{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/28.2-302.1.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/28.2-302.1.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/28.2-302.1.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/28.2-302.1.html"}],"law_id":65438,"edition_id":1,"section_id":65438,"structure_id":14945,"section_number":"28.2-302.1","catch_line":"Recreational license required","history":"1992, c. 895; 1993, c. 241; 2002, c. 215; 2004, c. 486; 2005, c. 124; 2020, c. 958.","full_text":"Except in areas under the jurisdiction of the Department of Wildlife Resources and as provided in \u00a7 28.2-302.5, a person shall not take or catch fish with rod and reel, hand line, by spearing or gigging, with a cast net, with a dip net, or by using up to two eel pots in the tidal waters of the Commonwealth under the jurisdiction of the Commission without first obtaining a saltwater recreational fishing license. The license required by this section and issued pursuant to \u00a7 28.2-302.2, 28.2-302.2:1, 28.2-302.6, 28.2-302.7, 28.2-302.8, 28.2-302.9 or 28.2-302.10 shall not be transferable.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":237926,"text":"Except in areas under the jurisdiction of the Department of Wildlife Resources and as provided in \u00a7 28.2-302.5, a person shall not take or catch fish with rod and reel, hand line, by spearing or gigging, with a cast net, with a dip net, or by using up to two eel pots in the tidal waters of the Commonwealth under the jurisdiction of the Commission without first obtaining a saltwater recreational fishing license. The license required by this section and issued pursuant to \u00a7 28.2-302.2, 28.2-302.2:1, 28.2-302.6, 28.2-302.7, 28.2-302.8, 28.2-302.9 or 28.2-302.10 shall not be transferable.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":14945,"edition_id":1,"name":"Saltwater Recreational Fishing","identifier":"1.1","label":"article","depth":4,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13475,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:50:59","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:50:59","permalink":{"id":191023,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":14945,"identifier":"1.1","token":"28.2\/II\/3\/1.1","url":"\/28.2\/II\/3\/1.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13475,"edition_id":1,"name":"Finfish","identifier":"3","label":"chapter","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12814,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:58","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:58","permalink":{"id":191007,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13475,"identifier":"3","token":"28.2\/II\/3","url":"\/28.2\/II\/3\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12814,"edition_id":1,"name":"Tidal Fisheries","identifier":"II","label":"subtitle","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12813,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:54","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:54","permalink":{"id":190673,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12814,"identifier":"II","token":"28.2\/II","url":"\/28.2\/II\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12813,"edition_id":1,"name":"Fisheries and Habitat of the Tidal Waters","identifier":"28.2","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:54","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:54","permalink":{"id":190589,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12813,"identifier":"28.2","token":"28.2","url":"\/28.2\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":65438,"structure_id":14945,"section_number":"28.2-302.1","catch_line":"Recreational license required","url":"\/28.2-302.1\/","token":"28.2\/II\/3\/1.1\/28.2-302.1","metadata":false},{"id":66557,"structure_id":14945,"section_number":"28.2-302.10","catch_line":"Special lifetime saltwater recreational fishing license; permanently and totally disabled persons","url":"\/28.2-302.10\/","token":"28.2\/II\/3\/1.1\/28.2-302.10","metadata":false},{"id":71001,"structure_id":14945,"section_number":"28.2-302.10:1","catch_line":"Lifetime saltwater recreational fishing licenses for residents and nonresidents","url":"\/28.2-302.10_1\/","token":"28.2\/II\/3\/1.1\/28.2-302.10_1","metadata":false},{"id":74028,"structure_id":14945,"section_number":"28.2-302.1:1","catch_line":"Fisherman Identification Program","url":"\/28.2-302.1_1\/","token":"28.2\/II\/3\/1.1\/28.2-302.1_1","metadata":false},{"id":85858,"structure_id":14945,"section_number":"28.2-302.2","catch_line":"Recreational license fee; cooperative program","url":"\/28.2-302.2\/","token":"28.2\/II\/3\/1.1\/28.2-302.2","metadata":false},{"id":86840,"structure_id":14945,"section_number":"28.2-302.2:1","catch_line":"Special combined individual sportfishing licenses","url":"\/28.2-302.2_1\/","token":"28.2\/II\/3\/1.1\/28.2-302.2_1","metadata":false},{"id":57031,"structure_id":14945,"section_number":"28.2-302.3","catch_line":"Virginia Saltwater Recreational Fishing Development Fund established","url":"\/28.2-302.3\/","token":"28.2\/II\/3\/1.1\/28.2-302.3","metadata":false},{"id":72748,"structure_id":14945,"section_number":"28.2-302.4","catch_line":"Virginia Recreational Fishing Advisory Board established","url":"\/28.2-302.4\/","token":"28.2\/II\/3\/1.1\/28.2-302.4","metadata":false},{"id":66179,"structure_id":14945,"section_number":"28.2-302.5","catch_line":"Exemptions to saltwater recreational fishing license","url":"\/28.2-302.5\/","token":"28.2\/II\/3\/1.1\/28.2-302.5","metadata":false},{"id":61050,"structure_id":14945,"section_number":"28.2-302.6","catch_line":"Temporary license","url":"\/28.2-302.6\/","token":"28.2\/II\/3\/1.1\/28.2-302.6","metadata":false},{"id":82867,"structure_id":14945,"section_number":"28.2-302.7","catch_line":"Recreational boat; reporting of catch","url":"\/28.2-302.7\/","token":"28.2\/II\/3\/1.1\/28.2-302.7","metadata":false},{"id":76744,"structure_id":14945,"section_number":"28.2-302.7:1","catch_line":"Reissuance of licenses for recreational boats","url":"\/28.2-302.7_1\/","token":"28.2\/II\/3\/1.1\/28.2-302.7_1","metadata":false},{"id":70461,"structure_id":14945,"section_number":"28.2-302.8","catch_line":"Headboat or charterboat; rental boats","url":"\/28.2-302.8\/","token":"28.2\/II\/3\/1.1\/28.2-302.8","metadata":false},{"id":74897,"structure_id":14945,"section_number":"28.2-302.9","catch_line":"Commercial fishing pier","url":"\/28.2-302.9\/","token":"28.2\/II\/3\/1.1\/28.2-302.9","metadata":false}],"next_section":{"id":66557,"structure_id":14945,"section_number":"28.2-302.10","catch_line":"Special lifetime saltwater recreational fishing license; permanently and totally disabled persons","url":"\/28.2-302.10\/","token":"28.2\/II\/3\/1.1\/28.2-302.10","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/28.2-302.1\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 1992. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 895 of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year. Unfortunately, the 1992 \u201cActs\u201d aren\u2019t available online. It has been modified 5 times. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 1993, chapter 241; in 2002, chapter 215<\/a>; in 2004, chapter 486<\/a>; in 2005, chapter 124<\/a>; in 2020, chapter 958<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":73485,"section_number":"28.2-226.1","catch_line":"Recreational gear license required","order_by":null,"url":"\/28.2-226.1\/"},{"id":56652,"section_number":"28.2-241","catch_line":"Registration of commercial fishermen required; exemption; penalty","order_by":null,"url":"\/28.2-241\/"},{"id":86840,"section_number":"28.2-302.2:1","catch_line":"Special combined individual sportfishing licenses","order_by":null,"url":"\/28.2-302.2_1\/"},{"id":57031,"section_number":"28.2-302.3","catch_line":"Virginia Saltwater Recreational Fishing Development Fund established","order_by":null,"url":"\/28.2-302.3\/"},{"id":82867,"section_number":"28.2-302.7","catch_line":"Recreational boat; reporting of catch","order_by":null,"url":"\/28.2-302.7\/"},{"id":70461,"section_number":"28.2-302.8","catch_line":"Headboat or charterboat; rental boats","order_by":null,"url":"\/28.2-302.8\/"},{"id":74897,"section_number":"28.2-302.9","catch_line":"Commercial fishing pier","order_by":null,"url":"\/28.2-302.9\/"},{"id":56228,"section_number":"29.1-310.2","catch_line":"Special combined individual sportfishing licenses","order_by":null,"url":"\/29.1-310.2\/"},{"id":86842,"section_number":"29.1-311","catch_line":"Trip fishing license for residents and nonresidents; trout stocked waters","order_by":null,"url":"\/29.1-311\/"}],"refers_to":[{"id":66557,"section_number":"28.2-302.10","catch_line":"Special lifetime saltwater recreational fishing license; permanently and totally disabled persons","order_by":null,"url":"\/28.2-302.10\/"},{"id":85858,"section_number":"28.2-302.2","catch_line":"Recreational license fee; cooperative program","order_by":null,"url":"\/28.2-302.2\/"},{"id":86840,"section_number":"28.2-302.2:1","catch_line":"Special combined individual sportfishing licenses","order_by":null,"url":"\/28.2-302.2_1\/"},{"id":66179,"section_number":"28.2-302.5","catch_line":"Exemptions to saltwater recreational fishing license","order_by":null,"url":"\/28.2-302.5\/"},{"id":61050,"section_number":"28.2-302.6","catch_line":"Temporary license","order_by":null,"url":"\/28.2-302.6\/"},{"id":82867,"section_number":"28.2-302.7","catch_line":"Recreational boat; reporting of catch","order_by":null,"url":"\/28.2-302.7\/"},{"id":70461,"section_number":"28.2-302.8","catch_line":"Headboat or charterboat; rental boats","order_by":null,"url":"\/28.2-302.8\/"},{"id":74897,"section_number":"28.2-302.9","catch_line":"Commercial fishing pier","order_by":null,"url":"\/28.2-302.9\/"}],"permalink":{"id":191025,"object_type":"law","relational_id":65438,"identifier":"28.2-302.1","token":"28.2\/II\/3\/1.1\/28.2-302.1","url":"\/28.2-302.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/28.2-302.1\/","token":"28.2\/II\/3\/1.1\/28.2-302.1","dublin_core":{"Title":"Recreational license required","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 28.2-302.1","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

Except in areas under the jurisdiction<\/span> of the Department of Wildlife Resources and as provided in \u00a7 28.2-302.5<\/a>, a person shall not take or catch fish<\/span> with rod and reel, hand line, by spearing or gigging, with a cast net, with a dip net, or by using up to two eel pots in the tidal waters of the Commonwealth under the jurisdiction<\/span> of the Commission<\/span> without first obtaining a saltwater recreational fishing<\/span> license. The license required by this section and issued pursuant to \u00a7 28.2-302.2<\/a>, 28.2-302.2:1<\/a>, 28.2-302.6<\/a>, 28.2-302.7<\/a>, 28.2-302.8<\/a>, 28.2-302.9<\/a> or 28.2-302.10<\/a> shall not be transferable.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nRECREATIONAL LICENSE REQUIRED (\u00a7 28.2-302.1)\n\nExcept in areas under the jurisdiction of the Department of Wildlife Resources\nand as provided in \u00a7 28.2-302.5, a person shall not take or catch fish with rod\nand reel, hand line, by spearing or gigging, with a cast net, with a dip net, or\nby using up to two eel pots in the tidal waters of the Commonwealth under the\njurisdiction of the Commission without first obtaining a saltwater recreational\nfishing license. The license required by this section and issued pursuant to \u00a7\n28.2-302.2, 28.2-302.2:1, 28.2-302.6, 28.2-302.7, 28.2-302.8, 28.2-302.9 or\n28.2-302.10 shall not be transferable.\n\nHISTORY: 1992, c. 895; 1993, c. 241; 2002, c. 215; 2004, c. 486; 2005, c. 124;\n2020, c. 958.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}