You checked the level before you hitched up. This is the other thing that turns boats around at the ramp: a sticker nobody sold you, or a roadside station you were not allowed to drive past. Both come from the same worry — zebra and quagga mussels moving between lakes on trailers and gear — and both are set state by state.
A sticker is a state thing, and the states do not agree
Eleven states appear on the federal government's list of aquatic invasive species decal programs: California, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming. Each runs its own — its own price, its own exemptions, its own agency, its own expiry. The out-of-state boat is the one that gets caught out: Idaho folds its sticker fee into the annual registration of an Idaho-registered motorboat and charges a visiting one $30 for the sticker on its own, and Oregon writes its AIS Prevention Permit specifically for out-of-state motorboats and sailboats.
USDA National Invasive Species Information Center — the list of state decal programs. Check the state's own agency for the current price: the federal list files Idaho's sticker under Fish and Game, and Idaho Fish and Game says on its own page that it does not sell it.
Stopping at an inspection station is usually not optional
In the western states that run roadside watercraft inspection, the stop is a requirement rather than an invitation, and it reaches further than most drivers expect — Idaho's rule names not just the boat but the “conveyance”, which takes in waders, decoys, tackle and life jackets. Oregon puts a routine stop at 10 to 15 minutes, or 20 minutes to an hour when a boat needs decontamination, and fines a driver $115 for passing an open station.
Invasive Species of Idaho — watercraft inspection stations; Oregon State Marine Board — aquatic invasive species program
Clean, drain, dry is the part no permit replaces
- Clean visible plants, animals and mud off everything before you leave the water access.
- Drain the motor, the bilge, the livewell and anything else holding water, before you leave the water access.
- Dry everything for at least five days, or wipe it with a towel before you use it again.
The two states with a page here
The prices and rules below are quoted from the state agency that publishes them, with the link beside every figure.
Idaho invasive species sticker
Every motorized and non-motorized boat on Idaho water has to show an Invasive Species Fund sticker, and there is exactly one exemption: a boat that is inflatable AND non-motorized AND under 10 feet.
Oregon aquatic invasive species permit
Oregon splits the answer in two: paddlecraft buy a Waterway Access Permit, out-of-state motorboats and sailboats buy an Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention Permit, and the one you need depends on what you are towing.
Boating anywhere else? Go to that state's own agency — a fee copied from a third party is the one that gets you a citation.
AIS stickers and inspections, asked and answered
Do I need an AIS sticker on my boat?
It depends entirely on the state you launch in — eleven states appear on the federal list of aquatic invasive species decal programs, each with its own price, its own exemptions and its own agency. In Idaho every motorized and non-motorized boat needs a sticker unless it is inflatable, non-motorized and under 10 feet. In Oregon every non-motorized boat needs a Waterway Access Permit, and out-of-state motorboats need an AIS Prevention Permit.
Do I have to stop at a boat inspection station?
In the western states that run them, yes. Idaho requires anyone traveling past an open station with a watercraft or conveyance to stop, and Oregon requires every boater towing a motorized or non-motorized boat to stop when a station is open — a $115 fine there for driving past one.
How long does a boat inspection take?
Oregon’s Marine Board puts a routine inspection at 10 to 15 minutes, and 20 minutes to an hour when the boat needs decontamination.
What does clean, drain, dry actually require?
The federal wording is short: clean visible plants, animals and mud off everything before you leave the water access; drain the motor, bilge, livewell and anything else holding water before you leave; and dry everything for at least five days, or wipe it with a towel before using it again.
LakeDates reads lake gauges. Everything on these pages is the state agency’s own published rule, quoted with a link beside it — fees and rules change, and the agency page is the authority, not this one.