West Virginia boating laws: life jackets, boater education and jet skis
What West Virginia 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
- 15 to operate alone …
- Emergency
- 911
Emergency on the water in West Virginia
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 West Virginia
911 for emergencies on all waters. On the Ohio and Kanawha rivers, watch for commercial tows and barges and stay clear of locks and dams.
How to call the Coast Guard: VHF 16 or 911 · Coast Guard phone numbers by region
West Virginia life jacket laws (and kids)
Children
Any child under 13, including infants, must wear a USCG-approved life jacket while the vessel is underway, unless below deck or in an enclosed cabin.
Source: wvdnr.gov
Everyone else, towing and seasonal rules
Everyone on or towed behind a PWC must wear a non-inflatable life jacket; anyone towed by any vessel must wear one. Every vessel, including canoes and kayaks, must carry a properly sized life jacket for each person. No seasonal cold-water rule found.
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 “West Virginia 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
Anyone born on or after Dec 31, 1986 operating a motorboat or personal watercraft (WV Code 20-7-12b), using a NASBLA-approved course from WV or any other state.
The card
West Virginia Boater Education Card (certificate of boating safety education)
Source: wvdnr.gov
West Virginia jet ski (PWC) laws
Minimum age
15 to operate alone (with boater education card); ages 12-15 only with a person over 18 aboard; rentals only to 18+
Rules on the water
Everyone aboard or being towed must wear a USCG-approved non-inflatable life jacket; lanyard attached to the operator; no operation between sunset and sunrise; no weaving through traffic, jumping wakes close to other vessels, going airborne within 100 ft of the vessel making the wake, or following faster than 10 mph within 100 ft behind or 50 ft beside another vessel; towing a skier requires an observer 12+ on board.
Source: wvdnr.gov
Kayak, canoe, paddle board and kite rules
Non-motorized canoes, kayaks and SUPs need no registration but must carry a life jacket per person; children under 13 must wear one. No kiteboarding-specific rule found.
Boat registration in West Virginia
All motorboats, including PWC, must be titled (if bought after July 1, 1989) and registered through the WV Division of Motor Vehicles; boats with motors under 3 hp or electric motors under 70 lb thrust must still register but pay no fee. Non-motorized vessels (canoes, kayaks, SUPs, sailboats without motors) are not registered or titled.
Popular boating waters in West Virginia
- Summersville Lake
- Stonewall Jackson Lake
- Cheat Lake
- Sutton Lake
- Bluestone Lake
- Tygart Lake
- Ohio River
- New River and Gauley River (whitewater)
Some of the waters West Virginia boaters know best. This is our list, not an official one, and it isn’t complete.
VesselSOS on West Virginia 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 West Virginia life jacket law for kids?
Any child under 13, including infants, must wear a USCG-approved life jacket while the vessel is underway, unless below deck or in an enclosed cabin.
Do you need a boating license in West Virginia?
Anyone born on or after Dec 31, 1986 operating a motorboat or personal watercraft (WV Code 20-7-12b), using a NASBLA-approved course from WV or any other state.
How old do you have to be to drive a jet ski in West Virginia?
15 to operate alone (with boater education card); ages 12-15 only with a person over 18 aboard; rentals only to 18+.
Do you have to register a boat in West Virginia?
All motorboats, including PWC, must be titled (if bought after July 1, 1989) and registered through the WV Division of Motor Vehicles; boats with motors under 3 hp or electric motors under 70 lb thrust must still register but pay no fee. Non-motorized vessels (canoes, kayaks, SUPs, sailboats without motors) are not registered or titled.
Sources
State boating agency: West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR), Law Enforcement Section (Natural Resources Police)
- https://wvdnr.gov/lands-waters/boating/
- https://wvdnr.gov/boater-education/
- https://wvdnr.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/WV-Boating-Rules-and-Laws-Final.pdf
- https://wvdnr.gov/boating-safety-on-wv-lakes-and-rivers/
Checked October 2026. Laws change; confirm with WVDNR 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.