By Dave Hurley
SACRAMENTO — The invasive golden mussel has been digging into boaters’ pocketbooks since they were first discovered in the California Delta and O’Neill Forebay in October 2024, and the initiation of an additional mussel fee specifically for the golden mussel will add to the cost of vessel registration.
Since 2013, California’s boaters have been ponying up an additional fee known as the Quagga and Zebra Mussel Infestation Fee, increasing the cost of boater registration. The Mussel Fee Sticker program was established to help 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. In response, the Department of Boating and Waterways is raising the cost of the Mussel Fee Sticker from $16 to $21 annually starting in October 22, 2026. When purchased during an even-numbered calendar year, the fee will be $21 as the State is allowed to adjust the cost of the sticker in off-numbered years. When first purchased during an odd-number calendar year, the sticker will cost $42 to cover the full two-year sticker cycle.
The golden mussel is the major threat to California’s waterways, affecting the domestic and agricultural water supply by closing filters, screens, intake pumps, and discharge pipes. In addition, golden mussels filter water, removing nutrients and altering the flow of energy.
Proceeds from the Mussel Fee Sticker fund grants for watercraft inspection, decontamination, preventive work by partner agencies, prevention planning, and public education to slow the spread of the golden mussel. Boaters have a major role in preventing the spread of golden mussels by observing Clean, Drain, and Dry the vessel, trailer, and equipment prior to launching along by requirements for inspection, quarantine, and decontamination.
To operate a boat in California’s freshwater for all inland waterways, lakes, reservoirs, and in the California Delta east of Chipps Island, boaters must display a current Mussel Sticker on their vessel which is purchased separately from vessel registration through the Department of Motor Vehicles. Vessels used solely in saltwater are exempt from the Mussel Fee Sticker.
