Regulations and Ordinances
California delegates much of the responsibility for preventing and managing dreissenid mussel infestations to local water body managers. Local codes and ordinances are therefore critically important to addressing gaps in the statewide program. In March 2008, the Lake County Board of Supervisors passed an emergency ordinance establishing an inspection program for all water vessels launched in Lake County. This program, in its emergency form, introduced a mussel sticker program based on the honor system. Eventually the emergency ordinance was replaced by Ordinances 2915 (2009), 2936 (2011), and 2976 (2012) that established a fee-based inspection program for all water vessels launched in the County of Lake. The mussel ordinance is also located in Lake County Code Article IX of Chapter 15. The physical prevention program is a three-tiered system based on the risk level (tier 1 - screening, tier 2 - inspection, tier 3 - decontamination) of the vessel for transporting invasive mussels to Lake County.
California Aquatic Invasive Species Regulations (updated 12/16/2022)
California Aquatic Invasive Species Statutes (updated 12/16/2022)