Boating Laws

Who is required to carry a boater card when operating a vessel?

On September 18, 2014, former Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. signed into law Senate Bill 941, which prohibits the operation of motorized vessels in California without a valid boater card developed and issued by DBW. The new mandatory boating safety education law went into effect January 1, 2018. The law is being phased in by age. Each year after January 2018, a new age group is added to those who are required to possess a valid card. By 2025, all persons who operate a motorized vessel on California waters will be required to have one. The cost of the lifetime card is $10, and all the money goes toward developing and operating the program.

As of the dates shown below, these boaters will be required to carry a boater card issued by DBW, unless they meet certain exemptions.

California Harbors and Navigation Code Section 678.11(b) contains the following phase-in schedule based on operator age:

• January 1, 2024 Persons 60 years of age or younger
• January 1, 2025 All persons regardless of age

For more information please visit: California Boater Card website

Also, for a more comprehensive resource on boating laws, please visit the ABCs of California Boating page on the California State Parks Division of Boating and Waterways website.

Noteworthy to Remember Before Heading onto the Water

AB 2538: All children under 13 years of age are required to wear a life jacket while underway in recreational vessels of any size. The law also requires water skiers to wear life jackets, as well as all users of personal watercraft. Of course, it is recommended that persons of all ages wear a life jacket while underway in a vessel of any size.

County Ordinance 12.24.090 (Speed Zones) governs Speed Zones on Shasta Lake, Fall River, Lake Britton, Lake McCloud, little Tule River, and Eastman Lake. Be informed before you go boating.

Also see Shasta County Code, Chapter 12.24 - Boating, Swimming, and Fishing for more information.