New York boating laws: life jackets, boater education and jet skis
What New York 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 12
- Boater education card
- Required (see who)
- Jet ski / PWC minimum age
- 14 to operate, with a boating safety certificate …
- Emergency
- 911 · VHF Channel 16
Emergency on the water in New York
Emergency and non-emergency contacts in New York
911 for emergencies; on coastal waters and the Great Lakes, call the U.S. Coast Guard on VHF Channel 16. NYS Parks Marine Services Bureau (non-emergency): 518-474-0445.
Coast Guard sectors covering New York
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 New York | (844) 692-8724 24-hour Coast Guard sector line · checked Oct 2026 · atlanticarea.uscg.mil |
|---|---|
| Sector Long Island Sound | (866) 299-8031 24-hour Coast Guard sector line · checked Oct 2026 · atlanticarea.uscg.mil |
| Sector Eastern Great Lakes | (888) 230-4703 24-hour Coast Guard sector line · checked Oct 2026 · atlanticarea.uscg.mil |
| Sector Northern New England | (833) 449-2407 24-hour Coast Guard sector line · checked Oct 2026 · atlanticarea.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
New York life jacket laws (and kids)
Children
Anyone under 12 must wear a USCG-approved life jacket while underway on a pleasure vessel under 65 ft or on a rowboat, canoe or kayak, unless in an enclosed cabin.
Source: nysenate.gov
Everyone else, towing and seasonal rules
From November 1 to May 1, everyone aboard a pleasure vessel under 21 ft (including rowboats, canoes and kayaks) must wear a USCG-approved life jacket while underway. Anyone being towed must wear one. All vessels, including kayaks, canoes and paddleboards, must carry one per person.
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 “New York 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
Brianna's Law: all operators of motorized vessels, including PWC and specialty craft, regardless of age (phase-in completed). Minimum age to take the course is 10. Renters 18+ may operate a rented motorboat (not stated for PWC) without a certificate after livery instruction; renters under 18 need a certificate.
The card
New York Safe Boating Certificate (valid for life; original must be carried)
Source: parks.ny.gov
New York jet ski (PWC) laws
Minimum age
14 to operate, with a boating safety certificate (or accompanied by a certified person over 18); livery renters must be 16+
Rules on the water
Everyone aboard must wear a USCG-approved life jacket; lanyard attached to the operator; no operation from sunset to sunrise; no operation within 500 ft of a designated bathing area (where the opposite shore is under 500 ft, max 10 mph); no reckless wake-jumping close to other vessels; many towns add local hour and distance limits.
Source: nysenate.gov
Kayak, canoe, paddle board and kite rules
Paddlecraft (including SUPs) must carry a life jacket per person, a sound-producing device (whistle or horn), and a white light such as a waterproof flashlight; Nov 1 to May 1 life jackets must be worn on boats under 21 ft. No kiteboarding-specific state rule found.
Boat registration in New York
All motorized vessels (including PWC and sailboats or paddlecraft with any motor) must be registered with NY DMV. Manually propelled paddlecraft (canoes, kayaks, SUPs, rowboats) and wind-only sailboats do not need registration.
Popular boating waters in New York
- Lake George
- Lake Champlain
- Thousand Islands / St. Lawrence River
- Finger Lakes (Seneca, Cayuga, Canandaigua)
- Lake Ontario
- Lake Erie
- Hudson River
- Long Island Sound and the Great South Bay
Some of the waters New York boaters know best. This is our list, not an official one, and it isn’t complete.
VesselSOS on New York 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 New York life jacket law for kids?
Anyone under 12 must wear a USCG-approved life jacket while underway on a pleasure vessel under 65 ft or on a rowboat, canoe or kayak, unless in an enclosed cabin.
Do you need a boating license in New York?
Brianna's Law: all operators of motorized vessels, including PWC and specialty craft, regardless of age (phase-in completed). Minimum age to take the course is 10. Renters 18+ may operate a rented motorboat (not stated for PWC) without a certificate after livery instruction; renters under 18 need a certificate.
How old do you have to be to drive a jet ski in New York?
14 to operate, with a boating safety certificate (or accompanied by a certified person over 18); livery renters must be 16+.
Do you have to register a boat in New York?
All motorized vessels (including PWC and sailboats or paddlecraft with any motor) must be registered with NY DMV. Manually propelled paddlecraft (canoes, kayaks, SUPs, rowboats) and wind-only sailboats do not need registration.
Sources
State boating agency: New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (NYS Parks), Marine Services Bureau
- https://parks.ny.gov/activities/boating
- https://parks.ny.gov/recreation/boating/
- https://parks.ny.gov/activities/boating/boating-education
- https://parks.ny.gov/activities/boating/personal-watercraft
- https://parks.ny.gov/activities/boating/paddlecraft-sailboats
- https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/NAV/40
- https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/NAV/49
- https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/NAV/73-A
- https://www.atlanticarea.uscg.mil/Our-Organization/Northeast-District/Units/Sector-New-York/
- https://www.atlanticarea.uscg.mil/Our-Organization/Northeast-District/Units/Sector-Long-Island-Sound/
- https://www.news.uscg.mil/Press-Releases/Article/3598156/coast-guard-to-rename-sectors-buffalo-sault-ste-marie/
- https://www.atlanticarea.uscg.mil/Our-Organization/Northeast-District/Units/Sector-Northern-New-England/
Checked October 2026. Laws change; confirm with NYS Parks 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.