Validation stickers no longer needed for watercraft in Montana

Boaters in Montana no longer need a validation decal from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks thanks to legislation signed into law by Gov. Greg Gianforte on May 1.

The legislation was sponsored by Rep. Steve Kelly and was proposed by FWP. The main feature of the new law is the removal of the requirement for watercraft validation for motorized vessels. This validation was a free a sticker that boat owners had to get every three years from FWP.

The reason for the validation was a requirement by the U.S. Coast Guard that allowed FWP to secure federal boating safety funds. However, the Coast Guard requirements changed and Montana was no longer compliant. Rather than ask Montana boat owners to get an annual validation, Gov. Gianforte, FWP and lawmakers decided to remove the requirement all together.

Along with removing the vessel validation requirement, the legislation also cleaned up a few other pieces of boating law, including:

• Clarifying that on personal watercraft, life jackets simply need to be Coast Guard approved.
• Updating navigation and right-of-way rules to mirror those on federal waterways.
• Increase the threshold for reporting a boating accident from $100 to $2,000.