California Mussel Fee Sticker Rises to $42 for a Two-Year Cycle, Effective October 22, as Golden Mussels Spread
SACRAMENTO, California — California State Parks' Division of Boating and Waterways (DBW) has announced an increase in the state's Mussel Fee Sticker, effective October 22: the sticker costs $21 when first purchased in an even-numbered calendar year and $42 when first purchased in an odd-numbered year, with the $42 fee covering 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.
The increase comes as invasive golden mussels spread in California. The state created the Mussel Fee Sticker program in 2012 to prevent the spread of quagga and zebra mussels; in 2025, Assembly Bill 149 revised the program to address all species of invasive mussels and directed changes to the fee structure beginning in 2026. Golden mussels were first detected in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in October 2024, and detections have since expanded into additional California waterways and water infrastructure. The mussels reproduce rapidly, attach in dense colonies to hard surfaces and can move between waterbodies on boats, trailers and in residual water; they can clog water intakes and pipes, damage water-delivery and power infrastructure, harm fisheries and aquatic food webs, attach to boat hulls and engines, raise maintenance costs and contribute to boating restrictions. Because eradicating mussels after they enter a waterway often fails, officials say prevention is critical.
"California's waterways are essential to recreation, local economies, drinking water, agriculture, power generation and the health of our natural resources," said Ramona Fernandez, deputy director of DBW. "We recognize that any fee increase affects boat owners. 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."
State law requires California-registered recreational vessels operated in freshwater to purchase and display a current Mussel Fee Sticker, bought separately from vessel registration through the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV); the DMV 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. Vessels used exclusively in marine or salt water are exempt, but the sticker must be purchased before operating in freshwater, including inland waterways, rivers, lakes, reservoirs and Delta waters east of Chipps Island, and law enforcement may cite a freshwater boater operating without one. Fees support watercraft inspections, decontamination, early-detection monitoring, prevention planning and public education, including DBW grants to eligible waterbody managers. DBW also urges boaters to clean, drain and dry their vessel, trailer and equipment before leaving a waterbody and before launching somewhere new, and to follow local inspection, quarantine and decontamination requirements. Stickers are sold through the DMV online, at DMV field offices, and at participating American Automobile Association offices for members.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：左为附满斑马贻贝类入侵贻贝的船只螺旋桨（美国国家公园管理局 NPS 图），右为 Sacramento-San Joaquin 三角洲管道上附着的金贻贝（加州水资源部图）；拼图由加州州立公园发布。/ Left: a boat propeller encrusted with invasive mussels (National Park Service). Right: golden mussels on a pipe in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (California Department of Water Resources). Collage released by California State Parks.
