Who needs to carry a permit
Manually powered boats (paddle boards (SUPs), rafts, drift boats, kayaks, canoes, etc.) 10 feet long and longer will need to carry one permit per boat when in use.
- Permits are transferrable to other manually-powered craft.
- Non-Motorized Boat permits are available as either a one-year or two year cycle. The one-year permit expires on December 31 the year issued and is available at ODFW license agents. A two-year permit is available from the Marine Board and expires on December 31 of the second year issued.
- Oregon Motorized Boats are required to be registered. A $5 fee is added to the cost of registration. Current decals on the boat act as proof of payment into the program. Registration decals are valid for two calendar years.
- Out-of-State Motorized Boats used in Oregon waters must carry one permit per boat when in use.
Where do I purchase permits?
Oregon State Marine Board:AIS permit
Two-year Tyvek tags for paddlecraft are for sale through the Marine Board office in Salem. Tyvek tags can be ordered:
- Online - Visit our new online store, purchase your Tyvek permits and print a temporary permit that you can use right away.
- U.S. mail by downloading an order form and mailing it to the Marine Board, P.O. Box 14145, Salem, OR 97309.
- Tyvek tags can also be purchased from a variety of AIS Permit Dealers statewide. The cost of the one year tag is $5 and $10 for two years. Aquatic Invasive Species permits expire on December 31 of the year indicated on the permit.
OR
•ODFW Offices
•ODFW License Agents
OR
Marine Board AIS Permit Dealers
Yes, but they're very limited and specific.
- Non-motorized boats and float toys under 10 feet in length;
- Federal, state, county and municipality-owned watercraft used for official business;
- A ship's lifeboat used solely for lifesaving purposes;
- Seaplanes;
- Eleemosynary groups; (Eleemosynary organizations are those which are operated primarily as a part of organized activities for the purpose of teaching youths scout craft, camping, seamanship, self-reliance, patriotism, courage and kindred virtues). Defined in ORS 830.790.
- Surfboards, sailboards and kiteboards.
- The Marine Board has adopted language setting the minimum age requirement for the Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention Permit to age 14.
- Manually powered boats 10 feet long and longer are required to have an Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention permit on board ONLY if the operator is an individual age 14 or older.
- Youth 13 or younger are not required to carry a permit. Note that all non-motorized boats under 10 feet are exempt from the permit requirement.
What if I lose my permit? How do I get a replacement?
- No replacements will be issued. Boaters will need to purchase another permit.
- Why do motorized boats pay $5 every two years and non-motorized $5 each year?
- Boat registration decals are non-transferrable -AND they adhere to the bow of the boat. However, manually powered permits are transferrable. The person can use it on other non-motorized boats.
- Permits are NOT transferrable from non-motorized boats to motorized boats.
What about sailboats under 12 feet?
- Sailboats under 12 feet are not required to be registered with the Marine Board. So if a sailboat is between 10 and 12 feet, the boater will also need a $5 annual permit.
What about livery (rental businesses)?
- Non-motorized liveries (rental businesses) will receive a quantity discount on permits which must be purchased directly from the Oregon State Marine Board.
What about boats from Washington or Idaho?
- Boats from Idaho that have an Idaho Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention sticker do not need an Oregon permit if boating within the mainstem of the Snake River.
- Boats from Washington do not need an Oregon permit if boating within the mainstem of the Columbia River.
- Boats from Washington or Idaho may launch in Oregon tributaries within ONE RIVER MILE of the Columbia or Snake rivers (common interstate boundary waters) without a permit, only for the purposes of accessing the Columbia and Snake rivers.
- All manually powered boats UNDER 10 feet long are exempt from the permit requirement.
Does this mean non-motorized boats will have to be registered?
- No. Non-motorized boats are NOT titled or registered under the program. Fees from permits are deposited directly into a fund dedicated to this program. The funds generated from the program do not contribute to the state's general fund. Some of the funds will be transferred to ODFW to implement the boat inspection aspect of the program and Oregon State Police for law enforcement services.
What does this mean to the motorized boater with a boat registered in Oregon?
Oregon registered motorboat owners DO NOT NEED TO PURCHASE A PERMIT: the fee is automatically added to the cost of registration. Current registration decals are proof of payment into the Aquatic Invasive Species Permit program. - Registered boaters (including registered sailboats 12 feet and longer) pay an additional $5 fee when they renew their boat registration, which is valid for two calendar years. Current boat decals (which are stickers that attach to the bow of the boat) are proof of payment into the program.
- If you also have paddle craft in addition to your motorized vessel, you can purchase individual Tyvek tags permits through the Marine Board's online store or by coming into the main office in Salem. Annual paper permits can also be purchased through ODFW's license agents.
What about motorized boats in multi-jurisdictional waters like the Columbia and Snake rivers?
- Boats registered in Washington or Idaho do not need an Oregon-issued Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention Permit to operate or launch from Oregon into the Columbia River (Washington boaters ) or Snake River (Idaho boaters), or tributaries within ONE RIVER MILE of the Columbia and Snake Rivers for the purposes of accessing them.
- Washington and Idaho boaters need a permit when boating in Oregon's state waters including reservoirs, the Multnomah Channel, the Willamette, Deschutes, John Day and other rivers.
- Washington boaters pay a surcharge for aquatic invasive species prevention when they register their boats in Washington.
- Idaho has a similar Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention Permit program. Registered boaters from Idaho have a permit affixed to their boats.
What about drift boats with auxiliary motors?
- If a drift boat is currently registered with the Marine Board, the $5 permit fee will automatically be included. If your registration is due to expire, then your renewal notification will include the $5 fee.
What about sailboats? Are they exempt?
- No. Owners of sailboats between 10' and 12' must also have a permit.
- Sailboats 12' and longer are required to register their boat with the Marine Board and the fee is automatically included with the registration fee.
What if an out-of-state visitor also wants to use a paddlecraft?
- The out-of-state motorized permit is NOT transferrable to paddlecraft.
- If the paddlecraft is in use, then the operator will need to purchase and carry a non-motorized boat permit, (which is transferrable to other paddlecraft) and costs $5.
- Ocean-going recreational boats.
Enforcement and Fines
Boaters who operate a non-motorized boat 10 feet or more in length without aquatic invasive species permit will be fined $30 and motorboats, $50 (in addition to not having valid OR numbers displayed on the motorboat). Prohibits court from imposing additional assessment or surcharge.
SECTION 1. ORS 830.990: Violation of ORS 830.565 by a person operating a manually propelled boat is punishable by a fine of $30, and violation of ORS 830.565 by a person operating a motorboat is punishable by a fine of $50. A court may not impose the unitary assessment provided for in ORS 137.290, the assessment provided for in ORS 137.309, or any other additional assessment or surcharge, for a violation of ORS 830.565.
Mandatory Boat Inspections
All Boaters ARE Required to Stop if Inspection Station is Open
Inspection teams are made up of specially trained personnel employed with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. ALL boaters are required to stop at designated roadside inspection stations.
Inspection teams will look inside and outside boats (including kayaks and canoes mounted on vehicle racks) for invasive species.
Any area that is capable of storing water for extended periods of time will be inspected.
If a motorized boat is deemed "clean," a member of the inspection team will affix a special zip tie around the bow of the boat and the trailer winch. This is proof the boat passed an inspection and is clean for launching. Once the boat is launched, the zip tie will break away from the winch. Boaters are asked to pick up the remnants and properly discard them in the trash or plastic recycle container at the launch ramp.
Inspections take approximately 10 minutes. If a boat is contaminated with invasive species, the inspection team will decontaminate the craft on-site. This could take anywhere between 20 minutes to 1 hour.
Inspectors will also spend time educating the boater about properly cleaning, draining and drying their craft before launching into Oregon waterways.
Inspection stations are set up for the current recreational boating season at the points of entry into Oregon and will also be set up at random locations. Failure to stop at an inspection station could result in a $110 fine.
SECTION 1. ORS 570.855 is amended to read:
570.855 (1) The State Department of Fish and Wildlife, the State Marine Board and the State Department of Agriculture may require a person operating or transporting a recreational or commercial watercraft to stop at a check station for the purpose of inspecting the watercraft for the presence of aquatic invasive species:
[(b)] (2) The Department of Fish and Wildlife, the State Marine Board and the State Department of Agriculture may decontaminate, or recommend decontamination of. any recreational or commercial watercraft that is inspected at a check station operated under authority of this section.
[(2)] (3) All check stations operated under authority of this section must be plainly marked by signs that comply with all state and federal laws and must be staffed by at least one uniformed employee of the State Department of Fish and Wildlife, the State Marine Board or the State Department of Agriculture trained in inspection and decontamination of recreational or commercial watercraft.