Free Disability Combination Licence — Three Years, or Lifetime
A free three-year combination licence — hunting, freshwater and saltwater fishing — for any resident disabled and receiving benefits through the VA, Social Security, or four other systems. Not a veteran statute, and no percentage. An applicant who is paraplegic, quadriplegic or legally blind, with a doctor's statement, receives a LIFETIME licence instead.
Verified August 27, 2026
What this benefit is
A free three-year combination licence — hunting, freshwater and saltwater fishing — for any resident disabled and receiving benefits through the VA, Social Security, or four other systems. Not a veteran statute, and no percentage. An applicant who is paraplegic, quadriplegic or legally blind, with a doctor's statement, receives a LIFETIME licence instead.
What it's worth: A three-year disability combination licence at no cost — lifetime for paraplegic, quadriplegic or legally blind applicants
- The statute names six benefit systems; VA disability benefits are one route among them.
- Applicants who are paraplegic, quadriplegic or legally blind, on a doctor's statement, are issued a LIFETIME disability licence rather than the three-year one.
- Combination licence holders automatically receive annual deer tags. Turkey tags are ordered separately and will not arrive on their own.
- A fishing-only option exists for those who do not hunt.
- Application is by email to DisabilityLicense@dnr.sc.gov.
Who is entitled to it
- You have a compensable service-connected disability.
- You are a resident of this state.
Not sure whether that describes you?
Answer a few questions about this benefit specifically — we only ask what this one actually depends on, and we stop as soon as we know.
How to claim it
- 1Apply to SCDNR with proof you receive VA disability benefits — the statute asks for receipt of benefits, not a percentage.
- 2Renew every three years; the licence is free each time.
- 3This is general disability law: a non-veteran on Social Security disability holds the same licence, which is why the record is filed as not veteran-specific.
- Form
- SCDNR disability licence application
- File with
- The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
- Documents you will need
- va benefit summary letter
- No renewal
- Once granted it does not need renewing.
Sources
- authority · statuteS.C. Code §50-9-525
Why only one source type: The statute on the legislature’s own site states the six benefit routes, the three-year term and the no-cost issue in terms; SCDNR’s pages refused connections.
This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.