Stone Crab Regulations in Florida (2026)

Recreational stone crab rules in Florida saltwater, as published by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). Last checked November 7, 2026.

Size limit

Minimum Size Limit: 2 7/8 inches; only claws may be harvested.

Bag limit

Daily Bag Limit: 1 gallon of claws per person or 2 gallons per…

Season

State Waters Harvest Seasons: Open Oct. 15 - May 1 (closed on May 2)

Can I keep it today? Check your harbor & date

Recreational Stone Crab rules in Florida

Where: Statewide
Size limit: Minimum Size Limit: 2 7/8 inches; only claws may be harvested.
Bag limit: Daily Bag Limit: 1 gallon of claws per person or 2 gallons per vessel, whichever is less.
Season: State Waters Harvest Seasons: Open Oct. 15 - May 1 (closed on May 2)

Legal Gear: stone crab trap (max. 5 per person), dip or landing net
Illegal Gear: Any device that can puncture, crush or injure the crab body, such as spears, grains, grabs, hooks or similar devices.
Recreational fishers age 16 and older (including those normally exempt from needing a license) are required to complete an online, no-cost recreational stone and/or blue crab trap registration before using stone or blue crab traps.
To register, visit GoOutdoorsFlorida.com and add the Recreational Stone Crab Trap Registration or the Recreational Blue Crab Trap Registration to your fishing license account.
Upon completion, each person will receive unique trap registration numbers that must be included on each trap along with the owner’s full name and address. Registration numbers for stone crab traps will begin with the letter “S”; registration numbers for blue crab traps will begin with the letter “B.” This information must be legible and must be permanently attached to each trap.
This no-cost registration will allow FWC to collect important information about these recreational fisheries needed for future stock assessments and management decisions.
Harvesters under 16 are not required to register but still must mark their traps with their name and address.
Harvest from egg-bearing crabs prohibited.
Traps may be placed in the water 10 days prior to the opening of the season, but once placed, you may not tend to the traps until the start of the season, at which time you may begin harvesting.
Recreational stone crab harvesters may only harvest from, fish with, set, or place in Florida waters the 5 stone crab traps registered to them.
Recreational stone crab harvesters may not harvest from, fish with, set, or place in Florida waters any trap registered to another individual.
Traps must be pulled manually (not by a trap-puller). Any vessel that is rigged with a trap-puller will be considered a commercial vessel and the appropriate licenses will be required.
Traps must be pulled only during daylight hours.
Traps must not be placed in navigational channels of the Intracoastal waterways, or in navigational channels maintained and marked by any county, municipal, state or federal governmental agency.
Special regulations apply for traps and this species when in Biscayne National Park.

Official source

Commercial rules

Show 1 commercial rule

Where: Statewide
Size limit: Minimum size limit: Claws harvested only: 2 7/8 inches; claws may not be removed from egg-bearing females
Bag limit: Bag limit: None; Incidental bycatch 5 gallons of claws per day from spiny lobster or blue crab traps with stone crab incidental take endorsement
Season: Season: Closed May 2 - Oct. 14 ( see *Note below)

Traps made from either wood, plastic or wire
Cannot use any device to puncture, crush or injure the crab body.
Live stone crabs that are not immediately returned to the water must be kept in shaded containers and kept damp.
Maximum trap size is 24 inches by 24 inches by 24 inches or a volume of 8 cubic feet
Traps can be made from either wood, wire or plastic
Throat must be no larger than 5 1/2 by 3 1/8 inches in Collier, Monroe and Miami-Dade
If the throat or entrance is round, it cannot exceed 5 inches in diameter
Round throats prohibited in Collier, Monroe and Miami-Dade counties
Plastic traps must have a degradable panel that is 5 ½ inches by 3 ½ inches and is made of cypress or untreated pine slat no thicker than ¾ of an inch
Wire traps must have at least three unobstructed escape rings (2 3/8 inches in diameter) located on a vertical side of the trap.
For the 2024-25 stone crab season and beyond, an unobstructed escape ring 2 3/16 inches in diameter to be located within a vertical exterior trap wall for all recreational and commercial plastic or wood stone crab traps is required.
A stone crab trap tag must be permanently affixed and each trap must also have the stone crab endorsement number permanently attached.
The buoy must be no smaller than 6 inches and must be marked with a legible stone crab endorsement number that is at least 2 inches tall.
May only be worked during daylight hours.
Traps are prohibited in all navigation channels of Inland Coastal Waterways or channels marked by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, the U.S. Coast Guard or state, county or local governments.
Pulling another person's trap without express consent of the owner and FWC Law Enforcement is prohibited.
No more than two stone crab endorsement numbers (X) shall be used on a single vessel.
Saltwater Products License (SPL), Restricted Species Endorsement (RS) and Stone Crab Endorsement (X)
During the closed season, it is unlawful to harvest, possess, or sell stone crabs or stone crab claws, regardless of where taken. A licensed wholesale or retail seafood dealer may possess and sell stone crab claws during the closed season provided that the claws were placed in the dealer’s inventory before May 2.
Traps may be placed in the water and baited 10 days prior to the opening of the stone crab season. Please be aware that once placed, you may not tend to the traps until the start of the season, at which time you may begin harvesting.
The placement of traps during nighttime hours is permissible during this time frame. However, fisherman cannot get underway with gear on board until the soak period starts at 12:01 a.m. Oct. 5. Once stone crab season begins, traps may only be worked during daylight hours.
Traps must be removed within five days after the close of the stone crab season.
Possession of whole stone crabs on the water limited to 2 “checker boxes” each up to 3’ x 2’ x 2’ OR a total of no more than 24 cubic feet in volume regardless of the number of checker boxes used.
SPL + RS + Stone Crab Endorsement (X#, or I#)
New Regulations
For the 2024-25 stone crab season and beyond, an unobstructed escape ring 2 3/16 inches in diameter to be located within a vertical exterior trap wall for all recreational and commercial plastic or wood stone crab traps is required.
Stone crab processing notice
Landings limited to legal size claws measured by a straight line from the elbow to the tip of the lower immovable finger.
Transport and sale of intact crabs prohibited.
License, trap and harvest specifications apply.
Special regulations apply for this species when in Biscayne National Park.

Official source

Quick answers

What is the stone crab size limit in Florida?

Minimum Size Limit: 2 7/8 inches; only claws may be harvested..

How many stone crab can I keep in Florida?

Daily Bag Limit: 1 gallon of claws per person or 2 gallons per vessel, whichever is less..

When is stone crab season in Florida?

State Waters Harvest Seasons: Open Oct. 15 - May 1 (closed on May 2). Whether it is open on a specific day can change by emergency rule — check today's status in the app.

More crabs, lobster & shrimp in Florida

All Florida saltwater fishing regulations →

Source: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). Most anglers need a Florida saltwater license or registry: get one here.