Online AIS cert FYI

[oldguy]

So if we already registered  our boats do we still have to pay the extra 20 bucks or are we good until 2024? This just keeps getting bad for everyone

[wiperhunter2]

So if we already registered  our boats do we still have to pay the extra 20 bucks or are we good until 2024? This just keeps getting bad for everyone

No, you will not have to pay the extra $20 until the next time you take the AIS test, if you have already licensed your boat. I called the number above and left a message and they actually called me back. The $10 fee we now pay, when we license our boat, will no longer be paid. The new $20 AIS fee will be paid when you take the AIS test.

[wiperhunter2]

If you have to do online test to register, does that eliminate the display in the windshield while at the launch site? We still pay for the AIS fee at DMV.  Is the online test tied into DMV registration to prevent someone from registering? 

When I talked to them at the number Bob listed she told me we will still need to display the AIS certificate at the time we launch our boat, at least for the rest of this year, it could change next year. You do not pay the new AIS fee at the DMV, you pay it when you take the AIS test, next year.

[oldguy]

If you have to do online test to register, does that eliminate the display in the windshield while at the launch site? We still pay for the AIS fee at DMV.  Is the online test tied into DMV registration to prevent someone from registering? 

When I talked to them at the number Bob listed she told me we will still need to display the AIS certificate at the time we launch our boat, at least for the rest of this year, it could change next year. You do not pay the new AIS fee at the DMV, you pay it when you take the AIS test, next year.

Thank Curt for following up for us

[MrShane]

Always going after anything with an engine.
I wouldn’t care as much if everyone on the water paid their share.
You know, “If it floats, it’s a boat”.
Not, “If it floats AND has an engine, it’s a boat. If it floats and does not have an engine, it is obviously not a boat and cannot carry mussels”.

[dubob]

I will not have the time to look into this any further for at least 2 1/2 weeks due to family and recreational commitments.  But I will look 9into it when I get some free time.  The AIS Program in Utah that required signing a form each day or taking the on-pine course ONLY applied to REGISTERED watercraft.  If it had a motor of any kind it had to be registered.  Muscle powered water vessels like paddle boards, kayaks, canoes, row boats, etc were exempt.  Some very thorough reading of the recently revised Utah Code will need to take place to determine what the actual changes specify in this regard.  Or call the number I listed above and ask specific questions about this.  I love to keep my fellow BFT members informed, but there are only 24 hours in each day and right now, all of those hours in my calendar are booked solid for a couple of weeks.  I can do some digging about the middle of July if all y'all can wait that long.

[Therapist]

Rocky! All this electronic stuff makes my head spin !! At 73, I didn't grow up with all this and at times, I have no desire to get into more of it. Most of the time when I have a problem, one of my grand daughters supplies the needed expertise. But both of them are off to college and I am left to my own devices, which often do not work very well !! I muddle through and if push comes to shove, I call my son and get his help !! I am not a big fan for sure !!

[dubob]

Rocky!  All this electronic stuff makes my head spin !!  At 73,  I didn't grow up with all this and at times, I have no desire to get into more of it.  Most of the time when I have a problem,  one of my grand daughters supplies the needed expertise.  But both of them are off to college and I am left to my own devices, which often do not work very well !!  I muddle through and if push comes to shove,  I call my son and get his help !! I am not a big fan for sure !!

Sorry, I just had to laugh at that.  It seems that this is a common lament for us elderly folks; let your grandkids work it out for you.  

At last count, I have 191 passwords that I use to access different websites and/or accounts.  Most of them include letters, numbers, and keyboard characters and are 8 to 12 digits long.  I use the free version of an app called 'LastPass'.  Easy to use and allows recording ID information such as passport numbers, credit card numbers, drivers license information, military card information, etc.  It only requires that I remember one master password to use the app.  I use it several times every day.  It is easy to learn how to use it and it is a life saver for me.  You might want to get your son to set it up on your computer for you.  Good luck.

[RockyRaab2]

Heck, I'm 76 and I have learned to use Linux instead of Windows. I run three different kinds of Linux on separate computers.

Learning keeps your mind strong.

If you use Windows (my sincerest condolences) a very good and free password manager is KeePass. https://keepass.info/

[smokepoles]

This whole quagga thing is so way out of hand and complicated not only in Utah but magnified 20-fold when you start considering other states and entities within such as national parks. I mean, try taking a kayak to paddle around Jackson lake in Wyoming or Yellowstone. Everyone seems to impose a fee without any coordination of efforts just attempts to self-support. Maybe I'll just bicycle and hike until they start charging for tire and boot cleaning stations/inspections.

[Unclenaynay]

This is getting out of hand. With the state park pass increasing seemingly every year, are the ghouls in government just trying to turn a profit? Or are they trying to discourage fishing and other resource usage? Some of us poor folk will really have start looking at finding cheaper hobbies which will then affect license sales and retail sales and ultimately hurt an already declining participation rate in fishing. These things don't have much affect on local, affluent and sometimes arrogant power boaters, but a good number of fisherman aren't exactly financially well off.  Maybe that's ultimately the plan. Discourage us dirty, smelly fisherman from using "their" lakes and reservoirs. We already experienced what Utah thinks of fisherman in the stream access case.

[gofish435]

I will not have the time to look into this any further for at least 2 1/2 weeks due to family and recreational commitments.  But I will look 9into it when I get some free time.  The AIS Program in Utah that required signing a form each day or taking the on-pine course ONLY applied to REGISTERED watercraft.  If it had a motor of any kind it had to be registered.  Muscle powered water vessels like paddle boards, kayaks, canoes, row boats, etc were exempt.  Some very thorough reading of the recently revised Utah Code will need to take place to determine what the actual changes specify in this regard.  Or call the number I listed above and ask specific questions about this.  I love to keep my fellow BFT members informed, but there are only 24 hours in each day and right now, all of those hours in my calendar are booked solid for a couple of weeks.  I can do some digging about the middle of July if all y'all can wait that long.

The AIS program isn't just for registered watercraft, it applies to anything that floats.  I primarily float tube and I always display my online certification form on the dash and have one in the tube.  It's not a big deal.

[Gone Forever]

Oh well, all said and done, registration $59, AIS $20, State parks pass $65, Truck registration and inspection $130...$275, Tank of gas for truck, $84, Gas for boat $54, Ice, beverages, bait, snacks, $26...$430ish..."I caught one".

[RockyRaab2]

If you can't afford it, quit. I know that's brutal and rude, but it would also apply to those hordes of power boaters who churn up our waters.

[smokepoles]

If you can't afford it, quit. I know that's brutal and rude, but it would also apply to those hordes of power boaters who churn up our waters.

It is not that I can't afford it, rather I would like to see iregistration and AIS based on value and/or risk of AIS transport.  Why should I pay same registration on my little open fishing boat as one of those large wake board boats with balast and crusers with tanks and sea strainers.  Certainly more risk of AIS transport with latter not to mention more involved to inspect and decontaminate if needed.  I mean, they charge registration on motor vehicles and trailers per value so could do something for boats if they wished especially related to internal ballast, horsepower, boat length, passenger capacity etc.  At least for now Utah has not gone the route of 'if it floats, its a boat' per AIS and registration.

[RockyRaab2]

Not unreasonable, good sir.

[MrShane]

Utah finally did it and came up with a more stupid of a law than not being able to fillet Kokes at Strawberry:
Not only do you still have to fill out Mussel Cert paper and display in truck even after paying the $20 to take the test (I just completed and paid it), any boat with a bilge and/or livewell is a ‘complex’ boat and is subject to 30 day drain and dry period if you don’t get professional de-con.
For $20 bucks the State can afford to issue two stickers, one for your boat and one for your trailer and do away with archaic law of having to display a piece of paper on your dashboard.

[wiperhunter2]

Just got this from the DWR, looks like paddle boards and non motorized float tubes and pontoons, even canoes don't have to pay the AIS fees as I read it, what do you think?

Dear Utah boater,

A lot of new laws were passed during the 2023 Utah legislative session, and if you’re planning to boat in Utah this year, you should know about some new requirements that will take effect July 1, 2023. 

Requirements for Utah residents with motorized boats

Starting July 1, if you are a Utah resident with a motorized boat, you must: 

1. Pay your boat registration fee through the Utah Division of Motor Vehicles.
   
   
2. Complete Utah’s free Mussel-Aware Boater Course. (This education course is now an annual requirement for all Utah boaters; please note your customer ID information upon completion.) The completion certificate from this course must be displayed on your launch vehicle’s dashboard before you can legally launch. 
   
   
3. Use your customer ID to complete your vessel enrollment and pay the $20 aquatic invasive species (AIS) fee on the DWR website.
   

These steps must be completed before you launch your vessel in Utah. Boaters who complete these steps will receive two separate decals — one from the DMV and one from the DWR — that must be attached to their boats. Learn more about these requirements and see answers to common questions.

Important: If you registered your boat with the Utah DMV before July 1, 2023, then you do not need to pay the AIS fee or attach the AIS decal to your boat. (Those were covered in your DMV registration.) Simply complete the 2023 Mussel-Aware Boater Course and display the course-completion certificate on your launch vehicle’s dashboard to legally launch your boat. 

Requirements for Utah residents with non-motorized boats

If you own a non-motorized vessel in Utah, you still have to follow the state’s clean, drain, and dry requirements, but you don't have to take the Mussel-Aware Boater Course, enroll your vessel or pay the AIS fee.

[MrShane]

Just got this from the DWR, looks like paddle boards and non motorized float tubes and pontoons, even canoes don't have to pay the AIS fees as I read it, what do you think?

Dear Utah boater,

A lot of new laws were passed during the 2023 Utah legislative session, and if you’re planning to boat in Utah this year, you should know about some new requirements that will take effect July 1, 2023. 

Requirements for Utah residents with motorized boats

Starting July 1, if you are a Utah resident with a motorized boat, you must: 

1. Pay your boat registration fee through the Utah Division of Motor Vehicles.
   
   
2. Complete Utah’s free Mussel-Aware Boater Course. (This education course is now an annual requirement for all Utah boaters; please note your customer ID information upon completion.) The completion certificate from this course must be displayed on your launch vehicle’s dashboard before you can legally launch. 
   
   
3. Use your customer ID to complete your vessel enrollment and pay the $20 aquatic invasive species (AIS) fee on the DWR website.
   

These steps must be completed before you launch your vessel in Utah. Boaters who complete these steps will receive two separate decals — one from the DMV and one from the DWR — that must be attached to their boats. Learn more about these requirements and see answers to common questions.

Important: If you registered your boat with the Utah DMV before July 1, 2023, then you do not need to pay the AIS fee or attach the AIS decal to your boat. (Those were covered in your DMV registration.) Simply complete the 2023 Mussel-Aware Boater Course and display the course-completion certificate on your launch vehicle’s dashboard to legally launch your boat. 

Requirements for Utah residents with non-motorized boats

If you own a non-motorized vessel in Utah, you still have to follow the state’s clean, drain, and dry requirements, but you don't have to take the Mussel-Aware Boater Course, enroll your vessel or pay the AIS fee.

It’s a bunch of crap Kurt.
ANYTHING on the water should have to pay to help with AIS.

[wayno945]

Thanks for posting this.