California boaters' mussel sticker rises to $42 as golden mussels spread

Owners of California-registered boats used in freshwater now pay more for the sticker that funds the state's fight against invasive mussels. California State Parks' Division of Boating and Waterways announced Friday, Oct. 23, that the Mussel Fee Sticker increase took effect Oct. 22.

The sticker now costs $21 when first purchased during an even-numbered calendar year and $42 when first purchased during an odd-numbered calendar year, the division said. The $42 fee covers the full two-year sticker cycle. For a boater buying a sticker for a full two-year cycle, the cost rises from $16 to $42. State law allows the fee to be adjusted in odd-numbered years, according to the release.

The division tied the increase to golden mussels, which were first detected in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in October 2024. Since then, detections have expanded into additional California waterways and water infrastructure, the release said. Golden mussels reproduce rapidly, attach in dense colonies to hard surfaces and can be moved between waterbodies on boats, trailers and in residual water. The division said invasive mussels can clog water intakes and pipes, damage water-delivery and power infrastructure, harm fisheries and increase maintenance costs, and that eradication after mussels enter a waterway often fails.

California created the sticker program in 2012 to help prevent the spread of quagga and zebra mussels. In 2025, Assembly Bill 149 revised the program to cover all species of invasive mussels and directed changes to the fee structure beginning in 2026, the division said.

“We recognize that any fee increase affects boat owners,” said Ramona Fernandez, deputy director of the Division of Boating and Waterways. “This strengthened Mussel Fee Sticker program will allow California to invest more into protecting waterways from the growing threat of invasive mussels and help waterbody managers keep those waters healthy, accessible and open for recreation.”

Fees paid by boat owners support grants the division administers for eligible waterbody managers that allow boating and fishing, as well as prevention work by partner agencies. The money pays for watercraft inspections, decontamination, early-detection monitoring, prevention planning and public education, according to the release.

State law requires California-registered recreational vessels operated in freshwater to buy and display a current sticker. It is purchased separately from vessel registration through the Department of Motor Vehicles, which provides two stickers to be displayed one on each side of the hull, next to and in line with the CF number and registration stickers. Boats used only in marine or salt water remain exempt, but the sticker is required before operating in inland waterways, rivers, lakes, reservoirs and areas of the Delta east of Chipps Island. Officers may cite freshwater boaters operating without one.

Stickers can be bought online at dmv.ca.gov/musselfee, at a DMV field office, or at participating AAA offices for members. The division also asked boaters to clean, drain and dry their vessels, trailers and equipment before leaving a waterbody and before launching somewhere new, and to follow local inspection, quarantine and decontamination rules.

See something we should correct? Read our corrections policy.