Life jackets are the most important piece of safe boating and watersports equipment. According to the Division of Boating and Waterways, most boating deaths happen when people don’t wear life jackets and drown. Today’s life jackets are colorful, comfortable and easy to wear.
The Division of Boating and Waterways recommends that boaters always wear a life jacket no matter how well you know how to swim or operate a boat. You never know when an accident might occur. Once in the water, it is very difficult to locate and put on a life jacket while trying to stay afloat.
California law requires that every child under age 13 must wear a life jacket at all times while on a moving vessel of any length. (There are three exceptions: Children are not required to wear a life jacket when they are wearing a harness on a sailboat, when they are in an enclosed cabin, and when they are on a vessel during an emergency rescue.)
For more information about boating and lifejacket safety please visit the Life jacket page.
California law requires a person to be 16 years of age or older and in possession of his/her California Boater Card to legally operate a vessel powered by a motor of 15 hp or more, including personal watercraft (PWCs).
Exceptions to this law are:
It is illegal to permit a person under the age of 16 to operate a vessel powered by a motor of 15 hp or more, including PWCs, without onboard supervision by a person 18 years of age or older who is in possession of his/her California Boater Card.
Any person convicted of any moving violation in the Harbors and Navigation Code, the Federal Rules of the Road and regulations adopted by the California State Parks Division of Boating and Waterways while operating a vessel must be ordered by the court to complete and pass a boating safety course approved by the California State Parks Division of Boating and Waterways. Proof of completion and passage of the course must be submitted to the court within seven months of the time of the conviction. This boating safety course will satisfy court-ordered mandatory boater education required by California law when a boater is convicted of a moving violation.
Coast Guard or local law enforcement officers patrol the waterways to make your boating experience safe and pleasant. Cooperate with them by following the laws and guidelines.
Carry the Card: Vessel operators who are required to have a Boater Education Card must carry the card on board the vessel and have it available for inspection by an enforcement officer.
Penalty: Not carrying your Boater Education Card when one is required can result in a fine.
If you own a sailboat over eight feet long or a boat/vessel with a motor (no matter the size, includes Jet Skis), you must register it with DMV in order to legally operate it on California waterways.
Vessels used in fresh waters are required to display a current Quagga sticker, unless the vessel is used only in marine waters, or exempt by law.
Vessels from out of state must have valid registration in the state of principal use and cannot be remaining in California over 90 consecutive days.
Keep your Certificate of Ownership in a safe place—this is your evidence of title to the vessel. Certificates issued will also contain the boat’s identifying number (known as the hull identification number), which is the number permanently marked on the transom by the manufacturer or builder, or the number assigned by DMV and marked on the transom by the owner.
Definition of a Vessel: Any watercraft used or capable of being used as transportation on the water; except a seaplane or a vessel on a fixed track or arm.
