Don’t Have One of These for Your Paddleboard? You Could Face a Hefty Fine in Idaho
With a string of 80° days in our future, you may be thinking about dusting off that Stand-Up Paddleboard and hitting the water. Before you do that, you may want to double check that your board is compliant!
Thanks to the number of lakes, ponds and rivers in Idaho, the popularity of Stand-Up Paddleboards has been growing for years in Idaho. Like bikes, roller skates and other outdoor recreation gear, they were hard to come by during Summer 2020. If you were lucky enough to get one for Christmas or any other point during the off season, you're no doubt looking forward to your first summer as a SUP owner but there are some important rules you should know when using one in Idaho.
Unless your SUP is inflatable and less than 10 feet in length, you are required by law to display an Idaho Invasive Species sticker on it. After doing some research, most of the best selling, adult sized boards fall into the category that DOES require the sticker. Failure to display one could lead to a $72 fine.
Invasive Species stickers only cost $7, so it's really not worth playing chicken with the fine. You can purchase one online HERE or if you don't want to wait for it to show up because we'll be back in the 60s by this time next week you can check this map for where to grab one locally.
Listen to Michelle Heart mornings on 107.9 LITE-FM and download the FREE LITE-FM app.
By the way, if you have a Stand-Up Paddleboard you are also required to have a US Coast Guard approved life vest and sound producing device like a whistle on board. If a child 14 or under is riding with you, they need to be wearing a life vest. Failure to follow these rules could result in a more expensive fine of $99.