Why doesn’t North Dakota have mandatory boat inspections?

Although other states may require mandatory boat inspections, setting up a similar program in North Dakota is not feasible at this time. North Dakota’s prairie waters are numerous, generally undeveloped, and utilized infrequently in some cases. An enforceable program with mandatory inspections would require that every boat be inspected before every launch, since it would be impossible to know where every boat had been launched the last time it was used. This would require a very large number of inspection stations across the state and would still impact how North Dakotans use their watercraft. In addition, some states, such as Minnesota, that have large inspection programs still have new waters infested every year. At this time, we feel that North Dakota’s resources are better spent on educating water users and enforcing our current regulations.