Are My California Licenses Still Valid if I Move Out of State?

January 3, 2019

Question: I’m moving to Nevada but I have been hunting and fishing in California my whole life. I already bought both a fishing and hunting license for this year. When I move and become a formal Nevada resident, will I be able to use my licenses to fish and hunt here still or do I have to upgrade to a non-resident license? As you can imagine, I would rather save the money. (Jim)

Answer: We wish you well on your move. There are some wonderful, dedicated people at the Nevada Department of Wildlife on both the science and law enforcement sides. We work with them regularly. Thanks to their effort, and those of conservation-minded hunters and anglers, you will have some excellent fishing and hunting opportunities there too. Let’s start by answering your question in the immediate term.

California Fish and Game Code (FGC), section 70, defines a “resident” as any person who has resided continuously in the State of California for six months or more immediately prior to the date of his application for a license or permit, any person on active military duty with the Armed Forces of the United States or auxiliary branch thereof, or any person enrolled in the Job Corps established pursuant to the United States Code Title 29, section 2883.

So if you purchase a hunting or fishing license as a resident of California, it is valid until it expires, whenever you return to California, no matter where you move and establish residency. Let us plant an idea for you to consider (and answer your question from a long-term perspective): If you think you will return to California to hunt and fish often over the years to come, you may want to consider purchasing a lifetime license. If you purchase a lifetime license while you are still living here as a resident, California will honor your license and whatever additional privileges you purchased for the rest of your life. A good example would be when a grandparent purchases a lifetime hunting or fishing license for a grandchild, before the grandchild moves out of state due to a parent’s job transfer. Ownership of a lifetime license will hopefully coax the grandchild back to California time and again, both to visit family and continue to enjoy all of the wonderful fishing and hunting opportunities California has to offer.