Hunting and Fishing Licenses Brevard County Tax Collector

The Tax Collector serves as an agent of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. In this capacity, the Tax Collector is responsible for the sale of a variety of hunting and fishing permits. It is the Tax Collector's duty to collect all monies from these sales and maintain the records associated with these transactions.

Hunting and fishing licenses may be obtained at the Tax Collector's Office or at various sport stores, bait and tackle shops and retail stores [sub-agents] as designated by the Tax Collector. [Click HERE for list of Brevard County sub-agents]

Definition of a Resident: A person is a resident if he or she has lived in Florida for six continuous months prior to applying for licenses and who has an intent to continue to reside in Florida and claim Florida as their primary residence.
Active military personnel stationed in Florida, including their spouses and dependent children residing in the household, are considered residents when purchasing licenses.

A person must show intent to maintain Florida as their primary residence: They must vote here, they must register vehicles here, they must have Florida driver's license or they must file homestead exemption. For example, people with a Michigan driver's license and Michigan tags who live in Florida for six months are not Florida residents for the purposes of purchasing hunting and fishing licenses.

A valid license is required by all citizens who intend to hunt or fish in Florida. Some exceptions to the law are:

Florida residents 65 years of age or older, who possess a Resident Senior Citizen Hunting and Fishing Certificate, or who have in their possession proof of age and residency.

Children under the age of 16 are not required to have a license however, they must carry proof of age identification.

Florida residents certified as totally and permanently disabled, who possess a Florida resident Disabled Person Hunting and Fishing Certificate.

To obtain a Disabled Person Hunting and Fishing Certificate, a resident must present certification of total and permanent disability:

by the U.S. Veteran's Administration
by any branch of the U.S. Armed Forces
by State of Florida Department of Veteran's and Community Affairs (100% Service Connected total and permanent Disabled Veteran Identification Card)
or
by documentation of CURRENT (within the last 12 months) eligibility for SSI or SSDI DISABILITY benefits from the Social Security Administration
Click here for Disabled Resident's Hunting & Fishing License Application

A Florida resident who is a member of the U.S. armed forces and is not stationed in Florida is exempt from the license requirements while home on leave for 30 days or less. Proof of orders must be on the person while hunting or fishing.

Hunting and Freshwater Fishing

Hunting and freshwater fishing in the state of Florida is regulated by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. This agency sets and enforces policies and initiates environmental conservation programs to protect Florida wildlife. In addition, this state office determines license fees which are set by the Florida Legislature.

Hunting licenses are annual permits valid for 12 months from the date of issuance.

Freshwater fishing licenses are valid for 12 months from the date of issuance. A Five-Year Freshwater Fishing License and a Lifetime Freshwater Fishing License are also available to Florida residents. (Only available at the Tax Collector's office.)

The "Cane Pole Law" allows a Florida resident to fish in the county of his/her residency without a license. The angler can use live or natural bait and poles or hand lines that are not equipped with a reel, for non commercial purposes only.

No fishing license is required to fish in a private man-made fishing pond, less than 20 acres.

Non-residents can apply for annual and short-term licenses for both hunting and fishing.

Saltwater Fishing

A saltwater fishing license is required by all anglers who fish in saltwater. This includes each person fishing from a pleasure craft, on a sandbar or any other land mass accessible by boat or by swimming through water deeper than four feet.

Underwater divers who take or attempt to take marine fish must also obtain a license.

You are a Florida resident fishing in saltwater from land or from a structure fixed to land.

You are fishing from a pier which has been issued a pier saltwater license.

You are a Florida resident and wade fishing in 4 feet of water or less when a boat is not used to reach the wading area.

Florida Resident Gold Sportsman's License

The Florida Gold Sportsman's license includes hunting, saltwater fishing and frishwater fishing licenses; and Type I Wildlife Management Area, archery, muzzleloading gun, turkey and Florida waterfowl, snook and crawfish permits.

Florida Resident Sportsman's License

The Florida Sportsman's License satisfies all state requirements for recreational hunting and freshwater fishing for Florida residents. The Florida Sportsman's License does not include permits for Resident Trapping License, Federal Waterfowl Stamps, Resident Commercial License , Resident Fish Dealers License or Florida Saltwater Fishing. This permit is valid for 12 months from the date of issuance.

Lifetime Sportsman's License

For the Florida resident who is an avid sportsman who wants the convenience of securing permits for all hunting and fishing activities offered in Florida, for a one time fee, a Lifetime Sportsman's License is available. This permit includes Hunting, Freshwater Fishing and Saltwater Fishing Licenses, Wildlife Management Area, Archery, Muzzleloading Gun, Turkey, Florida Waterfowl, Snook and Crawfish stamps. This unique license remains valid in Florida if the purchaser moves out of state.

Miscellaneous Licenses

What do ducks, geese, coots, common moorhens, rails, snipe, woodducks, mourning doves and white-winged doves have in common? They are all migratory game birds, and hunters must possess a free migratory bird permit before taking to the field to pursue them.

The permit is free and available now on the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's web site at www.floridaconservation.org Internet users can just visit the site, click on "permits" and scroll down to the bottom of the page. Permits also are available at county tax collectors' offices and their sub-agents throughout the state. To order the permit, applicants fill out a short, simple questionnaire when purchasing their hunting licenses.

"Offering migratory bird permits on our web site, reflects the emphasis we are placing on customer service," said Susan Weaver, head of the FWC's Bureau of Licensing and Permitting. "We try to make it as convenient as possible for hunters and anglers."

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service uses information from the questionnaire to determine how many migratory birds hunters harvest each season. The harvest information enables the federal agency to set hunting season dates and bag limits for each species.