Missouri boating laws: life jackets, boater education and jet skis
What Missouri 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 7
- Boater education card
- Required (see who)
- Jet ski / PWC minimum age
- 14 …
- Emergency
- 911
Emergency on the water in Missouri
On inland lakes and rivers, 911 reaches the people who respond there: county sheriff marine units, state conservation officers and local fire and rescue.
Emergency and non-emergency contacts in Missouri
Call 911, or use the Missouri State Highway Patrol emergency line at 1-800-525-5555 or *55 from a cell phone (listed in the official handbook as the emergency hotline).
How to call the Coast Guard: VHF 16 or 911 · Coast Guard phone numbers by region
Missouri life jacket laws (and kids)
Children
Children under 7 must wear a USCG-approved life jacket at all times on board any vessel, unless inside a totally enclosed area such as the cabin of a houseboat or day cruiser.
Source: assets.kalkomey.com
Everyone else, towing and seasonal rules
State law lets boats under 16 ft carry a wearable or throwable device per person, but federal law requires a wearable life jacket for each person regardless of length. Boats 16 ft and longer also need a throwable device. There is no seasonal or cold-water rule.
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 “Missouri 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
Today: anyone born after January 1, 1984, operating a vessel on Missouri lakes. Starting January 1, 2027: anyone born on or after January 1, 2006, operating a vessel on any Missouri waters, including rivers (MSHP: motorized boats and sailboats over 12 ft). The card also applies to non-residents.
The card
Boating safety identification card issued by the MSHP (or a boating safety endorsement on a Missouri driver's or non-driver's license)
Source: revisor.mo.gov
Missouri jet ski (PWC) laws
Minimum age
14 (younger only with a supervising person 16+ on board); a boating safety ID card is also required if born after Jan 1, 1984
Rules on the water
Everyone on board must wear a USCG-approved wearable life jacket while underway; lanyard must be attached to the operator; slow, no-wake speed within 50 ft of any other vessel, PWC or person in the water; no becoming airborne over a wake within 100 ft of the boat making it; no weaving or wake-jumping with an obstructed view; daylight riding is strongly recommended, and navigation lights are required at night.
Source: assets.kalkomey.com
Kayak, canoe, paddle board and kite rules
Non-motorized canoes, kayaks and paddleboards do not need to be registered. The handbook has no specific rules for SUP or kiteboarding.
Boat registration in Missouri
Every vessel needs a Missouri Certificate of Number and decals (through the Missouri Department of Revenue), except non-motorized vessels, sailboats 12 ft or shorter, and out-of-state boats used 60 consecutive days or less. Outboard motors (except electric trolling motors) must also be titled and registered.
Popular boating waters in Missouri
- Lake of the Ozarks
- Table Rock Lake
- Truman Lake
- Lake Taneycomo
- Bull Shoals Lake
- Mark Twain Lake
- Missouri River
- Mississippi River
Some of the waters Missouri boaters know best. This is our list, not an official one, and it isn’t complete.
VesselSOS on Missouri 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.
- 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 Missouri life jacket law for kids?
Children under 7 must wear a USCG-approved life jacket at all times on board any vessel, unless inside a totally enclosed area such as the cabin of a houseboat or day cruiser.
Do you need a boating license in Missouri?
Today: anyone born after January 1, 1984, operating a vessel on Missouri lakes. Starting January 1, 2027: anyone born on or after January 1, 2006, operating a vessel on any Missouri waters, including rivers (MSHP: motorized boats and sailboats over 12 ft). The card also applies to non-residents.
How old do you have to be to drive a jet ski in Missouri?
14 (younger only with a supervising person 16+ on board); a boating safety ID card is also required if born after Jan 1, 1984.
Do you have to register a boat in Missouri?
Every vessel needs a Missouri Certificate of Number and decals (through the Missouri Department of Revenue), except non-motorized vessels, sailboats 12 ft or shorter, and out-of-state boats used 60 consecutive days or less. Outboard motors (except electric trolling motors) must also be titled and registered.
Sources
State boating agency: Missouri State Highway Patrol, Water Patrol Division
- https://assets.kalkomey.com/boater/pdfs/handbook/missouri-handbook-entire.pdf
- https://www.boat-ed.com/missouri/handbook/
- https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=306.127
- https://www.mshp.dps.missouri.gov/MSHPWeb/WaterPatrol/BoatingLaws_Education/boaterEduLawFAQ.html
Checked October 2026. Laws change; confirm with Missouri State Highway Patrol before you go.
This page summarizes the law for planning; it isn’t legal advice. Where this page and the official text differ, the official text wins. Spotted an error? Email support@vesselsos.com.