Do you need a fishing license on the Deerfield Beach pier?

It is a common question about the Deerfield Beach International Fishing Pier, and on Oct. 20, 2026 the honest answer is that we do not know. This article sets out what the state rule says, what the sources we checked do and do not say, and how to settle it for your own trip with one phone call.

What FWC’s rule says

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) sets fishing license rules. On its Do I Need a License? page, FWC lists, among the people who need no individual saltwater license, “Individuals saltwater fishing from a pier with a valid saltwater pier license.”

Read the wording closely. The exemption is not for every pier. It applies when the pier itself holds a valid saltwater pier license. So the question for this pier is a simple one: does it hold that license?

• FWC: no individual saltwater license is needed for "Individuals saltwater fishing from a pier with a valid saltwater pier license." (Whether the Deerfield Beach pier holds such a license is NOT stated on the city or FWC pages we read.) Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission: Do I Need a License?

What we could not confirm

The City of Deerfield Beach owns and runs the pier through Parks and Recreation. Its pier page, checked Oct. 20, 2026, lists fees, passes, rod rentals and bait, and says nothing about a pier license. The FWC pages we read explain the exemption without naming the piers that hold one. So on the pages we read, neither the operator nor the state tells you whether the exemption applies here.

One tourism page says it does. Visit Florida’s Deerfield Beach beach guide says the pier holds a blanket fishing license issued by the State of Florida that covers all anglers. That may well be right. We have not found it on a City or FWC page, so we treat it as unconfirmed, and we would not rely on it where a fine is at stake.

How to settle it

• Call the pier at 954-250-4167, or the pier manager at 954-250-4166, and ask: does the pier hold a valid saltwater pier license from FWC, and does it cover every angler who pays the fishing fee?
• Ask the same question at the bait shop at the pier entrance before you pay.
• If you cannot get a clear yes, buy a Florida saltwater license through FWC, starting from its saltwater fishing licenses page.
• Check FWC’s Do I Need a License? page for your own case. You may be exempt for a reason that has nothing to do with the pier.

• Pier phone numbers listed by the city: 954-250-4167 (pier) and 954-250-4166 (Manager). City of Deerfield Beach: International Fishing Pier
• The city describes "the Bait Shop, which is located at the International Fishing Pier entrance." City of Deerfield Beach: International Fishing Pier
• The pier page sits under Departments > Parks & Recreation on the City of Deerfield Beach website; the pier is a city facility and its bait shop/concession sells passes, bait and rentals. City of Deerfield Beach: International Fishing Pier

The shark permit has no exemptions

There is one rule that does not depend on the pier license at all. FWC says that since July 1, 2019 a shore-based shark fishing permit is “required for anglers 16 and older in addition to a saltwater fishing license when taking or attempting to take sharks from shore, including jetties, bridges and piers. No permit exemptions, even if exempt from fishing license requirements.”

So even if the license question goes your way, an angler aged 16 or older who targets sharks from this pier needs the permit. Get it before the trip. FWC’s saltwater licenses page explains how; we do not repeat the steps here because FWC can change them.

• FWC: since July 1, 2019 a shore-based shark fishing permit is "required for anglers 16 and older in addition to a saltwater fishing license when taking or attempting to take sharks from shore, including jetties, bridges and piers. No permit exemptions, even if exempt from fishing license requirements." Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission: Saltwater Fishing Licenses

What the pier fee is, and is not

Whatever the license answer, the City charges its own fishing fee: $4, free with ID for veterans and active military, under rates effective Feb. 23, 2026. That is a City charge for using the pier. The City does not describe it as a state license. Rod rentals are $20 for the package or $15 for the rod alone, plus a $25 cash deposit, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Our pier fees article works through every price.

Plan for daylight. From Oct. 20, 2026 the City closes the pier from sunset to sunrise until further notice, citing maintenance needs; see our night closure article.

• Fishing: $4.00 (FREE for Veterans and Active Military with ID). Unlike sightseeing, the fishing fee is not listed as free for residents or first responders. City of Deerfield Beach: International Fishing Pier
• Rod Rental Package $20 ($15 rod only) plus a $25 CASH ONLY refundable deposit with ID. 8 AM – 5 PM only; rods must remain on the pier; package includes rod, 1 pack of $6 bait (as available) and 5-hour parking in the Pier lot (if available). No rod rentals when the Bait Shop is closed. City of Deerfield Beach: International Fishing Pier
• Under "Upcoming operational impacts" the city says: "As of October 20, 2026, we will be CLOSED SUNSET through SUNRISE until further notice, due to maintenance needs." No end date is given. City of Deerfield Beach: International Fishing Pier

Rules we can and cannot give you

The City does publish a few rules that matter to anglers. Its camera page quotes the City Code: swimming, snorkeling and diving are prohibited within 150 feet of the pier. If you hook a sea turtle, the City keeps a Turtle Retriever Net in the bait house at the pier, as part of a turtle rescue program it takes part in. Tell the bait shop staff straight away.

What we cannot give you is a rod limit, a cast net rule, a gaff rule or a rule on pets on the pier. The pier page does not state them, and we could not read the City Code online, so ask at the bait shop. For size and bag limits, use FWC’s own pages. The City’s Fish Guide names ten fish caught from the pier, from mutton snapper to Spanish mackerel.

• "Swimming, snorkeling, and diving are prohibited 150 feet around the pier. Section 50-112(f) of the City Code prohibits swimming, paddling, kayaking, surfing, or kiteboard/surfing within 50 yards or 150 feet of the City fishing pier." City of Deerfield Beach: Livestream Cameras (legal disclaimer)
• The city participates in Loggerhead Marinelife Center's Responsible Pier Initiative "by stationing a Turtle Retriever Net in the bait house at the Pier" to help anglers who hook a sea turtle. City of Deerfield Beach: Sea Turtles
• The city's list of the 10 most common fish caught from the pier: Mutton Snapper, Bonito, Blue Runner, Mangrove Snapper, Pompano, Crevalle Jack, Kingfish, Bluefish, Lookdown and Spanish Mackerel. City of Deerfield Beach: Fish Guide

Our fishing page collects the rest of what the City publishes for anglers, sea turtles covers the nesting season on this beach, and parking covers the pier lot.

Pier fishing questions

Written by the Deerfield Beach Pier Guide Editorial Team. AI tools help us draft; people check every fact before it publishes.

Dates, rules and hours can change. The organisers have the final word: City of Deerfield Beach: International Fishing Pier (operator)