Morning!
I know on PA state waters launch permits are required, but what is the case in NJ along the shore lines?
Is there a general state wide boat launch permit that is required for both kayak and paddle boards or is each beach/bay town different?
I just wanted to be sure before I head out this weekend & don’t assume the incorrect things.
Thank you!
I don’t believe there are any NJ state-wide permitting requirements for launch, at least for tidal waters. There could be some local regulations, but no one I know here has registered or procured permits for their paddlecraft, so it would seem that if there are regulations, enforcement is pretty lax… Out of curiosity, what are the requirements in PA?
Old thread, but came across it while searching for permit req’s in NJ.
In PA, small unpowered craft do not require registration, but must carry a launch permit to use state park boat ramps or for use in managed fish and game areas. Launch permit can be from either park service or fish and game service, they both work at our local state park, it comes down to which color sticker you prefer on your boat, or which is more convenient for you (online/ in-person). You may want to verify if that’s the case in all waters, as I really only use the one state park for sailing.
Note, my experience comes from ramp launching small sailboats, and I’m making the assumption from memory that the same rules apply to kayaks, but I have not specifically re-read the reg’s with kayaks in mind.
Launch permits are cheap, I don’t even remember the cost from the two I bought last year, and can be bought two years at a time. You receive a small sticker with a serial number and date printed on it, which you place on side of boat, and to which they can match the boat by sticker sn. You can apply online and receive a temporary permit instantly, which you can print in place in the glove box of your tow vehicle, you will receive a sticker in the mail a week or two later. You can also go to any park office or fish and game permitting office (Walmart?), and get a sticker instantly. I always do the online option over the winter preceding the expiration of my prior sticker
I have doubts that he adhesive on these stickers will adhere to the rough textured rotomolded hull of my wife’s new Rambler tandem, all my experience is with smooth hulls, but we will learn that soon.
No permit is required in NJ. However, Round Valley reservoir requires a fishing licence during the Summer months.
Regarding Pennsylvania the cost for a one year launch permit is $12. Cost of two year permit is $22.
The cost is a bit much for someone who lives out of state going to Pennsylvania to paddle for only a day or two.
$12 covers you for the whole year, but if that’s too rich, most would likely get by without it for a single day. I’ve always been legal, but I’ve gone months at a time without my stickers, whether waiting for them to arrive or forgetting to apply them. I’ve never been stopped.
I have actually been told that there have been canoers and kayakers fined hefty fees for trying to put in at an access managed by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission without a launch permit.
This issue came up when Raystown used to be an event. The times I went I no longer lived in Pennsylvania. There were times when groups wished to paddle the Juniata River and put in at the PFC access where the Raystown Branch met the main Juniata which was the only reasonable place to put in on that stretch. At that time a launch permit was required and I presume it still is, even though we were paddling canoes and kayaks, did not need a ramp, and did not intend to fish.
It wasn’t just the issue of having to pay a fee to use something you really didn’t need and were only going to access one time in the life of the permit. It was also the hassle of having to have applied for it in advance. That or risk a fine which I am told was around $100 at that time.
Still sounds like a bargain to me, at $12/year in PA. The ramp I use in NJ is $15/day, or $50/season.
I have 8 canoes and 2 kayaks and live in Pa. That gets expensive getting launch permits for each.
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Not familiar with fees where I have paddled other than private boat launches. I guess that is a future consideration when traveling to different states and planning to paddle.
I hear you, I only have 3 boats, so it hasn’t been much of an issue for me. But whereas my boats are all unique, if I had 8 kayaks, I’d only buy the number of permits I need to use simultaneously. As long as you have the printed paper to go with the number of hulls you’re launching on a given day, there’s no way they’re going to know one canoe or kayak from another. Do you really use all 8 in PA at the same time, on the same day?
The stickers must be affixed to the hull. The temp papers you get to use before you get the stickers is only temp and expires in a couple weeks.
This is true, at least in the new system they implemented this year. I don’t think that was always the case, as I have old printed permits without a temporary marking or early expiration, but it is surely the case today. I was answering with pblanc’s complaint still in mind, about it being a large expense for someone who is just visiting the state for a single day per season.
I own three boats, for each of which I have a launch permit. Considering the cost of boating in general, I don’t consider another $12 per year for a launch permit a very big obstacle. I easily spend 20x more than that on gas in my vehicle, just going back and forth to their point of use.
Good to hear that NJ doesn’t have launch fees for the most part. So as somebody that has paddled in 33 states and plan to paddle in all 50, things can be a bit complicated. You’ve got “free states” which I like the best. I Then you’ve got states that have state wide fees or regs- often it is boat registration, invasive species inspections/stickers or like PA ,where state owned land requires access fees. Sometimes non residents are exempt with proof of id or proof of boat registration in another state from boat registration fees and regulation.
PA’'s rules are kind of interesting, kind of like their unique beer laws. Supposedly, you have one set of rules where you get a permit and it covers you on state land. Ohiopyle is the exception with its own permit system and launch times for weekends. Some of pa is wide open and free if state access isn’t involved. Enforcement varies a lot from state to state and is more lax on less popular rivers. Years ago I paddled Tohickon Creek with Tom McCloud. We camped in a campground that was “officially closed” by Bucks County but the gates and bathrooms were open. We paid a fine instead of a camping fee. When we parked along the road we paid another fine. All of this was considered routine and part of the paddling experience.
Many paddlers support increasing the number of launch sites with ramps. Interestingly enough, some of the ww crowd often don’t want that. They view it as one step closer to fees and permits in their existing free state.
In my home state of wv, you learn to dodge the deer carcasses and the dirty diapers while you put in along side of the road. The exception to that is state areas, army corps, and the national park service. Since the New River Gorge recently changed status from a National River to a National Park I’ll be interested to see if fees are collected or regulations increase.
As a general rule I don’t mind paying for parking. The best access fees allow self registration as an option and you leave a stub on your windshield (blm, some national forest access). Year round residents can purchase an annual pass. This arrangement works well for both residents and nonresidents.
Of course you can avoid almost all of this if you paddle where others seldom go. A bit off the radar is good in my book.
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As I implied earlier, most NJ shore towns have a municipal ramp as the only bay access points on public land, and those ramps are usually $15 per day or $50 per season.
… and historic PA beer laws were silly, but thankfully reforming. Now we can buy beer and wine at the local grocery stores, and in single bottles or six packs, we are not locked into full cases at the distributor anymore. But this old state with its Quaker roots is definitely less progressive than some.
I haven’t paddled in NJ yet. I’m thinking a day on the delaware river with the infamous skinner’s falls and a day in the nj pine barrens would be good destinations for me.
This summer I hope to tackle some new states- Arkansas (mulberry, buffalo), Oklahoma (washita)
New Mexico (Rio Grande).
Let me know if you want to go to the Buffalo. I plan to be there the first week of May.
I use these folks often. Great support.
https://www.pinelandsadventures.org/
But before we get all gushy over NJ, you can’t sit on the vast majority of beaches here without a beach tag; around $5 a day. If NJ reads this thread we will have launch fees.
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unfortunately I’m hitting it (the buffalo) in June, and just hope there is water. I may have to head downstream until I find enough water. I looked at usgs historical data and it is a mixed bag in June- from flooding, too low, and just right, and of course everything in between. I’ll send you a pm with my itinerary if you’re interested.
Yes, please do. I am resolved to do some downriver trips in the Ozarks and would certainly consider a return to the Buffalo. As for water levels, yeah the upper Buffalo is not likely to be high enough in June, although there are exceptions.
But the gauges near St Joe (Grinder’s Ferry) and Harriet on the lower Buffalo have seasonal median flows that are at 200 cfs or above (sometimes way above) which is considered the lower end of the “moderate” water level range. So the chances are very good that if the upper and middle are too low, the lower Buffalo would be. From Gilbert to Buffalo City through the lower Buffalo Wilderness would be a pretty cool 54 1/2 mile trip.