Florida stone crab season opens Oct. 15, 2026. The 2026 saltwater handbook (eRegulations, Crustaceans & Mollusks, updated July 20, 2026) lists the closed season as May 2 to Oct. 14, which makes Oct. 15 the first legal day. Claws must measure 2 7/8” and the limit is 1 gallon of claws per harvester or 2 gallons per vessel, whichever is less.
The handbook lists the minimum size as “2 7/8” claw” and the daily recreational bag limit as “1 gal. claws per harvester or 2 gal. per vessel, whichever is less.” It is “Illegal to possess whole crab,” and “Harvest of egg-bearing crabs prohibited.” FWC’s website has de-claw instructions, per the handbook.
The remarks say “5 traps maximum.” They also point to MyFWC.com for statewide trap construction requirements and “specific requirements that apply in Miami-Dade, Monroe and Collier.” Collier is the southern edge of Southwest Florida, so check those rules near Marco Island. The handbook table does not list the construction details.
FWC says the registration is “required in addition to a saltwater fishing license for recreational harvesters age 16 or older to harvest or attempt to harvest stone crabs using stone crab traps. No permit exemptions, even if exempt from typical fishing license requirements. Annual: $0.00. Available at GoOutdoorsFlorida.com only” (FWC, retrieved Oct. 6, 2026).
The Stone Crab feature page on eRegulations had no readable text when checked, and FWC’s own stone crab page was not available in a current copy, so the figures above come from the Crustaceans & Mollusks table. Fees for the rest of your license are in the Southwest Florida fishing license guide. Seniors and kids should read our over 65 guide and kids guide, since the trap registration has no senior exemption.