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.
What it costs
| Who | Fee | What that buys, and who says so |
|---|---|---|
| Non-motorized boat (kayak, canoe, raft, paddleboard) | $7.00 | Sold per vessel, whatever state you live in. Invasive Species of Idaho — sticker FAQs |
| Motorized boat not registered in Idaho | $30.00 | The out-of-state sticker: your home registration does not cover it. Invasive Species of Idaho — sticker FAQs |
| Motorized boat registered in Idaho | Included in registration | Idaho folded the $10 sticker fee into the annual boat registration in 2010, so the registration sticker is also the invasive species sticker. Invasive Species of Idaho — sticker FAQs |
Who has to have one
Idaho Parks and Recreation puts it flatly: any motorized or non-motorized boat operating in Idaho has to display an Invasive Species Fund sticker. The agency’s own list of what counts runs “boats, canoes, kayaks, stand up paddleboards, rafts, etc.”
The one exemption, and it is an AND
A boat is exempt only if it meets all three tests at once — under 10 feet, non-motorized, and inflatable. A hard-shell 9-foot kayak fails the third test and still needs the $7 sticker.
Where it goes, and when it runs out
The sticker has to be visible on the watercraft, and it expires on December 31 of its license year — it is a calendar-year sticker, not twelve months from the day you bought it.
Stopping at an inspection station is not optional
Idaho’s rule is that any citizen traveling past a watercraft inspection station with a watercraft or conveyance must stop — and “conveyance” reaches past the boat to waders, duck decoys, fishing tackle and life jackets. Most stations work daylight hours with a few running 18 or 24, mainly Memorial Day through Labor Day; some open earlier and stay open later.
Where to buy one
Idaho Parks and Recreation runs the sales: boaters can buy a sticker online, at any Idaho state park, or from a vendor.
The counter it is not sold at
Idaho Fish and Game says on its own page that it does not sell invasive species stickers and points at Parks and Recreation instead — worth knowing before you drive to the wrong window.
Idaho boat stickers, asked and answered
Do I need an invasive species sticker for a kayak in Idaho?
Yes, unless the kayak is inflatable and under 10 feet — the exemption needs all three of non-motorized, inflatable and under 10 feet at once. A hard-shell kayak of any length needs the $7 non-motorized sticker.
How much is the Idaho invasive species sticker?
$7.00 for a non-motorized boat and $30.00 for a motorized boat that is not registered in Idaho. A motorboat registered in Idaho has the $10 sticker fee inside its annual registration, so there is nothing extra to buy.
When does the Idaho invasive species sticker expire?
On December 31 of its license year. It runs to the end of the calendar year rather than a year from purchase, and it has to stay visible on the boat.
Do I have to stop at an Idaho watercraft inspection station?
Yes. Idaho requires anyone traveling past an open inspection station with a watercraft or conveyance to stop, and conveyance covers gear as well as boats — waders, decoys, tackle and life jackets among them.
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. For Idaho, that is Idaho Parks and Recreation — invasive species program.
Checking the water while you are at it? Idaho lake levels — today's reading on every Idaho lake here. And the rules above are one state's: what an AIS sticker is, and which states run one.