People who live on Lake Whatcom or Lake Samish and keep their boat on the lake and never take it anywhere else do not need to buy an AIS Permit or to get their watercraft inspected.

All of our education and outreach efforts are designed to help the public to understand the threat that invasive species pose to Whatcom County waters and steps they can take to help prevent their spread.

Inspectors rely on both your answers to survey questions as well as a visual and physical inspection of the watercraft to make their risk determination.

If you get a wire seal attached to your boat and trailer when leaving Lake Whatcom, and then come back to Lake Whatcom another day with the tether still intact, will you need to stop at a staffed inspection station?

Boating is a primary pathway for the introduction and spread of aquatic invasive species to and from Whatcom County lakes.

In the state of Washington you can be fined for towing a boat/trailer on the road with plant fragments attached.