South Dakota local boat registry
The Local Boat Registry (LBR) was developed by the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks to assist watercraft operators with compliance of Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) possession and transportation regulations and to help slow the spread of AIS from "containment waters" to other waterbodies. Enrollment in the LBR is free, and any person (resident or non-resident) with a watercraft registered in the state of South Dakota can elect to enroll annually in this program. However, in order to prevent AIS from spreading from the containment water, any watercraft included in the registry will be restricted from certain activities unless the boat is decontaminated.
Registration
What are the benefits obtained from enrolling in the Local Boat Registry?
Watercraft enrolled in the LBR will be given the following exemptions from AIS-specific regulations:
1. Registered watercraft may be transported within the Transportation Zone without being decontaminated.
2. Registered boats with zebra mussels attached or onboard may be transported or stored within the Transportation Zone.
3. Registered boats that are equipped with ballast tanks (e.g. wakeboard boats) may be transported within the Transportation Zone without being decontaminated prior to the next launch into a containment water.
4. Registered boats that are stored in a containment water for three or more consecutive days may be transported within the Transportation Zone without completing decontamination prior to the next launch into a containment water.
Which waterbodies are currently included in the list of containment waters?
The current list of containment waters includes Lewis and Clark Lake and the Missouri River upstream of the lake to Fort Randall Dam, McCook Lake, Lake Yankton, the Missouri River below Gavins Point Dam to the confluence with the Big Sioux River, and any water outside South Dakota designated as infested with zebra or quagga mussels.
What are the general rules of the Local Boat Registry?
1. The Local Boat Registry will involve a one-time enrollment that will last for as long as that watercraft is owned by the enrollee. Only if the watercraft changes ownership will it have to be reenrolled.
2. Upon completion of the South Dakota Local Boat Registry Application, a registered watercraft owner will be issued a registry decal that must be affixed to the port side of the vessel, within eighteen inches of the stern, and above the water line for the duration of the calendar year. Participation in the registry is voluntary and there is no limit to the number of boats that may be registered to a person. However, only the legally registered owner of the boat may apply.
3. Registered boats must have drain plugs open or removed before being transported away from a boat ramp parking lot, and fish and bait cannot be transported in water from a lake, river, or stream.
4. Each registered boat will be issued a boat log. The registered owner must document the decontamination process if the boat will be transported outside the Transportation Zone or launched in another waterbody.
5. Participants who violate the provisions of the South Dakota Local Boat Registry will be subject to prosecution.
When is decontamination required?
Any watercraft that has been stored in a containment water for three or more days or that operated in a containment water and retains one gallon or more of water after all plugs have been removed are required to undergo a department-approved decontamination. For slip holders in the Lewis and Clark Marina, watercraft must be decontaminated, even if being stored on the Marina property.
However, watercraft enrolled in the LBR are only required to undergo a department-approved decontamination if they leave the designated Transportation Zone or are being launched in a non-containment waterbody.
Where are the boundaries of the Local Boat Registry Transportation Zone?
The Transportation Zone for the South Dakota Local Boat Registry is outlined on a map on the following page. Boundaries may be amended in future years, as necessary, to reduce the likelihood of spreading AIS. The exemptions from AIS transportation and possession regulations granted under this program do not apply to interstate transport. The Federal Lacey Act prohibits the interstate transport of Zebra Mussels, and the provisions of the South Dakota Local Boat Registry do not apply in other states. Boats transported outside this area must be decontaminated and free of any AIS.
The Transportation Zone boundaries are as follows:
Western:
The Yankton-Bon Homme County line between the Missouri River and 304th Street in Yankton County
Northern:
Yankton County: A line extending east from the Yankton-Bon Homme County line along 304th Street to the SW Jim River Road, North to 303rd Street, East to the NW Jim River Road, South to 304th Street, and east along 304th Street to the Yankton-Clay County Line.
Clay and Union Counties: Highway 50
Eastern:
Yankton County: The Yankton-Clay County Line between Highway 50 and 304th Street in Yankton County
Union County: The South Dakota-Iowa State Line
Southern:
The South Dakota-Nebraska State Line
For additional information please contact the AIS Coordinator:
BJ Schall | Fisheries Biologist
South Dakota Department of Game, Fish & Parks
5316 W 60th St N| Sioux Falls, SD 57107 605.367.5243| benjamin.schall@state.sd.us
