What to know about Oregon waterway access permits and House Bill 2982

By Garrett Christensen on Monday, July 28th, 2025 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News

SALEM – On June 24, 2025, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek officially signed House Bill 2982, which, among other aspects, increases the costs of waterway access permits and expands the criteria of what type and size of watercraft require permits. The bill was officially made law under Chapter 318 on Friday, July 25, with an effective enforcement date of July 1, 2026.

Since then, some confusion has arisen, particularly regarding the specific cost increases, and if innertubes and other small/leisure flotation devices count as watercraft under the new rules. For anyone unfamiliar with the new rules or needing a breakdown of the primary changes, see below the following talking points list from the Oregon State Marine Board, detailing the primary changes and key classifications for House Bill 2982 (provided to Elkhorn Media Group by the office of State Representative Mark Owens):

(From the Oregon State Marine Board)

Waterway access permits are currently required for paddlecraft, including stand up paddleboards 10 feet and longer and sailboats between 10 feet and 11.11 feet.

The waterway access permit requirement for paddlecraft has been in place since 2020. (SB 47)

Prior to the waterway access permit, there was an aquatic invasive species permit requirement, which was implemented in 2010.

Revenue for the waterway access permit fund is dedicated for nonmotorized boating access needs through boating facility grants to improve or develop nonmotorized boating access to the water.

Revenue for the aquatic invasive species prevention fund are passed through to ODFW to fund inspectors, inspection stations, decontamination equipment, and provide signage and education materials for the boating public.

Motorboaters have a surcharge added to their motorboat registration which goes into a dedicated aquatic invasive species account to help pay for ODFW inspection stations.

Out-of-state motorboats and sailboats 12 feet in length or more are required to purchase and carry/display an AIS Permit.
Beginning January 1, 2026, ALL paddlecraft will be required to purchase and carry or display a waterway access permit to a marine law enforcement officer when asked.
Permits are required when the boat is on the water and in use.

The intent of the law is to raise revenue for boat inspection stations through expanding the permit requirements to nonmotorized boats under 10′ that can carry aquatic invasive species to other waterbodies. This includes kayaks, SUPs, and rafts. What people would traditionally identify as a boat.

The interpretation for enforcement purposes for safety equipment and waterway access permit requirements does not include single inner tubes or single inner tubes tied together.

Marine law enforcement will focus on education early in the season after implementation and will issue warnings or citations at their discretion.

Waterway access permits are transferable to another nonmotorized boat.

Youth under 14 do not need to have a waterway access permit.

In areas federally designated as wild and scenic that already require a federal permit, waterway access permits are not required.

Permits are not needed on ODFW-designated Free Fishing Days, which are three times during a given year.

The cost for a 7-Day permit goes from $5 to $6; an annual permit goes from $17 to $20, and biennial 2-year permit goes from $30 to $35. Out of state permits go from $20 to $30.

Quagga mussels were found in the Snake River near Twin Falls, Idaho in 2023.

And in California, a new species of Golden Mussels was found in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in late 2024. Golden Mussels are similar to zebra and quagga, but they may have a greater tolerance to a variety of water conditions, which increases the risk to many of Oregon’s waterbodies.

Consistent waterway monitoring and working closely with our neighboring states has helped prevent contamination in Oregon, but we must do more.

Currently, a small portion of AIS Prevention Fund ($200K annual contract) goes to the Center for Lake and Reservoirs that is administered by Portland State University. They are tasked with assisting state and federal agencies in researching and mitigating aquatic invasive species per ORS 352.691. They perform water sampling to identify if mussels have made their way into any Oregon water bodies. They use DNA testing, trawl netting and visual inspections to identify if mussels are present.

AIS are “knocking at the door,” so we must be equipped and ready to inspect more boats, in more locations, for most of the year to prevent contaminated boats from launching into our waterways.

If AIS gains a foothold in any of our waterways, there will be impacts to hydropower, irrigation, and recreation, ultimately impacting everyone’s pocketbooks in the state.

In states with contamination, entire fisheries have collapsed. Fish restoration efforts and all that’s been invested would be lost.

An “ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” If we don’t fortify our borders now by inspecting every boat that enters and expanding inspection stations for other waterbodies -the risk of contamination increases, and so will the cost.

Eradication is nearly impossible.

Using chemicals to kill aquatic invaders also means killing everything else in the waterway. It could take years for native plant and fish species to rebound. (Diamond Lake example, Snake River (Idaho) example).

In addition, see the following chart comparing the current and new permit funding distribution, also collated by the Oregon State Marine Board:

Current Funding Distribution from Permit Sales
Type of Boat	Purchase Options	Permit Cost	AIS Program	Waterway Access Grant Program

Nonmotorized boats 10 ft+	7-day	$5	$1	$4
Nonmotorized boats 10 ft+	1-year	$17	$5	$12
Nonmotorized boats 10 ft+	2-year	$30	$10	$20
All motorized boats	2-year	$5+$5.95/ft	$5	$0
Out-of-State Trailered Boat	1-year		$20	$0

NEW: Beginning January 1, 2026
All nonmotorized boats	7-day	$6	$2	$4
All nonmotorized boats	1-year	$20	$8	$12
All nonmotorized boats	2-year	$35	$15	$20
All motorized boats	2-year	$8+$5.95/ft	$8	$0
Out of State Trailered Boat	1-year	$30	$30	$0

Elkhorn Media Group’s Mindy Gould also recently spoke to State Representative Mark Owens on the Bill and its common misconceptions during a recent episode of Harney County Live. Listen to the full interview at: https://elkhornmediagroup.com/state-representative-owens-explains-the-waterway-access-permit-house-bill-2982/

More details from the Oregon State Marine Board can be found at: https://www.oregon.gov/osmb/boater-info/pages/ais-faqs.aspx?fbclid=IwY2xjawLwzUtleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETE3Q2oyMkFDczBjSzlBRWJZAR5uDRQ7Lq5fBhZ4j7J80NdE7MC1oeFUwOyKwsr348UUHEluphwo6wayhQOQzw_aem_G-0h8DP6om7qzyaJepM0rQ

The House Bill 2982 legislative information page can be found at: https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2025R1/Measures/Overview/HB2982