Utah reminds boaters to complete invasive species course before launch season

A long tow to Lake Powell, Jordanelle State Park or another Utah ramp can end in the parking lot if the boat owner skips the state’s invasive species checklist. Utah wildlife officials reminded spring and summer boaters on April 15 that anyone launching a boat or other watercraft in Utah in 2026, including motorized boats, kayaks, paddleboards and other nonmotorized craft, must complete the annual mussel-aware boater course and carry proof of completion in the launch vehicle or on the DWR Hunting and Fishing mobile app.

For motorized boats, there is another step that can trip up a rushed trip: the annual Aquatic Invasive Species Program vessel enrollment fee. Utah Division of Wildlife Resources materials list that fee at $20 per watercraft for residents and $25 for nonresidents, and it is separate from Utah DMV boat registration. State officials said a few legislative changes to aquatic invasive species boater requirements were passed this year, but they do not take effect until Jan. 1, 2027, so the current-season rules stay in place.

That matters most for anyone heading toward Lake Powell, still the only Utah waterbody with confirmed quagga mussels. Every watercraft leaving Lake Powell needs an exit inspection during inspection-station hours, but an inspection is not the same thing as a decontamination. If a boat has been at an infested waterbody in the previous 30 days, the owner has to complete the required dry time or get a professional decontamination before launching somewhere else. Utah’s dry-time rules after Lake Powell are seven days in summer, 18 days in spring and fall, and 30 days in winter. Wakeboard boats are generally treated as complex boats and need a 30-day dry time unless they are professionally decontaminated.

That is where a weekend can disappear fast. Some Utah decontamination stations use hot water and can finish the job in less than 10 minutes, but only if boaters get there before the launch line becomes a bottleneck. In 2025, Utah and partner agencies inspected 288,554 boats statewide and carried out 6,509 decontaminations, including 51,337 inspections and 1,886 decontaminations in the Lake Powell area.

Utah says quagga mussels can damage fisheries, beaches, boats and water lines, which is why the state keeps pushing the same message before the ramps fill up: clean, drain and dry first, or risk getting turned away after the drive.