The National Sea Grant Law Center is pleased to announce the release of a new inventory and comparative analysis of state Clean, Drain, Dry (CDD) laws and regulations. This research is part of a larger project led by Creative Resources Strategies and funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to expand and enhance the Call Before You Haul program. Launched in December 2021 by the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, Call Before You Haul is a 24/7 toll-free hotline designed for watercraft haulers. It simplifies compliance and helps ensure boats are inspected, decontaminated (if needed), and legally transported across state and international borders.

In support of this effort, the Law Center updated its existing inventory and analysis of state aquatic invasive species laws to determine the extent of CDD policy adoption and gaps in the legal framework. The recreational watercraft pathway continues to be a priority issue for state policymaking. Nearly 70% of states have at least one legally enforceable CDD provision. Of the three components, drainage requirements are the most common.

Significant gaps remain, however, especially in the 30% of the states without any watercraft-specific provisions which are geographically concentrated in the Southeast. These research findings are intended to highlight details of existing state policy regimes to inform discussions regarding whether there is a need for, and what potential benefits may be provided by, a federal CDD policy to address gaps.

The report is available for download on the Law Center’s website at this link. The tables in the Appendix containing the details of the legal inventory can be provided in other file formats upon request. A draft of these research findings was circulated to state AIS coordinators for review and their feedback was incorporated into the final report. Questions, comments, and requests for corrections should be submitted to Stephanie Otts, sshowalt@olemiss.edu.