Outdoor licenses · Reviewed 2026-07-22

Utah hunting and fishing licenses: choose the full rule set

Choose the Utah license, separate species permit, current guidebook, unit or water, equipment rule, land manager, and day-of update.

A Utah fishing license authorizes fishing under the current rules. A basic hunting license covers small game and allows applications for separate species permits. A combination license includes the basic hunting privileges and fishing; these licenses are valid for 365 days from purchase.

DWR lists separate permits for bear, bighorn sheep, bison, bobcat, cougar, deer, elk, moose, pronghorn, Rocky Mountain goat, sage-grouse, sandhill crane, sharp-tailed grouse, swan, and turkey. The species guidebook says whether a permit uses a drawing or another sales path.

A person age 12 or older needs a fishing license for regulated fishing. A person under 12 may fish without one and take a full daily and possession limit; Free Fishing Day removes the license requirement, but all other fishing laws still apply.

Guide details

Choose the person and activity class first

Record resident status, age, activity, species, date, and whether the person already holds a license. Hunting also starts with basic hunter education or enrollment in Utah's Trial Hunting Program before obtaining the hunting license.

For fishing, age 12 is the ordinary license threshold. Youth and free-day exceptions change the license requirement, not the daily limit, possession, method, special-water, or access rules.

Separate a hunting license from a species permit

A basic hunting or combination license is not the deer, elk, bear, turkey, swan, or other listed species permit. Open the species guidebook and permit-drawing page to see whether the permit is drawn, remaining, or sold another way.

Example: a deer hunter needs hunter education or the trial program, a basic hunting or combination license, the correct deer permit, and the current guidebook for unit, dates, weapon, field rules, and harvest reporting.

Use the latest online guidebook, including corrections

DWR publishes separate guidebooks for fishing and hunting groups. The online guidebook page shows publication date, version, and corrections made after printing, so a saved PDF or paper copy can be incomplete.

For the exact trip, record the unit or water, species, season or date, daily and possession limit, legal method, equipment, closures, and reporting requirement. Special-water and species rules override a general summary.

Finish with land access and day-of conditions

Use the public-land manager guide to identify an NPS unit, BLM site and field office, national forest and district, or Utah State Park. Open that exact manager's access, permit, vehicle, weapon, fire, camping, pet, and closure information.

If the location is outside those four reviewed systems, identify the exact manager or owner from a direct official record before relying on an access rule. Recheck the DWR guidebook and the controlling access page before leaving.

Official doorways

Continue with the controlling source

Start with the stable license class, then use live DWR and land-manager systems for the species, date, unit, water, method, fee, and access decision.

License Choose license or permit Separate fishing, basic hunting, combination, and the listed species permits before buying. Compare license types Rules Live check Open the current guidebook Use the latest online version and corrections for seasons, limits, units, waters, methods, and reporting. Open guidebooks Hunt Live check Plan the hunting sequence Check education, license, species permit, drawing, unit, field rules, and harvest reporting. Open hunting Cost Live check Check current DWR fees Confirm the live resident, nonresident, youth, license, application, and permit amounts before purchase. Check fees

First moves

1
Write down the person's age and residency, the activity and species, the exact date, and the named unit, water, or property.
2
Choose fishing, basic hunting, or combination license; for hunting, confirm education or Trial Hunting Program status.
3
Open the current species guidebook and corrections, then resolve the permit, drawing, season, unit, method, equipment, limit, and reporting rows.
4
Identify the controlling land manager and recheck access, closures, fire restrictions, and any local or federal permit before departure.

Watch for

A basic hunting license is not the separate permit required for listed species.
A printed guidebook can miss an online correction or late change.
Free Fishing Day and the under-12 rule do not suspend other fishing laws.
A state license does not establish access or override the exact manager or owner.

Where to confirm this

Differences between licenses and permits
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

Three license types, 365-day validity, separate species permits, and drawing versus sales paths.

Checked 2026-07-22
Hunting in Utah
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

Hunter education or Trial Hunting Program, license, permit, planner, guidebook, and reporting sequence.

Checked 2026-07-22
Current wildlife guidebooks
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

Current versions, corrections, seasons, units, methods, limits, and field rules by activity.

Checked 2026-07-22
Fishing license rule R657-13
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

Age-12 license threshold, under-12 rule, Free Fishing Day, and interstate-water baseline.

Checked 2026-07-22
Utah wildlife license fees
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

Live fee doorway; amounts are not copied into this guide.

Checked 2026-07-22
Utah State Parks directory
Utah State Parks

Exact state park doorway for access, alerts, fees, camping, and park-specific rules.

Checked 2026-07-22

The current DWR guidebook, correction, license record, permit, unit or water rule, and controlling land manager decide the trip. This page does not issue or guarantee a license or permit.