Guided Motorized Boating CUA

 

Overview

This CUA authorizes guided touring or fishing trips in motorized boats on Yellowstone Lake and/or Lewis Lake. Motorized boating is only allowed on portions of Yellowstone Lake and Lewis Lake.

General Provisions

1. Watercraft Season:
   1. Permitted watercraft will be allowed to enter park waters during Yellowstone’s boating season, generally from 7:00 a.m. on the Saturday immediately prior to Memorial Day until 5:30 p.m. on October 31. For the most up-to-date information on boating season open and close dates, please visit: Boat on a Lake.
2. CUA holders are limited to launching no more than 5 watercraft per day.

Required Equipment

3. All vessels are required to carry PFDs that meet United States Coast Guard (USCG) Commercial PFD requirements. While underway, all clients and guides must wear Type I USCG approved personal flotation devices (PFDs) that are properly sized and in serviceable condition. Type II PFDs may be worn while the vessel is stopped, and participants are fishing.
4. The CUA holder is responsible for ensuring that all clients and guides are safely equipped and properly clothed for the activity and projected weather conditions prior to the trip. Each boat must have:
   1. at least one woolen blanket/sleeping bag sealed in a watertight compartment or container
   2. spare paddle or oar for emergency use
   3. manual bailing device
   4. waste receptacle
   5. accessible whistle
   6. USGC visual distress signal
   7. first aid kit suitable for backcountry emergencies and containing adequate supplies for all passengers
   8. required lights, flame arrestors, fire extinguishers, etc.
   9. marine band radio or cellular phone is recommended
   10. a map of Yellowstone and/or Lewis Lake when operating there

Permitting

5. All watercrafts must have a Yellowstone boat permit and a Yellowstone Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) inspection before launching in the park. During boating season, permits and inspections are available seven days a week between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. at locations throughout the park. Current list of AIS inspection locations can be found at Boat on a Lake.
   1. Any watercraft, trailer, tow vehicle, or other article immersed in park waters known to contain aquatic invasive species, shall be thoroughly inspected prior to entering any other waters within the park. Prior to launching, all watercraft (and associated equipment) must be re-inspected every time they re-enter the park.
   2. A 30-day dry time is required for all sailboats and certain complex motorized boats (inboard, inboard/outboard, or inboard jet drives). Without a valid AIS inspection receipt and intact seal demonstrating a 30-day day dry time, these boats will be denied launch. Additional information may be found at Boat on a Lake.
   3. CUA operators must arrive at AIS inspections stations with all equipment requiring inspection clean, maintained, and prepared for inspection. Equipment that requires any type of cleaning will be turned away. If a watercraft does not pass the Yellowstone AIS inspection, it is not allowed to enter park waters.
   4. To prevent the introduction of AIS, the CUA holder must ensure all equipment is cleaned and dried before entering or changing Yellowstone waters.
   5. All park waters should be assumed to contain undetected AIS.
   6. Watercraft that are dirty, have standing water, or that possess plants or animals may be decontaminated prior to launch or could be denied launch.
   7. The following watercraft and equipment are banned from entering the waters of Yellowstone National Park:
      • Watercraft with evidence of dead or live quagga or zebra mussels.
      • Watercraft previously fouled with mussels, regardless of cleaning or dry time.
      • Watercraft equipped with sealed internal ballast tanks.
6. This permit allows guided fishing from the watercraft. All clients and guides 16 years and older who are fishing must have a Yellowstone National Park (YNP) fishing permit. All clients and guides fishing must obey park fishing regulations located at Catch a Fish.
   1. Fish that are kept must be cleaned at a cleaning station if possible. Otherwise, all entrails should have the air bladders punctured and then be thrown into the deepest water possible where they were caught. It is prohibited to bury, burn, or leave fish entrails on shore.
   2. If providing fishing services, guides must carry a copy of digital or paper NPS Fishing Regulations for the current year.

 

Staffing and Employment

7. Guides must complete National Association of State Boating Laws Administrators (NASBLA) approved boater safety course or hold vessel endorsement issued by a state https://www.boat-ed.com/ https://www.boaterexam.com/
8. One guide on each trip must be certified Wilderness First Aid, Wilderness First Responder, Emergency Medical Technician, or higher-level certification. All guides must have current CPR and first aid certification.

Operational Requirements

9. All guides and trip participants must adhere to all Yellowstone Boating regulations found at Boating Regulations.
10. While on Yellowstone Lake or Lewis Lake, the CUA holder or guide shall remain with their clients for the duration of the trip.
11. One guide on each trip must have previous boating experience in motorized boating and previous experience on the lakes where they are guiding.
12. All accidental swimmers must be reported to CUA office within 48 hours, detailing what happened and company’s response.
13. Motorized boats are limited to drift within 25 feet (~7.5 meters) of shoreline thermal features and submerged thermal features and are not allowed to land within a thermal area or within 32 feet (~10 meters) of thermal features and are responsible for vacating an area where a submerged thermal feature is discovered.
14. "Class I (16'to 26') and Class II (26' < 40') motorized boats shall proceed no closer than 1/4 mile from the shoreline of the South and Southeast arms of Yellowstone Lake except to debark or embark passengers, or while moored when passengers are ashore." 36 CFR 7.13(9)(i).
15. Guides intending to operate a marine band radio must apply for and have available a marine band radio FCC license. Call [phone] for forms or [phone] for assistance. Currently, the National Park Service does not monitor marine band traffic 24 hours a day. During the summer, marine band is monitored during the day. Please be aware that cellular phone coverage does not cover all locations on the lakes. All Federal Communications Commission (FCC) licensing requirements need to be followed. Information on FCC licensing requirements can be found at: https://www.fcc.gov/obtaining-license.
16. Watercraft equipped with sealed internal water ballast tanks are prohibited in the park due to increased risk of introducing AIS in Yellowstone waters. This type of watercraft has tanks that can be filled with water to produce specific wakes for waterskiing and wakeboarding (neither activity is allowed in the park)
17. Overnight backcountry use is not authorized under this CUA.

 

How to Apply for This Activity

1. Apply for a 2025 CUA through the CUA Online Application and Reporting System (COARS).
2. To view tutorials on how to apply for a CUA using COARS please visit: How to Apply for a Commercial Use Authorization (CUA) Permit.
3. 2024 permit holders, please visit Annual Reports and Management Fees to complete and submit reports and pay fees (due by January 31, 2025).
4. For proposed commercial operations taking place prior to December 31, 2024, please contact the Commercial Services Office at [e-mail] for application materials.

 

Resources

Commercial Use Authorizations (CUAs)
Main CUA page Apply for a CUA FAQs CUA Annual Reports Guide Info Registration and Park Entry Protocol	CUA Law and Policy CUA Denial and Revocation Policy Special Use Permits Backcountry Permits Special Park Conditions
Plan Your Tour	Learn About the Park
Park roads Accessibility Bear Management Areas Fishing Regulations Boating Regulations	Superintendent's Compendium Vital Signs Reports Resources for Commercial Guides Resources and Issues Handbook Foundation Document