Information about Permits and Licenses:

Although the information provided here is believed to be accurate as of the time it was posted, regulations and fees change, and information on the Internet is often moved to new locations. If you discover that any information provided here (including any link to another information source on the Internet) is erroneous or out-of-date, please advise us, so that we can keep this Website current, by telling us through an E-mail (use the address on this Website's "Links" page).

State Park "launch" (and parking) fees: Effective January 1, 2003, a new fee went into effect for parking in any state park (for anything more than a few minutes). As of early February, no special permit for parking had been developed, so the parks system was using launching fee permits (and passes) to cover parking as well as launching.
      For those who do not buy an annual permit, parking or launching can be handled on a per-use basis, with launch permits that can be obtained in parks that have ramps (usually at a small stand with a lockbox near the ramp). Using this approach requires completing an evelope with informmation such as the vehicle license number and putting the envelope, with the fee inside, into the lockbox. Individual park fees are typically $5 per day, but these fees range from $3 - $7 per car using the ramp or boat being launched -- the method of charging, per-car or per-boat, also may vary from park to park.
      An alternative is to buy a one-year parking permit (priced at $50 during 2003, up $10 from last year -- the fees rise to $7 per day and $70 annually in 2006). These annual permits are supposedly available at any staffed state park or over the Internet (as explained below), and can be purchased at the State Park system's headquarters in Olympia (info is provided below). The annual permit is a "gooey" plastic rectangle that adheres to the glass inside the front windshield (driver's side, near the bottom); the permit is easily removed from the glass, and can legally be used in more than one vehicle.
      Buying the annual permit: For those traveling into Olympia during business hours, the permit can be obtained from the Washington State Parks Olympia Headquarters, at 7150 Cleanwater Lane. To get there, drive south on Capitol Blvd. to 70th Ave. S.E. (Israel Rd.). Turn west (RIGHT) onto 70th (Israel) and then after a short distance turn north (RIGHT) onto Cleanwater Lane. The office is on the right-hand side of the road. Alternatively, from I-5 South, take exit 101 (Airdustrial Road) and travel east about 1.5 miles to Cleanwater Lane. Turn north (LEFT) and drive until after you cross 70th Ave. S.E. (Israel). The office will be on the right. Call the Parks Department phone number ((360) 902-8500) for other directions and office hours (thought to be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.). (The one person who has reported back says these directions are basically good but that some roads are not well sign-posted and that drivers have to be looking carefully to avoid driving past the Park Headquarters building.)

Information about these fees, and other fees at State parks can be found at the following link: http://www.parks.wa.gov/fees.asp. All launch sites within State parks can be examined on this link - http://www.parks.wa.gov/launch/parks/ - which leads to pages about each park that contain useful details about the park, the fees it charges, and maps to help drive to the park. Information about obtaining the annual launch permit is available at http://www.parks.wa.gov/launch/.

State parks may also have separate fees for use of the park, for camping, or for specific services.

Further information about State Parks:
The home page for the State Park system is at the following link: http://www.parks.wa.gov/ . The page that allows accessing information about specific parks is at this location: http://www.parks.wa.gov/parks/ .

Vehicle Use Permit:
Under a recent law, certain water-access points under the supervision of the State Department of Fish and Wildlife can be designated as "access points" where a "Vehicle Use Permit" ("VUP") is required for parking. All such areas are supposed to be prominently sign-posted, but parking without such a permit in these areas could result in a substantial fine (believed to be $66). When you park in such areas, the Vehicle Use Permit must be visibly displayed on the dashboard or hung from the rearview mirror of your car.

Most such "access points" are on lakes and rivers, but some are in estuaries, and other areas may be added to the current list. Some Club outings are planned for areas requiring VUPs, and outing notices will ordinarily mention that the VUP is required. In addition, however, the Club may use an area lake as back-up outing site if kayakers gathering at the launch site for an outing see that weather conditions make it prudent not to proceed with a scheduled saltwater outing, and a VUP is required at many area lakes. (Other areas where kayakers might choose to launch on their own personal outings may also be such access points.)

To prevent a bad start or end to an outing, all kayakers should probably get a "VUP" if they do not already have one. The VUP is included in the price of a fishing or hunting license, but can be purchased separately wherever such licenses are sold (Wal Mart for one). The cost of the VUP alone is $10.00 directly from the State, or about $12.00 at retail outlets (which charge fees for issuing all licenses). A VUP can be used for two vehicles; additional VUPs for other vehicles cost $5 each. The VUP sold with a fishing license can cover two vehicles (the license number of each must be on the permit). In addition to commercial businesses selling fishing and hunting licenses, VUPs also can be purchased from the State of Washington at the Department's regional offices, over the telephone (1-866-246-9453), or on the Internet ( http://www.fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov ).

A Combination Fishing License allows freshwater and saltwater fishing and shellfish gathering, and costs about $42 - and includes the VUP - it thus is an alternative way to obtain a VUP.

Further information about "access points":
To view more information about where VUPs are required, use the following links:
     Map showing locations and links to list and driving directions
     The link immediately above connects to http://www.wa.gov/wdfw/wlm/vup/.
A complete list of Department of Fish and Wildlife water access sites in Region 6 (Western WA, including South Puget Sound) is also available through that page on the Internet, through
     List of "Region 6" sites requiring a VUP
     The link immediately above connects to http://www.wa.gov/wdfw/lands/reg6accs.htm

A map showing these access points (as of Feb. 2003) and a list of access points in "Region 6" (Mason and surrounding counties) were downloaded from the Web on Feb. 1, 2003 and posted within the Club's site (to make them load very quickly), and these are linked below. Use these links to view these files:
     Feb. 2003 map of VUP sites
     Feb. 2003 list of "Region 6" sites requiring a VUP
To be absolutely certain about the current list of sites where VUPs are required, it would be prudent to check the DFW Website, as sites may be added to the list that was downloaded and linked in Feb. 2003.