WDFW Announces New Payment Policy for Customers

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is making a huge change to its payment system in June 2026.

WDFW Warns Customers About Major Payment Change Starting Soon

I’ve been monitoring some of my favorite fishing holes in Washington State, like Boggan’s Oasis on the Grand Ronde River in Eastern Washington.

Washington Hunters and Anglers Take Note: WDFW Dropping Cash Payments

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) will no longer accept cash payments for license purchases at its offices after June 11th.

This change is due to a new state law related to the national phase-out of pennies.

READ MORE: WDFW Moves Hibernating Bear: Update On His Progress

The penny is being phased out, so the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is now eliminating cash payments.

In a statement from the WDFW, here is the reasoning behind the change:

“We estimated that it would cost the Department tens of thousands of dollars and half of our contracted annual vendor work hours to update our point-of-sale system to accommodate rounding the cost of transactions,” explained Jennine Griffo, WDFW licensing division manager. “Ultimately, we decided to eliminate cash transactions for licensing product sales at WDFW offices so we could better use that funding and vendor capacity for system enhancements or future updates.”

Good news: WDFW license dealers can still accept cash if they choose, as long as they follow the new law.

You can check out the list of license dealers here.