Officials with the Idaho State Department of Agriculture have opened watercraft inspection stations and begun inspecting boats and other vessels for the 2026 recreation season, the department announced Wednesday.
All boat owners are required to stop for a mandatory inspection when traveling past an Idaho watercraft inspection station during business hours. The inspection requirements are not just limited to traditional boats. All watercraft or water-related equipment, regardless of size or whether it is motorized or not, are required to be inspected at the mandatory inspection stations, including paddleboards, kayaks, canoes and other conveyances.
The purpose of the inspection stations is to stop the transfer and spread of invasive species like quagga mussels and zebra mussels, state officials said.
In 2023, state officials announced they had detected nonnative, invasive quagga mussels in the Snake River near Twin Falls for the first time in state history.
“Stopping at watercraft inspection stations is a critical step in protecting Idaho from invasive species,” Idaho State Department of Agriculture Director Chanel Tewalt said in a written statement issued Wednesday. “Idaho’s waters are essential to our recreation, economy and way of life. Whether coming from out of state or visiting a local waterway, we all share a responsibility to stop at inspection stations. Making the effort to clean, drain and dry all watercraft is essential to protecting Idaho.”
Idaho State Department of Agriculture officials say the inspection stations are Idaho’s first line of defense against the introduction and spread of invasive species.
Last year, officials in Idaho conducted 173,000 watercraft inspections, with inspections increasing by 67% since the 2023 discovery of quagga mussels, according to the Idaho State Department of Agriculture.
State officials are also encouraging boaters to practice “clean, drain and dry” steps on their own to help prevent the spread of invasive species. Officials ask boaters to clean all of their equipment before leaving any body of water. Boaters should also drain water from all of their boats and compartments, pull their boat’s bilge plug and allow all water to drain. Finally, boaters should dry everything thoroughly before using their boat or equipment in a different body of water.
Tewalt and state officials have warned that the quagga mussels are capable of reproducing rapidly, which could clog pipes used for irrigation or drinking water. Officials say an infestation of the invasive mussels could impact fish populations and wildlife habitat, hurt the agriculture and tourism industries and cause millions of dollars in actual damage and indirect costs.
More information is available online at www.invasive species.idaho.gov or by calling (877) 336-8676.
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