Can Disabled Veterans Fish for Free in California in 2024?

In 2024, California offers reduced-fee and free sport fishing licenses to eligible disabled veterans. To qualify for a reduced-fee license, veterans must be honorably discharged from the U.S. Armed Forces with a service-connected disability rating of 50% or greater. The current fee for a reduced-fee disabled veteran sport fishing license is $8.38.

Eligibility Requirements for Reduced-Fee Disabled Veteran Licenses

To prequalify for a reduced-fee disabled veteran sport fishing license, veterans must submit the following documentation:

• Identification (driver’s license and GO ID number)
• A letter from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs documenting their eligibility
• Telephone number and email address (optional)
• Proof of hunter education for hunting licenses (not needed if purchased a California hunting license after 2011)

The documentation can be submitted by mail, in person at a California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) license sales office, by fax, or through a secure document upload.

Free Sport Fishing Licenses for Disabled Veterans

In addition to reduced-fee licenses, California also offers free sport fishing licenses to certain disabled veterans:

• Veterans who are legally blind with central vision acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with the aid of the best possible correcting glasses, or central vision acuity better than 20/200 if the widest diameter of the remaining visual field is no greater than 20 degrees. Certification of blindness by an optometrist or an ophthalmologist is required.
• Veterans who are so severely physically disabled as to be permanently unable to move from place to place without the aid of a wheelchair, walker, or prosthetic device. A physician’s verification is required.

Veterans who were issued a free sport fishing license through the Automated License Data System (ALDS) may renew their licenses at any CDFW license agent, CDFW license sales office, or online.

Reduced-Fee Licenses for Recovering Service Members

California also offers reduced-fee hunting licenses to recovering service members who are undergoing medical treatment, recuperation, or therapy and are in an outpatient status while recovering from a serious injury or illness related to their military service. The current fee for a reduced-fee recovering service member hunting license is $8.38.

To qualify, recovering service members must submit a letter from their commanding officer or a military medical doctor verifying their eligibility and the expected recovery date. The CDFW will enter the recovery date into the service member’s customer profile and allow them to renew their license until that date without submitting another letter.

Other Veteran Benefits in California

In addition to reduced-fee and free sport fishing licenses, California also offers other benefits to disabled veterans:

• Free hunting licenses for mobility-impaired veterans who use a motorized vehicle to hunt game. The licenses are available to resident and non-resident veterans for muzzleloader and archer hunters with severe disabilities that impair their ability to hunt normally.
• Free California State Park Passes for disabled veterans classified as 50% or more disabled who served during wartime. Prisoners of War and Congressional Medal of Honor Recipients are also eligible.

Veterans can apply for these benefits through the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the California Department of Parks and Recreation.