California boating laws · checked Oct 2026

California boating laws: life jackets, boater education and jet skis

What California law requires on the water, pulled from official sources and linked line by line: life jackets, boater education, jet skis, paddle craft and registration.

Kids must wear a life jacket: Under 13
Boater education card: Required (see who)
Jet ski / PWC minimum age: 16 to operate a boat with a motor over 15 hp …
Emergency: 911 · VHF Channel 16

Emergency on the water in California

911

Life in danger, on any water: call 911 from a cell phone.

VHF 16

Channel 16 is the primary VHF-FM marine radio calling and distress channel. Carry a VHF radio on the coast and the Great Lakes.

Emergency and non-emergency contacts in California

911 for emergencies on all waters; on the ocean and bays, also call the U.S. Coast Guard on VHF-FM Channel 16.

Coast Guard sectors covering California

Each sector runs a 24-hour command center. Its line is useful for reporting an overdue boat or reaching the Coast Guard by phone, but in a distress use VHF Channel 16 or call 911 first.

Sector San Diego	(800) 246-7236 No verified sector line found; this is JRCC Alameda, the Coast Guard rescue coordination center for the area (24 hours) · checked Oct 2026 · dco.uscg.mil
Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach	(800) 246-7236 No verified sector line found; this is JRCC Alameda, the Coast Guard rescue coordination center for the area (24 hours) · checked Oct 2026 · dco.uscg.mil
Sector San Francisco	(415) 399-3547 24-hour Coast Guard sector line · checked Oct 2026 · pacificarea.uscg.mil
Sector Humboldt Bay	(707) 839-6113 24-hour Coast Guard sector line · checked Oct 2026 · pacificarea.uscg.mil

Toll-free 8xx numbers may not connect from a foreign SIM or a satellite phone.

How to call the Coast Guard: VHF 16 or 911 · Coast Guard phone numbers by region

California life jacket laws (and kids)

Children

Every child under 13 on a moving recreational vessel of any length must wear a USCG-approved life jacket. Exceptions: a child in an enclosed cabin, or tethered by a harness on a sailboat.

Source: dbw.parks.ca.gov

Everyone else, towing and seasonal rules

Kayaks, canoes and paddleboards of any length must carry one USCG-approved life jacket per person. Boats 16 ft and over must also carry one throwable device. Everyone being towed must wear a life jacket.

The federal baseline

Federal default: children under 13 must wear a USCG-approved life jacket on a recreational vessel that is underway, unless they’re below decks or in an enclosed cabin. Where a state has its own child-wear rule, the state rule applies on its waters (33 CFR 175.15(c), 175.25). Coast Guard required safety equipment →

Boater education card (the “California boating license”)

Most states don’t issue a boating license. What they require is a boater education card: proof you passed an approved boating safety course.

Who needs it

Since 1 Jan 2025, every operator of a motorized vessel, regardless of age. Exempt: operating under the direct supervision of a card holder aged 18+, and operating a rental vessel.

The card

California Boater Card ($10, valid for life)

Source: parks.ca.gov

California jet ski (PWC) laws

Minimum age

16 to operate a boat with a motor over 15 hp (includes most PWC) alone; ages 12-15 only with an adult 18+ on board

Rules on the water

Everyone on a PWC must wear a USCG-approved life jacket; attach the engine cut-off lanyard to your body; no PWC operation from sunset to sunrise, even with navigation lights; anyone towed must wear a life jacket and an observer aged 12+ is required when towing.

Source: parks.ca.gov

Kayak, canoe, paddle board and kite rules

Paddleboards, kayaks and canoes count as human-powered vessels: each must carry a USCG-approved life jacket, and children under 13 must wear one while underway. Many lakes and reservoirs have local rules (some ban PWC or two-stroke engines). No statewide kiteboarding rule found.

Boat registration in California

Register with the California DMV: all motorized vessels of any size and sailboats over 8 ft. Exempt: canoes, kayaks, rowboats and other paddle/oar-powered boats, and sailboats 8 ft or less without a motor. Motorized boats used in fresh water must also display a Quagga/Zebra Mussel Fee sticker.

Popular boating waters in California

Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
San Francisco Bay
Lake Tahoe
Shasta Lake
Lake Havasu and the Colorado River
Lake Berryessa
Lake Oroville
San Diego Bay and Mission Bay

Some of the waters California boaters know best. This is our list, not an official one, and it isn’t complete.

WHAT VESSELSOS DOES HERE

VesselSOS on California waters

Life in danger? One tap dials 911. The screen shows your GPS position and a word-for-word script: say “Boat emergency, I’m on the water” and the name of the lake, river or bay you’re on.
On the coast and the Great Lakes it also shows which Coast Guard sector covers your position, with that sector’s 24-hour line as a second Call button, and a VHF Channel 16 MAYDAY script filled with your boat’s details for you to read on your own radio.
A live link for family ashore (Plus, free during the beta): your position, speed, course and phone battery in any browser, no app needed on their end. You send it by text yourself.
Not an emergency? The tow screen has Call buttons for the TowBoatUS and Sea Tow 24-hour dispatch lines, or your own member number.

What it doesn’t do: it doesn’t call the Coast Guard for you and isn’t connected to 911 or any rescue system. Nobody is alerted automatically if you’re late. The return-time check only asks “Are you OK?” on your own phone. It doesn’t replace a VHF radio, a PLB or EPIRB, or the life jackets the law requires.

iPhone only, in invite-only TestFlight beta. Not in the App Store yet, no Android. US support (911 routing, American English) is in beta version 1.4 and later.

Quick answers

What is the California life jacket law for kids?

Every child under 13 on a moving recreational vessel of any length must wear a USCG-approved life jacket. Exceptions: a child in an enclosed cabin, or tethered by a harness on a sailboat.

Do you need a boating license in California?