| South Carolina | Annual Charter Vessel License South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) | 6 or fewer passengers: $275 resident / $550 nonresident; 7 to 49 passengers: $450 / $900; 50 or more passengers: $650 / $1,300; confirm the current amount before relying on it | Tiered by capacity or role | South Carolina Code of Laws, Section 50-9-540 |
| South Dakota | None currently exists. Legislation to create one (HB 1215 in 2025; SB 16 and HB 1122 in 2026) has been introduced and withdrawn or rejected each time. South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks (GFP) | Not applicable. HB 1122 (2026, rejected) had proposed a nonresident guide license fee around $1,000 per year, but that bill did not pass and no such fee is currently in effect. | No state license | South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks FAQ, "Does GFP license guides?" |
| Tennessee | TWRA Guide License Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) | $150 resident / $650 nonresident | Resident and nonresident rates | TWRA license structure, Guide License |
| Texas | All-Water Fishing Guide License Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) | $210 resident / $1,050 nonresident, annual; confirm the current amount before relying on it | Resident and nonresident rates | TPWD Fishing Licenses, Stamps & Tags |
| Utah | Utah DWR guide, outfitter, or spotter registration certificate Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) and DNR Law Enforcement (previously the Division of Professional Licensing) | Resident guide $175 to $250, resident outfitter $350 to $500, nonresident guide $500 to $750, nonresident outfitter $1,000 to $1,500; confirm the current fee tier before relying on it. | Tiered by capacity or role | Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, guides and outfitters |
| Vermont | None. A guide operates on the standard Vermont resident or nonresident fishing license, same as any angler. Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department | Not applicable; there is no guide license fee. Standard Vermont resident ($28) and nonresident ($54) annual fishing license fees apply per person (10 V.S.A. section 4255). | No state license | Vermont Statutes Title 10, section 4255, License fees |
| Virginia | Charterboat/Headboat Recreational Fishing License (tiered by passenger capacity), plus a Commission-authorized fishing guide license Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) | Vessel license: $150 base for 6 or fewer passengers, plus $4 per additional passenger of certificated capacity; guide license capped at $100 if VMRC has established it; confirm current amounts and whether the guide license is active before relying on them | Tiered by capacity or role | Code of Virginia, Section 28.2-302.8 |
| Washington | Charter Boat License (Salmon Charter or Non-Salmon Charter) Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) | Salmon Charter: $460 resident / $845 nonresident, plus a $100 enhancement surcharge and $35 rockfish research surcharge; Non-Salmon Charter: $375 resident / $760 nonresident, plus a $35 rockfish research surcharge; application fee $70 to $105 | Resident and nonresident rates | RCW 77.65.150, Charter boat license |
| West Virginia | General Outfitter and Guide License (also called Outfitter & Guide, or "O&G", license) West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR), Law Enforcement Section | $10 $10 annual license fee, plus a $1,000 surety bond, liability insurance, and a West Virginia business license as prerequisites (the surety bond and insurance are the real cost, not the license fee itself) | One flat rate | WVDNR, General Outfitter and Guide License |
| Wisconsin | Guide License, plus Outlying Water Sport Trolling License for trout/salmon trolling on Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, or Green Bay Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) | Guide License: $40 resident, $100 nonresident. Sport Trolling License (trout/salmon on outlying waters only): $100 resident, $400 nonresident, on top of the guide license. | Resident and nonresident rates | Wisconsin DNR, Fish related licenses and permits |
| Wyoming | Wyoming Board of Outfitters and Professional Guides license (hunting/general outfitting) and, since January 1, 2026, WGFD commercially-guided fishing boat registration (fishing guiding) Wyoming Board of Outfitters and Professional Guides; Wyoming Game and Fish Department for the 2026 fishing boat registration | Outfitter renewal fee $600 (Board of Outfitters rules, Chapter 2 Section 8). The 2026 WGFD fishing boat registration is a sticker/registration program with reporting duties; confirm its current fee, if any, before relying on it. | Fee not published | Wyoming Board of Outfitters and Professional Guides |
Limitations
- Only the jurisdictions that publish one flat rate charged to everyone feed the computed lowest, median, mean, and highest figures. States that charge residents and nonresidents different amounts, states that tier by passenger capacity or by role, and states whose fee is not published are shown in the table with their full fee note but are deliberately left out of that arithmetic, because reducing a resident and nonresident pair to one number would misstate what an applicant actually pays.
- The counts of jurisdictions that charge nothing include two different situations, split out in the breakdown above: states that require no charter or guide license at all, and states that require a registration but charge no fee for it. In both cases an ordinary personal fishing license may still be required, and that cost is not counted here.
- This page covers the state charter or guide license only. The federal captain's license, the TWIC, the medical exam, and any NOAA fishery permit are separate costs, and per-vessel, per-boat, insurance, bond, and reporting requirements sit outside these figures even when the same agency imposes them. Several of the cheapest license fees here sit behind the most expensive prerequisites, West Virginia's ten dollar license and its one thousand dollar surety bond being the clearest case.
- Fee schedules change, sometimes mid-year, and several agencies front bot filters that block automated re-reading. Each row carries the date it was last read from its source so you can judge how current it is; confirm the amount with the linked agency before you pay it.
Read the methodology behind this data, browse the state charter-license map for the full license stack in one state, or see what the federal credential itself costs in the all-in cost guide.