Foraging in Sonoma and Mendocino counties
Short answer: yes, usually — and they are two different things. Coastal shellfish and clamming need a California sport-fishing licence for anyone 16 or over. Mushrooms on Jackson Demonstration State Forest need a CAL FIRE permit, one per person, $20, mail only, allow 10 to 14 days.
California requires anyone 16 or over to carry a sport-fishing licence to gather shellfish. It is quick to buy online, and we send the link before your date. If you are joining a Coastal Harvest or a Bay Clam Dig, this one is not optional.
Some of the public forest we use is Jackson Demonstration State Forest, and CAL FIRE requires every person collecting mushrooms there to carry their own permit. It costs $20, and it runs to 30 June whichever month you buy it.
It is mail only: you print the form, post it with a check or money order and a stamped self-addressed envelope, and CAL FIRE mails the permit back to you. Allow 10 to 14 days. Apply the day you book; Priority Mail can speed it up. The form is on CAL FIRE's Jackson State Forest page, under Mushroom Permit Information.
The permit must be carried while you are picking, and digging is not allowed anywhere on the forest.
Tell us. We choose the ground on the day according to conditions, and we will put your foray somewhere we can legally pick. Do not quietly turn up without it.
Do I need anything for a Forage Walk at The Sea Ranch? No licence is needed for the Forage Walk & Wild Tasting, and for that walk only: it stays around The Sea Ranch and Salt Point. For the other mushroom forays, see the CAL FIRE permit above. We forage only where it is legal.
Is one permit enough for a couple? No. The CAL FIRE permit is per person.
Can I buy the permit on the day? No — it is mail only, which is why the two weeks matter.
The same detail, in short form, is on the FAQ.