Can I Keep?Dungeness crab Regulations in Washington (2026)
Recreational dungeness crab rules in Washington saltwater, as published by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Last checked November 7, 2026.
Limits differ by area — the summary below is the first published rule; see every rule underneath.
Size limit
Min. size 6"
Bag limit
Six males
Season
Crab Pots: Open 1 Dec. through 15 Sept. Crab gear other than pots…
Can I keep it today? Check your harbor & date
Recreational Dungeness crab rules in Washington
- Where
- Marine Area 1 - Ilwaco (South Coast/Pacific Ocean) (all waters)
- Size limit
- Min. size 6"
- Bag limit
- Six males
- Season
- Crab Pots: Open 1 Dec. through 15 Sept. Crab gear other than pots: Open all year.
- Dungeness and Red Rock Crab, all fishing methods.
- Days open: Everyday
- Crab pots: Open Dec. 1 through Sept. 15 Crab gear other than pots: Open year-round
- Must retain back shell while in the field. Must release all soft-shell, females and undersized crab.
- Allocation and soft shell closures may affect season, please check this page or the shellfish rule change hotline.
- Fishing instruments must not penetrate the shell.
- Where
- Marine Area 1 - Ilwaco (Columbia River) (all waters)
- Size limit
- Min. size 5.75"
- Bag limit
- 12 males
- Season
- Crab Pots: Open all year. Crab gear other than pots: Open all year.
- Dungeness and Red Rock Crab, all fishing methods.
- Days open: Everyday
- Year-round
- Must retain back shell while in the field. Must release all soft-shell, females and undersized crab.
- A resident license of either Oregon or Washington is required.
- Crab fishers may fish for crab in Oregon waters under Oregon rules and land into Washington ports of the Columbia River.
- Fishing instruments must not penetrate the shell.
- Where
- Marine Area 2 - Westport-Ocean Shores (Westport/Ocean Shores) (all waters)
- Size limit
- Min. size 6"
- Bag limit
- Six males
- Season
- Crab Pots: Open 1 Dec. through 15 Sept. Crab gear other than pots: Open all year.
- Dungeness and Red Rock Crab, all fishing methods.
- Days open: Everyday
- Crab pots: Open Dec. 1 through Sept. 15 Crab gear other than pots: Open year-round
- Must retain back shell while in the field. Must release all soft-shell, females and undersized crab.
- Allocation and soft shell closures may affect season, please check this page or the shellfish rule change hotline.
- Fishing instruments must not penetrate the shell.
- Where
- Marine Area 2 - Westport-Ocean Shores (Willapa Bay - Area 2-1) (all waters)
- Size limit
- Min. size 6"
- Bag limit
- Six males
- Season
- Crab Pots: Open 15 Nov. through 15 Sept. Crab gear other than pots: Open all year.
- Dungeness and Red Rock Crab, all fishing methods.
- Days open: Everyday
- Crab pots: Open Nov. 15 through Sept. 15 Crab gear other than pots: Open year-round
- Must retain back shell while in the field. Must release all soft-shell, females and undersized crab.
- Allocation and soft shell closures may affect season, please check this page or the shellfish rule change hotline.
- Fishing instruments must not penetrate the shell.
- Where
- Marine Area 2 - Westport-Ocean Shores (Grays Harbor - Area 2-2) (all waters)
- Size limit
- Min. size 6"
- Bag limit
- Six males
- Season
- Crab Pots: Open 1 Dec. through 15 Sept. Crab gear other than pots: Open all year.
- Dungeness and Red Rock Crab, all fishing methods.
- Days open: Everyday
- Crab pots: Open Dec. 1 through Sept. 15 Crab gear other than pots: Open year-round
- Must retain back shell while in the field. Must release all soft-shell, females and undersized crab.
- Allocation and soft shell closures may affect season, please check this page or the shellfish rule change hotline.
- Fishing instruments must not penetrate the shell.
- Where
- Marine Area 3 - La Push (LaPush) (all waters)
- Size limit
- Min. size 6"
- Bag limit
- Six males
- Season
- Crab Pots: Open 1 Dec. through 15 Sept. Crab gear other than pots: Open all year.
- Dungeness and Red Rock Crab, all fishing methods.
- Days open: Everyday
- Crab pots: Open Dec. 1 through Sept. 15 Crab gear other than pots: Open year-round
- Must retain back shell while in the field. Must release all softshell, females and undersized crab.
- Where
- Marine Area 4 - Neah Bay (Neah Bay - East of Tatoosh-Bonilla line) (all waters)
- Size limit
- Min. size 6.25"
- Bag limit
- Five males
- Season
- Open daily from October 1 through December 31.
- Dungeness, Red Rock, and Tanner Crab, all fishing methods.
- Days open: Everyday
- Must retain back shell while in the field. Must release all soft-shell, females and undersized crab. Catch record card required.
- Where
- Marine Area 4 - Neah Bay (Neah Bay - West of Tatoosh-Bonilla line) (all waters)
- Size limit
- Min. size 6"
- Bag limit
- Six males
- Season
- Crab Pots: Open 1 Dec. through 15 Sept. Crab gear other than pots: Open all year.
- Dungeness and Red Rock Crab, all fishing methods.
- Days open: Everyday
- Crab pots: Open Dec. 1 through Sept. 15 Crab gear other than pots: Open year-round
- Must retain back shell while in the field. Must release all soft-shell, females and undersized crab.
- Where
- Marine Area 5 - Sekiu and Pillar Point (all waters)
- Size limit
- Min. size 6.25"
- Bag limit
- Five males
- Season
- Open daily from October 1 through December 31.
- Dungeness, Red Rock, and Tanner Crab, all fishing methods.
- Days open: Everyday
- Must retain back shell while in the field. Must release all soft-shell, females and undersized crab. Catch record card required.
- Where
- Marine Area 6 - East Juan de Fuca Strait (East Juan de Fuca Strait, Port Angeles Harbor, Discovery Bay) (all waters)
- Size limit
- Min. size 6.25"
- Bag limit
- Five males
- Season
- Open daily from October 1 through December 31.
- Dungeness, Red Rock, and Tanner Crab, all fishing methods.
- Days open: Everyday
- Must retain back shell while in the field. Must release all soft-shell, females and undersized crab. Catch record card required.
- Where
- Marine Area 7 - San Juan Islands (South - San Juan Islands/Bellingham) (all waters)
- Size limit
- Min. size 6.25"
- Bag limit
- Five males
- Season
- Open daily from October 1 through December 31.
- Dungeness, Red Rock, Tanner Crab, all fishing methods.
- Days open: Everyday
- Must retain back shell while in the field. Must release all soft-shell, females and undersized crab. Catch record card required.
- Where
- Marine Area 7 - San Juan Islands (North - Gulf of Georgia) (all waters)
- Size limit
- Min. size 6.25"
- Bag limit
- Five males
- Season
- Open daily from October 1 through December 31.
- Dungeness, Red Rock, and Tanner Crab, all fishing methods.
- Days open: Everyday
- Must retain back shell while in the field. Must release all soft-shell, females and undersized crab. Catch record card required.
- Where
- Marine Area 8-1 - Deception Pass, Hope Island, and Skagit Bay (Deception Pass - Area 8-1) (all waters)
- Size limit
- Min. size 6.25"
- Bag limit
- Five males
- Season
- Open daily from October 10 through December 31.
- Dungeness, Red Rock, and Tanner Crab, all fishing methods.
- Days open: Everyday
- Must retain back shell while in the field. Must release all soft-shell, females and undersized crab. Catch record card required.
- Where
- Marine Area 8-2 - Ports Susan and Gardner (Port Susan/Everett - Area 8-2) (all waters)
- Size limit
- Min. size 6.25"
- Bag limit
- Five males
- Season
- Open daily from October 10 through December 31.
- Dungeness, Red Rock, and Tanner Crab, all fishing methods.
- Days open: Everyday
- Must retain back shell while in the field. Must release all soft-shell, females and undersized crab. Catch record card required.
- Where
- Marine Area 9 - Admiralty Inlet (all waters)
- Size limit
- Min. size 6.25"
- Bag limit
- Five males
- Season
- Open daily from October 1 through December 31.
- Dungeness, Red Rock, and Tanner Crab, all fishing methods.
- Days open: Everyday
- The portion of Marine Area 9 EXCLUDING waters north of the Hood Canal bridge to a line connecting Olele Point and Foulweather Bluff. Open daily from October 1 through December 31.
- Must retain back shell while in the field. Must release all soft-shell, females and undersized crab. Catch record card required.
- Where
- Marine Area 9 - Admiralty Inlet (Port Gamble/Port Ludlow) (all waters)
- Size limit
- Min. size 6.25"
- Bag limit
- Five males
- Season
- Open daily from October 1 through December 31.
- Dungeness, Red Rock, and Tanner Crab, all fishing methods.
- Days open: Everyday
- The portion of Marine Area 9 north of the Hood Canal bridge to a line connecting Olele Point and Foulweather Bluff. Open daily from October 1 through December 31.
- Must retain back shell while in the field. Must release all soft-shell, females and undersized crab. Catch record card required.
- Where
- Marine Area 10 - Seattle-Bremerton Area (Seattle/Bremerton) (all waters)
- Size limit
- Min. size 6.25"
- Bag limit
- Five males
- Season
- WINTER season has not been announced and may remain closed pending final summer catch estimates.
- Dungeness, Red Rock, and Tanner Crab, all fishing methods.
- Days open: None
- Must retain back shell while in the field. Must release all soft-shell, females and undersized crab. Catch record card required.
- Where
- Marine Area 11 - Tacoma-Vashon Island (all waters)
- Size limit
- Min. size 6.25"
- Bag limit
- Five males
- Season
- WINTER season has not been announced and may remain closed pending final summer catch estimates.
- Dungeness, Red Rock, and Tanner Crab, all fishing methods.
- Days open: None
- Must retain back shell while in the field. Must release all soft-shell, females and undersized crab. Catch record card required.
- Where
- Marine Area 12 - Hood Canal (Hood Canal - North of Ayock Point) (all waters)
- Size limit
- Min. size 6.25"
- Bag limit
- Five males
- Season
- Open daily from October 1 through December 31.
- Dungeness, Red Rock, and Tanner Crab, all fishing methods.
- Days open: Everyday
- Must retain back shell while in the field. Must release all soft-shell, females and undersized crab. Catch record card required.
- Where
- Marine Area 12 - Hood Canal (Hood Canal - South of Ayock Point) (all waters)
- Size limit
- Min. size 6.25"
- Bag limit
- Five males
- Season
- Closed until further notice.
- Dungeness, Red Rock, and Tanner Crab, all fishing methods.
- Days open: None
- Must retain back shell while in the field. Must release all soft-shell, females and undersized crab. Catch record card required.
- Where
- Marine Area 13 - South Puget Sound (all waters)
- Size limit
- Min. size 6.25"
- Bag limit
- Five males
- Season
- Closed until further notice to promote recovery of Dungeness crab.
- Dungeness, Red Rock, and Tanner Crab, all fishing methods.
- Days open: None
- Closed until further notice.
- Must retain back shell while in the field. Must release all soft-shell, females and undersized crab. Catch record card required.
Commercial rules
Show 2 commercial rules
- Where
- Marine Areas 1, 2, 3 and 4 (Pacific coast, Grays Harbor, Willapa Bay and Columbia River) (all waters)
- Size limit
- (2) Crab size and sex restrictions. It is unlawful for any person acting for commercial purposes to take, possess, deliver, or otherwise control: (a) Any female Dungeness crab; or (b) Any male Dungeness crab measuring less than 6-1/4 inches, caliper measurement, at the widest part of the shell immediately in front of the points (tips).
- Season
- (1) Coastal, Pacific Ocean, Grays Harbor, Willapa Bay and Columbia River waters are closed to commercial crab fishing except as provided by emergency rule. The target date for the commercial season opening is December 1 based on the results of test fishing to determine crab condition.
- A crab pot limit of 300 will be assigned to a license with landings totaling up to 35,999 pounds and a crab pot limit of 500 will be assigned to a license with landings totaling 36,000 pounds of crab or more.
- (5) Summer management period – Pot limits. Beginning May 1 through September 15, it is unlawful for a person to deploy or fish more than the specified reduced pot limit assigned to each license, unless otherwise authorized by permit issued by the director. Each pot deployed during the summer management period must possess a summer buoy tag, unless authorized by permit issued by the director. (a) Licenses with a permanent pot limit of 500 will be assigned a reduced pot limit of 330 pots. (b) Licenses with a permanent pot limit of 300 will be assigned a reduced pot limit of 200 pots.
- (e) Beginning May 1, through September 15, it is unlawful to leave Dungeness crab pots deployed in Grays Harbor, Willapa Bay, Columbia River, or waters of the Pacific Ocean adjacent to the state of Washington for more than 14 consecutive days without making a Dungeness crab landing.
- (1) It is unlawful to take, fish for, land, or deliver Dungeness crab for commercial purposes from the Columbia River, Willapa Bay, Grays Harbor, and the Pacific Ocean without a valid Dungeness crab - coastal fishery license, as designated in RCW 77.70.280, or from Puget Sound without a valid Dungeness crab - Puget Sound license, as designated in RCW 77.70.110, and are in addition to the license specific unlawful act provisions described in WAC 220-340-421 and 220-340-422.
- (d) It is unlawful to fish for or possess Dungeness crab or to set crab gear in waters of the Pacific Ocean adjacent to the states of Oregon or California without the licenses or permits required to commercially fish for Dungeness crab within the state waters of Oregon or California. Washington coastal Dungeness crab permits are valid only in Washington state waters, the Columbia River, Willapa Bay, Grays Harbor, and the Pacific Ocean in federal waters north of the Washington/Oregon border (46°15'00"N. Lat.), extending 200 nautical miles westward.
- (3) Incidental catch may not be retained. It is unlawful to retain salmon, food fish, or any shellfish other than octopus that is taken incidental to any commercial crab fishing. Violation of this subsection is a gross misdemeanor or class C felony punishable under RCW 77.15.550 (1), depending on the quantity of crab taken or possessed.
- WAC 220-340-420 (https://app.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=220-340-420): (2) Crab size and sex restrictions. It is unlawful for any person acting for commercial purposes to take, possess, deliver, or otherwise control: (a) Any female Dungeness crab; or (b) Any male Dungeness crab measuring less than 6-1/4 inches, caliper measurement, at the widest part of the shell immediately in front of the points (tips). (sex/size rule)
- Size/sex and licensing: WAC 220-340-420 (https://app.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=220-340-420); pot limits: WAC 220-340-480 (https://app.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=220-340-480).
- Status 'closed': the latest WDFW emergency rule (Coastal commercial crab (WSR 26-19-044, WAC 220-340-45000E)) ended 2026-09-15; WAC 220-340-450; WAC 220-340-420; WAC 220-340-480 keeps the fishery closed except as provided by emergency rule.
- Where
- Puget Sound (bays & inshore)
- Size limit
- (2) Crab size and sex restrictions. It is unlawful for any person acting for commercial purposes to take, possess, deliver, or otherwise control: (a) Any female Dungeness crab; or (b) Any male Dungeness crab measuring less than 6-1/4 inches, caliper measurement, at the widest part of the shell immediately in front of the points (tips).
- Season
- (1) It is unlawful to fish for, take, or possess crab for commercial purposes except during open commercial crab harvest seasons and from open commercial crab management units as set by emergency rule. Commercial crab fishing will be open from one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset during open seasons, except as provided below.
- (1) Puget Sound licensing district commercial shellfish gear limit. It is unlawful for any person to take or fish for crab for commercial purposes in the Puget Sound licensing district if he or she is using, operating, or controlling any more than an aggregate total of 100 shellfish pots. This limit applies to each license. This subsection does not preclude a person who holds two or three Puget Sound crab licenses from designating and using the licenses from one vessel as authorized by RCW 77.65.130. Violation of this subsection is a gross misdemeanor, punishable under RCW 77.15.520 Commercial fishing — Unlawful gear or methods — Penalty.
- (1) It is unlawful to take, fish for, land, or deliver Dungeness crab for commercial purposes from the Columbia River, Willapa Bay, Grays Harbor, and the Pacific Ocean without a valid Dungeness crab - coastal fishery license, as designated in RCW 77.70.280, or from Puget Sound without a valid Dungeness crab - Puget Sound license, as designated in RCW 77.70.110, and are in addition to the license specific unlawful act provisions described in WAC 220-340-421 and 220-340-422.
- (3) Incidental catch may not be retained. It is unlawful to retain salmon, food fish, or any shellfish other than octopus that is taken incidental to any commercial crab fishing. Violation of this subsection is a gross misdemeanor or class C felony punishable under RCW 77.15.550 (1), depending on the quantity of crab taken or possessed.
- (2) The following areas are closed to commercial crab fisheries regulated by the department:
- Size/sex and licensing: WAC 220-340-420 (https://app.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=220-340-420); gear limits: WAC 220-340-470 (https://app.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=220-340-470).
Quick answers
What is the dungeness crab size limit in Washington?
Min. size 6" (for the first listed area; other areas may differ — see above).
How many dungeness crab can I keep in Washington?
Six males (for the first listed area; other areas may differ — see above).
When is dungeness crab season in Washington?
Crab Pots: Open 1 Dec. through 15 Sept. Crab gear other than pots: Open all year.. Whether it is open on a specific day can change by emergency rule — check today's status in the app.
Compare Dungeness crab limits in other states →
More crabs, lobster & shrimp in Washington
All Washington saltwater fishing regulations →
Source: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Most anglers need a Washington saltwater license or registry: get one here.