Buying a license
How much is a fishing license at Walmart?
Whatever your state charges — Walmart sets no price of its own.
Walmart is a licence agent, not a seller with its own pricing. It hands over the state's licence at the state's price, plus whatever agent or transaction fee that state adds. So the real question is which state you're fishing in. Among the states below, a resident year runs $14 to $27.97.
What you'll actually pay, by state
| State | Resident, year | Visitor, year |
|---|---|---|
| Florida FWC | $17 | $47 |
| Michigan DNR | $26 | $76 |
| Missouri MDC | $14 | $57 |
| Ohio ODNR | $25 | $76.96 |
| Pennsylvania PFBC | $27.97 | $60.97 |
More states as we write them up. Each figure was read from that state's own agency — the date and the source sit on the state's page.
Three things worth knowing before you go
It isn't cheaper there
Licence prices are set in state law, so no shop can undercut another. What differs is the agent fee. Some states charge less when you buy from their own website, and a few add a bigger surcharge for phone orders than for either.
Not every store sells them
Only stores registered as licence agents for that state, and usually only at the sporting goods counter while it is staffed. That counter often closes earlier than the store. Worth a call before a 6 a.m. start.
A store sells its own state's licence
A Walmart in one state cannot sell you the neighbouring state's licence. If you are driving to fish across a state line, buy that state's licence online before you leave.
Buying direct instead
Every state here runs its own sales site, and buying there is usually the same price or less. The licence is emailed or shown in the state's app, which is accepted as proof in each of these states.
- Florida: Go Outdoors Florida
- Michigan: Michigan DNR eLicense
- Missouri: MDC online sales
- Ohio: Ohio's Wildlife Licensing System
- Pennsylvania: HuntFish.PA.gov
These go straight to the state. We sell no licences and earn nothing from these links.