New Mexico · Fishing license · Age
What age do you need a fishing license in New Mexico?
From 12 until you turn 70, if you live in New Mexico.
The ages that matter
Under 12
No license needed
Children can fish without one. Everything else still applies though — limits, sizes and seasons do not change with age.
12 to 69
License required
Carry it with you while fishing.
70 and up
Exempt, residents only
Visitors 70 and over still need one — the exemption is for New Mexico residents.
How NMDOW words it
NMDOW: "While fishing in New Mexico, anglers 12 years and older must possess a valid New Mexico Fishing License or Game-Hunting and Fishing License." Residents of 70 and over hold a free licence that needs no stamp or validation.
Quoted rather than paraphrased. With rules that carry a fine, the exact wording is the point.
Optional licenses for children
- Junior annual fishing (12 to 17) — $5.
- Junior annual fishing (12 to 17) — $20.
Other ways to be exempt
Age is one route. NMDOW lists these as well.
- Anglers 11 years old and younger, resident or not
- New Mexico residents of 70 and over, who hold a free licence without stamp or validation
- Fishing on tribal reservations, where a New Mexico licence is not the one that counts
- Foster parents, children in their custody and young people in state or tribal care, who receive a free annual licence at NMDOW offices
