CDFW License App

Step 1: Download and install the CDFW License App to your mobile device. Clicking on the App Store and Google Play icons above will take you directly to the CDFW License App to download from each web store.

Step 2: Launch the app on your mobile device if it doesn’t automatically launch after downloading.

Step 3: Create a mobile user account within the app. A mobile user account is different than the CDFW customer record you access via the CDFW Online License Sales and Services website. After installing the app, follow the steps below to create a mobile user account. Please note, an email address can only be associated with a single person's mobile user account. You cannot create multiple mobile user accounts for different people using the same email address.

1. Tap Create Account on the CDFW License App home screen.
2. Enter your email address.
3. Read the User Acknowlegment and if you agree, tap Acknowledge on the User Acknowledgement screen.
4. Tap Send Validation Code. The system will send a verification code to your email address.
5. Enter the validation code you received in the “Email Validation Code” field and create your password. Your password must be at least 8 characters with numbers, upper-case and lower-case letters, and special characters (i.e., ‘!’, ‘$’, ‘#’, ‘%’, etc.).
6. Tap Create. The system will require you to associate a primary CDFW customer record to your account.
7. Enter the date of birth and last name of the customer record you want to associate and tap Continue.
8. Select an Identification Type from the drop-down list and enter the identification number.
9. Tap Associate Customer Record.

Step 4: Add additional customer records to your mobile user account. Once you’ve created a mobile user account in the CDFW License App and associated a primary customer record to your account, you may add up to five additional customer records (for a total of six customer records per mobile user account). Follow the steps below to associate additional customer records to your mobile user account.

1. Tap Settings on the Welcome screen.
2. Tap Manage Customer Records.
3. Tap Associate Customer Record.
4. Enter the date of birth and last name of the customer record you want to associate and tap Continue.
5. Select an Identification Type from the drop-down list, enter the identification number, and tap Associate Customer Record.

Step 5: Display your sport fishing license and/or validation via the CDFW License App. After your CDFW customer record has been associated with your mobile user account, you can view and/or display your active sport fishing license and validation(s). Follow the steps below to view and/or display your sport fishing license via the app.

1. Tap My Menu on the Welcome screen.
2. Tap My Active Licenses under the Important Information menu.
3. Tap the license or validation from the list of licenses to view and/or display the item.

Step 6: Display sport fishing licenses and validations of other associated CDFW customer records via the CDFW License App. You can view and/or display sport fishing licenses and validations of associated CDFW customer records. Follow the steps below to switch between customer records to view and/or display their licenses and validations. If you need to associate a CDFW customer record to your mobile user account, please refer to Step 4 above.

1. On the Welcome screen, tap Switch Customer on the top right corner.
2. Tap the CDFW customer record you want to view and/or display licenses and validations for.
3. Verify that you are on the correct CDFW customer record, then tap My Menu on the Welcome screen.
4. Tap My Active Licenses under the Important Information menu, then tap the license or validation from the list of licenses to view the license or validation.
5. Repeat 1 through 4 to switch to and view licenses and validations for other CDFW customer records associated with your mobile user account.

The CDFW License App is a user-friendly application available for use on iOS and Android devices that allows residents and nonresidents to display sport fishing licenses and sport fishing validations, download and view various CDFW published regulation booklets including hunting and fishing regulations, and access various CDFW websites including the Fish Planting Schedule and Online License Sales and Services websites. CDFW is working to make hunting licenses and most hunting entitlements available for display via the app in mid-2024.

The CDFW License App is available for download via the Apple App Store for iOS devices and the Google Play Store for Android devices. Search for "CDFW License" in the appropriate store for your device.

The CDFW License App is available for use now. It became available for download and use for iOS and Android devices in February 2024. 

The licenses and validations below are available to be displayed electronically using the CDFW License App. A description of the items below and associated fees can be found on the Sport Fishing Licenses and Report Cards web page.

• 365-Day Sport Fishing Licenses (resident and nonresident)
• 1-Day Sport Fishing License
• 2-Day Sport Fishing License
• 10-Day Sport Fishing License
• Ocean Enhancement Validation
• Recreational Crab Trap Validation
• Second-Rod Validation

Proof of purchase for report cards can be viewed using the CDFW License App, but they are not valid entitlements and do not replace the physical report cards. Anglers must always have physical report cards in their immediate possession when engaging in activities authorized by the report cards.

CDFW is working to make hunting licenses and most hunting entitlements available for display via the app in mid-2024. The list above will be updated to include those items at that time.

CDFW is working to make hunting licenses and most hunting entitlements available for display via the app in mid-2024. Hunting tags will not be included in the app. Physical hunting tags will continue to be required for hunters in the field when hunting under the authority of any hunting tag. Proof of tag purchase will be viewable in the app, similar to sport fishing report card purchases.

The hunting licenses and entitlements below will be available to be displayed electronically when hunting licenses and validations are made available in the CDFW License App. A description of the items below and associated fees can be found on the Hunting Licenses and Tags page.

• Annual Hunting Licenses (resident and nonresident)
• 1-Day Nonresident Hunting License
• 2-Day Nonresident Hunting License
• Harvest Information Program (HIP) Validation
• California Duck Validation
• Upland Game Bird Validation
• Disabled Archer Permit
• Type A Wildlife Area Season Pass
  • (Note: 1-Day and 2-Day Type A Wildlife Area Passes are not eligible to be displayed electronically because they are not issued to a specific customer.)
• Type B Wildlife Area Season Pass
• Free Hunt Day Registrations
• Wild Pig Validation (available for purchase April 15, 2024, but will not be effective until July 1, 2024) - For more information, visit the Hunting Licenses and Tags web page.

As previously stated above, hunters must always have physical tags in their immediate possession when engaging in activities authorized by tags.

Following the release of hunting licenses and hunting entitlements, CDFW will assess the feasibility of making additional license items available via the app on an ongoing basis.

No. You are not required to carry your physical sport fishing license if you are using the CDFW License App and your mobile device is capable of displaying your sport fishing license through the app. However, if you do not possess your physical license and are not able to display your license via the app for any reason (e.g., dead device battery, broken/malfunctioning screen, etc.) while engaged in activities requiring the license, you will be in violation of Fish and Game Code Sections 1054.2 and 7145(a). If you are engaged in sport fishing activities requiring a report card, the appropriate physical report card must be in your immediate possession.

To use the CDFW License App, you must create a mobile user account within the app. A mobile user account is different than the customer record you access via the CDFW Online License Sales and Services website. After installing the app, follow the steps below to create a mobile user account. Please note, an email address can only be associated with a single person’s mobile user account. You cannot create multiple mobile user accounts for different people using the same email address.

1. Tap Create Account on the CDFW License App home screen.
2. Enter your email address.
3. Read the User Acknowledgement and if you agree, tap Acknowledge on the User Acknowledgement screen.
4. Tap Send Validation Code. The system will send a verification code to your email address.
5. Enter the validation code you received in the “Email Validation Code” field and create your password. Your password must be at least 8 characters with numbers, upper-case and lower-case letters, and special characters (i.e., ‘!’, ‘$’, ‘#’, ‘%’, etc.).
6. Tap Create. The system will require you to associate a primary CDFW customer record to your account.
7. Enter the date of birth and last name of the customer record you want to associate and tap Continue.
8. Select an Identification Type from the drop-down list and enter the identification number.
9. Tap Associate Customer Record.

No. You are not required to use the same email address currently associated with your CDFW customer record. However, you must use an email address that has not already been used to create a mobile user account for another user. Each mobile user account must use a unique email address.

Yes. Once you’ve created a mobile user account in the CDFW License App and associated a primary customer record to your account, you may add up to five additional customer records (for a total of six customer records per mobile user account). Follow the steps below to associate additional customer records to your mobile user account.

1. Tap Settings on the Welcome screen.
2. Tap Manage Customer Records.
3. Tap Associate Customer Record.
4. Enter the date of birth and last name of the customer record you want to associate and tap Continue.
5. Select an Identification Type from the drop-down list, enter the identification number, and tap Associate Customer Record.

Yes. You may remove your family’s sport fishing licenses from your mobile user account by following the steps below.

1. Tap Settings on the Welcome screen.
2. Tap Manage Customer Records.
3. Tap the customer record you want to remove.
4. On the Customer Record Details screen, tap Remove Customer Record.
5. On the confirmation popup screen, tap Remove Customer Record to confirm your action.

You can switch between customer records to view their individual licenses. Please follow the steps below while you are in the app to switch between customer records.

1. On the Welcome screen, tap Switch Customer on the top-right corner.
2. Tap the customer record you want to view.

Yes. However, if your friend is using their mobile device to display your sport fishing license via the CDFW License App while you are fishing together, you must be with your friend when engaged in carrying out any activity authorized by the license.

Fish and Game Code Section 7145(a) requires every person 16 years of age or older who takes any fish, reptile, or amphibian for any purpose other than profit to first obtain a valid license for that purpose and must have that license on their person or in their immediate possession or where otherwise specifically required by law or regulation to be kept when engaged in carrying out any activity authorized by the license.

No. However, you can access the CDFW Online License Sales and Services website from within the CDFW License App to purchase licenses and enroll in auto-renewal for sport fishing licenses and entitlements. Follow the steps below to navigate to the CDFW Online License Sales and Services website from within the CDFW License App.

1. Tap My Menu on the Welcome screen.
2. Tap Purchase Licenses at the bottom of the screen. This will take you to the the CDFW Online License Sales and Services website and automatically log you in to the customer record associated with the mobile user account. A list of items available for purchase will be displayed. You may go back to the CDFW License App at any time by tapping Back to App located in the upper left corner of the page.
3. To sign up for auto-renewal, tap the menu icon located in the upper left corner of the screen, scroll down and tap Auto Renewal from the menu, and follow the prompts. For more information about enrolling in auto-renewal, see the Auto-Renewal FAQ.

No. Pictures or screenshots of licenses are not valid. Pursuant to California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Section 700.4(f), licenses displayed electronically must be displayed through the CDFW License App. However, the CDFW License App stores licenses within the app for display when there is no internet connectivity via cellular service or wi-fi.

Before leaving for your fishing destination, we recommended the following:

• Ensure your CDFW customer record is associated to the CDFW License App mobile user account on your mobile device.
• While connected to the internet and viewing the Welcome screen, tap Click here to refresh located in the upper right corner of the screen. This ensures your current licenses and validations are saved within the app and are available for offline use.
• Ensure your phone has enough battery life to last for the duration of your fishing trip and consider packing an auxiliary battery and/or charging cable so you can charge your mobile device if the battery starts running low.
• Carry your original, physical sport fishing license with you as a backup until you are comfortable navigating the potential challenges of adopting mobile license display. Please note, Fish and Game Code Section 1054.2 requires every person engaging in taking any fish, amphibian, or reptile to have in their immediate possession any license, tag, stamp, or permit that is required to take fish, amphibian, or reptile.

If multiple CDFW customer records are associated with your mobile user account, please verify that all sport fishing items capable of being displayed within the app have been retrieved for all customer records. If a sport fishing item capable of being displayed within the app is not visible for a customer record, you must refresh the app for that customer record. Follow the steps below to refresh the app for a customer record.

1. On the Welcome screen, tap Switch Customer on the top-right corner.
2. Tap the customer record you want to view.
3. Tap Click here to refresh located in the upper right corner of the screen.
4. Repeat steps 1 to 3 for each customer record.

If a sport fishing license or sport fishing validation you recently purchased is not available for display within the app, refreshing the CDFW License App while connected to the internet via cellular service or wi-fi should resolve the issue. Refreshing the app results in the app’s mobile user account should automatically retrieve and download all sport fishing items capable of being displayed within the app from the associated customer record.

To refresh the app, tap Click here to refresh located in the upper right corner of the screen while connected to the internet via cellular service or wi-fi. If after refreshing the app and your sport fishing license or sport fishing validation is still not available for display within the app, please call CDFW at (916) 928-2537 (M - F, 8:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.) for assistance.

It is always strongly recommended you carry proper identification with you at all times to identify yourself when needed or required by law (e.g., becoming incapacitated/unconscious during an accident or other medical emergency, operating a vehicle on public roads, etc.).

Yes. While connected to the internet via cellular service or wi-fi, you may download and view various CDFW published regulation booklets, including hunting and sport fishing regulations, from within the app. Once a regulation booklet is downloaded to the app, it will be available for offline use. Below are CDFW published regulation booklets available for downloading and viewing from within the CDFW License App.

• Saltwater (Ocean) Sport Fishing Regulations
• Freshwater Sport Fishing Regulations
• Supplemental Sport Fishing Regulations
• Commercial Fishing Regulations Digest
• Mammal Hunting Regulations
• Big Game Hunting Digest (contains hunt seasons, tag quotas and drawing information for big game species)
• Bird Hunting and Land Use Regulations

To download and view a regulation booklet from the CDFW License App, please follow the steps below.

1. Tap Regulations from the side menu.
2. From the regulation item list, tap the regulation booklet you want to download and view.
3. Tap Download to download the regulation booklet.
4. Tap View from Download to view the downloaded regulation booklet.
5. To delete the downloaded regulation booklet, tap Clear Existing Document. (It is recommended that you delete and re-download regulation booklets periodically to ensure you have the most recent versions saved on your mobile device.)

Yes. You can access the Fish Planting Schedule website from within the CDFW License App to check CDFW fish stocking activities. Follow the steps below to navigate to and access the Fish Planting Schedule website from within the CDFW License App.

1. Tap Useful Links from the side menu.
2. Find Planting Schedule, then tap View Online.

Yes. You can use the CDFW License App to search for and find a license agent anywhere in California. Follow the steps below to find a license agent from within the CDFW License App.

1. Tap Find License Agent from the side menu.
2. Search for license agents by entering a city or zip code into the “Search for Agents” field. Alternatively, you may also search for a license agent in a location by navigating to the location of interest on the map and then tap Search this Area.
3. If there are multiple results, you will see multiple pins on the map. Tap List at the bottom of the screen to view the agent list.
4. Find a license agent on the list and tap Call to call the license agent or tap Directions to get directions to the license agent.