Florida Lobstering Rules: Bag Limits, Size, Season & License

Recreational spiny lobster is one of Florida's most popular harvests, and one of the most heavily enforced. Here's a plain-English rundown of the rules so you can dive with confidence. Always confirm the current details with the FWC before you go.

Season dates

• Mini-season (sport season): the last consecutive Wednesday and Thursday of July, which is July 29-30, 2026. See our full mini-season guide.
• Regular season: August 6 to March 31.

Spiny lobster may not be harvested outside these dates.

Bag limits

• Regular season: 6 per person, per day, statewide.
• Mini-season, most of Florida: 12 per person, per day.
• Mini-season, Monroe County & Biscayne National Park: 6 per person, per day.

Possession limits match the daily bag limit on the water. Off the water during mini-season, you may possess the daily limit on day one and a double limit on day two.

Size limit

• The carapace must be larger than 3 inches, measured from the ridges between the horns to the rear edge of the carapace.
• You must measure in the water before bringing a lobster aboard, and carry a measuring device at all times.
• Egg-bearing ("berried") females must be released unharmed.
• Lobster must be landed whole: don't separate the tail on the water, and don't crush or puncture the carapace.

Licenses and permits

To harvest (or even attempt to harvest) spiny lobster, you need:

• A Florida recreational saltwater fishing license, and
• A spiny lobster permit,

unless you qualify for an exemption. You can buy both online from the FWC.

How you can (and can't) catch them

• Allowed: hand collection, diving, wading, nets, and snares that don't injure the lobster.
• Tickle sticks must have a blunt tip: no sharp or puncturing implements of any kind.
• Prohibited: spears, gigs, traps (including ghost traps), and hooks.
• Night diving for lobster is prohibited in Monroe County during mini-season only; it's allowed there in the regular season and permitted elsewhere in Florida.

Where you can't lobster: no-take and restricted areas

Lobster harvest is off-limits in a long list of protected areas, including:

• Sanctuary Preservation Areas (SPAs) and other no-take zones in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
• Everglades and Dry Tortugas National Parks
• The Biscayne Bay / Card Sound Lobster Sanctuary and coral reef protection areas in Biscayne National Park
• John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park during mini-season
• "Casitas" and other unpermitted artificial structures: no harvesting within at least 10 yards

There are also local rules in the Keys: in unincorporated Monroe County, diving and snorkeling are prohibited within 300 feet of certain shorelines, marinas, and canals during mini-season and the first five days of the regular season (with an exception for divers in front of their own property). Key Colony Beach has its own, stricter window.

Lobsterly's interactive no-take zone map shows the zones that apply to recreational lobstering in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties.

Other lobster species

You may also encounter slipper (shovelnose) lobster and spotted lobster. They're legal to harvest with no minimum size, but egg-bearing females must still be released and they must be landed whole.

Frequently asked questions

Do you need a license to catch lobster in Florida?

Yes. A Florida recreational saltwater fishing license and a spiny lobster permit are required to harvest or even attempt to harvest spiny lobster, unless you're exempt.

How many lobster can you catch per day in Florida?

6 per person per day in the regular season statewide. During mini-season it's 12 per person, except in Monroe County and Biscayne National Park, where it's 6.

What size lobster is legal in Florida?

The carapace must be larger than 3 inches, measured in the water. Carry and use a gauge at all times, and release egg-bearing females.

Regulations change and this is a summary, not legal advice. Always confirm the latest rules on the FWC spiny lobster page before you dive. Last updated June 2026.