South Atlantic snapper-grouper federal rules are the size, bag, season and gear limits that the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council and NOAA Fisheries set for reef species in federal waters, 3 to 200 nautical miles off Florida’s Atlantic coast, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. They are codified in 50 CFR part 622.
Every boat fishing the snapper-grouper complex must carry three things:
- A dehooking device
- A descending device attached to at least 16 ounces of weight and at least 60 feet of line, ready for use
- The correct hooks for your latitude: non-offset, non-stainless circle hooks with natural bait north of 28° N, and non-stainless hooks south of it
The snapper-grouper complex is the federal grouping of reef species. How to fish these reef species is a separate topic. This page explains how the rules work and points to the agency pages that hold the legal text. By the end you will know what is open on your trip date, what to carry, and which state page to open.
Who Sets the Federal Snapper-Grouper Rules and Who Needs a Permit
The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) writes the snapper-grouper rules, and the NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office implements them. The legal text is in 50 CFR part 622 rules, which is the reference to check before you fish. For species-level detail, use SAFMC’s species regulation pages.
Private recreational anglers need no federal permit for snapper-grouper species.
For-hire: charter vessels and headboats need a federal charter vessel/headboat permit for South Atlantic snapper-grouper.
Off the Florida Keys, the Council line runs along 83° W north to 24°35′ N, then east to the mainland. The Gulf Council manages the waters on the other side of it.
Tunas, billfish, swordfish and sharks are HMS species with their own permits and reporting.
Federal Waters vs. State Waters
Federal waters run from 3 to 200 nautical miles off each state’s Atlantic coast. Inside 3 nautical miles, state rules apply. That boundary matters on every run from the Florida Keys to Cape Hatteras, from ports such as Jacksonville, Charleston and Morehead City. See fishing the Southeast Atlantic coast for the ground itself.
For-hire: a vessel with a federal for-hire or commercial snapper-grouper permit follows the red snapper, shallow-water grouper and greater amberjack closures in state waters too.
State-water rules are covered in the state section below.
Species Covered and How the Aggregates Stack
The complex groups snappers, groupers, tilefishes, jacks, sea basses, porgies, triggerfish and grunts under one management plan. Each species has its own size limit, and many share aggregate bag limits.
Groupers, snappers and black sea bass are measured in total length, the longest point from snout to the tip of the tail. Greater amberjack and gray triggerfish are measured in fork length, from snout to the fork of the tail.
No retention: goliath grouper, Nassau grouper, warsaw grouper, speckled hind.
The Aggregates in Plain Numbers
- Grouper/tilefish aggregate: 3 groupers and tilefish combined per person per day.
- Inside it: 1 gag or black grouper, 1 scamp or yellowmouth combined, 1 golden tilefish and 2 blueline tilefish.
- Snowy grouper is 1 per vessel.
- Snapper aggregate: 10 snappers per person per day combined, with no more than 5 mutton.
- Red snapper, vermilion snapper and cubera snapper 30 inches or longer sit outside the 10.
- Off Florida, no more than 2 cubera snapper 30 inches or longer per day.
- 20-fish aggregate: gray triggerfish and other listed porgies, jacks, grunts and spadefish count toward a 20-fish aggregate, with no more than 10 of any one species.
One gag plus 2 blueline tilefish fills your 3-fish grouper/tilefish aggregate for the day, because the blueline limit counts inside the 3 and is not added to it.
Core Species Table
Figures below come from the agency rules in 50 CFR part 622 and the NOAA and SAFMC species pages. Check the sources named in each row before you fish.
| Species | Minimum size | Bag | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| red snapper | no minimum during the season | 1 per person per day in season, 0 when closed | Closed except a short season NOAA announces in the Federal Register each year. Source: eCFR §622.183 |
| vermilion snapper | 12 in TL | 5 per person per day, outside the 10-snapper aggregate | No closed recreational season. Source: eCFR §622.187 |
| mutton, yellowtail, gray, lane, cubera snapper | mutton 18 in; yellowtail, gray, cubera 12 in; lane 8 in (TL) | 10 snappers combined, max 5 mutton | Open year-round. Source: eCFR §622.185 and §622.187 |
| gag, black grouper | 24 in TL | 1 per person per day, inside the 3-fish aggregate. For-hire captain and crew: 0. Vessel limits: see eCFR §622.187 and NOAA Fishery Bulletins | Closed Jan 1 to Apr 30. Gag opens May 1 and closes when NOAA projects the annual catch limit is reached. Source: eCFR §622.183 |
| red grouper | 20 in TL | inside the 3-fish aggregate | Closed Jan 1 to Apr 30 off Florida. Closed Jan 1 to May 31 off SC and NC. Source: eCFR §622.183 |
| scamp, yellowmouth grouper | 20 in TL | 1 combined, inside the 3-fish aggregate | Closed Jan 1 to Apr 30. Source: eCFR §622.183 |
| greater amberjack | 28 in FL | 1 per person per day | Closed Apr 1 to Apr 30. Source: eCFR §622.185 |
| gray triggerfish | 12 in FL | inside the 20-fish aggregate, max 10 of one species | No closed recreational season. Source: eCFR §622.187 |
| black sea bass | 13 in TL | 7 per person per day | No closed recreational season south of Cape Hatteras. Source: eCFR §622.187 |
| golden tilefish | no minimum | 1, inside the 3-fish aggregate | Opens Jan 1 and closes when NOAA projects the annual catch limit is reached. Source: eCFR §622.187 |
| blueline tilefish | no minimum | 2, inside the 3-fish aggregate. For-hire captain and crew: 0 | Closed Jan 1 to Apr 30 and Sep 1 to Dec 31. Source: eCFR §622.183 |
| snowy grouper | see SAFMC | 1 per vessel | Closed Jan 1 to Apr 30 and Jul 1 to Dec 31 off NC. Confirm on the NOAA closures page |
Captain and crew on for-hire trips keep zero gag, black grouper and blueline tilefish.
Seasons and Closures
Some closures are fixed on the calendar every year. Others take effect when NOAA projects the annual catch limit is reached, and NOAA announces those end dates.
The fixed closures:
- Shallow-water groupers, January 1 to April 30
- Red grouper through May 31 off South Carolina and North Carolina
- Greater amberjack, April 1 to April 30
- Blueline tilefish, January 1 to April 30 and September 1 to December 31
The quota-driven closures include the gag end date, golden tilefish and any annual catch limit closure. Check NOAA’s South Atlantic seasonal closures before every trip. NOAA Fishery Bulletins carry the announcements.
Red snapper has its own schedule. NOAA announces the season dates in the Federal Register each year. Outside the season, release red snapper immediately with a minimum of harm. The NOAA red snapper state data collection page carries the announcements.
Where Rules Split
| Rule | How it splits |
|---|---|
| Red grouper closure | Through April off Florida. Through May off SC and NC |
| Hooks with natural bait | North of 28° N: non-offset, non-stainless circle hooks. South: non-stainless hooks |
| Black sea bass | North of Cape Hatteras (about 35°15′ N), Mid-Atlantic Council rules apply. Follow the regulations of the landing state |
| 20-fish aggregate | Triggerfish, porgies, jacks, grunts, spadefish. Max 10 of one species |
| 10-snapper aggregate | Max 5 mutton. Red, vermilion and cubera 30 in+ sit outside it |
Gear and Release Rules
Run this checklist at the dock:
- Dehooking device on board
- Descending device rigged with at least 16 ounces of weight and at least 60 feet of line, ready for use
- Correct hooks for your side of 28° N
- Fish landed with head and fins intact
The 28° N line sits just north of Vero Beach, and your hook rule changes when you cross it.
Authorized gear includes rod and reel, handline, bandit gear and spearfishing gear, among others listed in §622.188.
Deep-caught fish suffer barotrauma from the pressure change on the way up. A weighted descending device returns them to depth.
For-hire: the same gear rules apply on charter decks.
Deepwater Species Rules
Deepwater species carry vessel and aggregate limits that often catch people out.
- Golden tilefish: 1 per person per day, inside the 3-fish aggregate. The season opens January 1 and closes when NOAA projects the annual catch limit is reached.
- Blueline tilefish: 2 per person per day, inside the 3-fish aggregate. The open window is May 1 to August 31. For-hire captain and crew keep zero.
- Snowy grouper: 1 per vessel, not 1 per person. Of the three, this is the limit people most often get wrong.
For the snowy grouper season, follow the regulation and confirm on the NOAA closures page.
Spawning SMZs, MPAs and the Lines on Your Chart
Fishing for, possessing and retaining snapper-grouper species is prohibited inside Spawning SMZs. These zones protect fish in spawning condition, including speckled hind and warsaw grouper. MPAs carry bottom-fishing restrictions. For the amendment history behind the zones, see the snapper-grouper management plan amendments.
The agency coordinates are the legal boundary.
In the Breakpoint app, we overlay Chart Contours with boundary and zone layers so you can see whether a ledge sits inside a closed area or across the 3-nautical-mile line before you run to it. Chart layers are not for navigation, and the agency coordinates are the legal reference.
How State Rules Sit Alongside the Federal Ones
Inside 3 nautical miles, state rules apply. Federally permitted for-hire vessels also follow the listed federal closures inside that line. Check your state’s page before fishing.
- Florida: FWC sets state-water rules. FWC also runs a red snapper exempted fishing permit season, which lets declared participants fish a longer season in state and federal waters. FWC runs the State Reef Fish Survey; see FWC for who must sign up.
- Georgia: Georgia state-water rules come from GA DNR’s Coastal Resources Division.
- South Carolina: SCDNR’s Red Snapper Project runs an extended season in federal waters under an exempted fishing permit. Registered participants cannot also fish the federal season.
- North Carolina: the NC Division of Marine Fisheries sets state-water rules. Black sea bass north of Cape Hatteras follows the landing state.
Pre-Trip Checklist
- Trip date checked against the fixed closures and the NOAA closures page
- Red snapper status checked
- Which side of 28° N you are fishing
- State or federal water at each spot
- Gear on deck: dehooker, rigged descender, correct hooks
- Aggregate math planned for the boat
- For-hire boats: captain and crew zero limits briefed
- The relevant state page opened
Planning the bottom day with depth and zone layers in Breakpoint lets you decide where to look before you leave the dock.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is grouper season open in the South Atlantic?
Not from January 1 to April 30, when shallow-water groupers are closed. Red grouper stays closed through May off SC and NC. Gag opens May 1 and closes when NOAA projects the annual catch limit is reached. Check NOAA’s seasonal closures page before you go.
Do I need a descending device?
Yes. A descending device must be on board and ready for use, attached to at least 16 ounces of weight and at least 60 feet of line. A dehooking device is required too.
When are circle hooks required?
North of 28° N, use non-offset, non-stainless circle hooks with natural bait. South of 28° N, use non-stainless hooks. The line sits just north of Vero Beach.
How many groupers can I keep per day?
3 groupers and tilefish combined per person. Inside that, 1 gag or black grouper and 1 scamp or yellowmouth. For example, 1 gag plus 2 blueline tilefish fills the aggregate for the day.
When is red snapper season in the South Atlantic?
NOAA announces a short season in the Federal Register each year. The bag is 1 per person per day. Release red snapper outside the season. Florida and South Carolina also run exempted fishing permit seasons.
Do private anglers need a federal permit for snapper-grouper?
No. For-hire vessels need the federal charter vessel/headboat permit for South Atlantic snapper-grouper.
How do I measure fish for South Atlantic size limits?
Use total length for groupers, snappers and black sea bass. Use fork length for greater amberjack and gray triggerfish.
Do these rules cover blackfin or yellowfin tuna?
No. Tunas are HMS species. See the Atlantic tuna federal rules. For billfish and swordfish, see the billfish and swordfish federal rules.
Can a charter boat keep red snapper in state waters when federal waters are closed?
No. A vessel with a federal for-hire snapper-grouper permit follows the red snapper closure in state waters too. The same applies to the shallow-water grouper and amberjack closures.