California Reduced-Fee Hunting and Fishing Licenses for Disabled Veterans

The Department of Fish and Wildlife sells reduced-fee licenses to any honorably discharged veteran of the United States armed forces with a service-connected disability rating of 50% or greater. A recovering service member qualifies on the same terms: a member of the armed forces, including the National Guard or a reserve component, in outpatient status while undergoing medical treatment, recuperation, or therapy for a serious injury or illness related to military service. The department's 2026 sport fishing items and fees schedule prints the reduced 365-day license at $10.54, against $64.54 for a resident license and $174.14 for a nonresident. The hunting license runs on a July 1 to June 30 license year, and the department's reduced-fee hunting page prints $9.79 for the year it covers. Both fees are reset for each license year, so read the current schedule instead of a figure copied from a summary. Tags, validations, and other entitlements are reduced by half for a reduced-fee license holder. Prequalify once with the department, then buy the discounted license each year online, at a department office, or from any license agent. A veteran sends a VA benefit summary letter documenting the honorable discharge and the 50% or greater rating. A recovering service member sends a letter from a commanding officer or a military medical doctor. Submit through the department's online license sales and services portal, by mail to a license sales office, by fax, or by secure document upload, which is requested at [email protected]. The department notifies the customer once the record is verified. Proof of hunter education is needed for a hunting license only, and the department already holds it for anyone who bought a California hunting license after 2011. A separate free license exists for a person who is visually, mobility, or developmentally impaired, on its own prequalification, and that one is not a veteran benefit.