California boating laws are set out mainly in the Harbors and Navigation Code and related sections of the Vehicle Code, and they cover registration, operator licensing, required safety gear, speed and wake limits, sewage discharge, accident reporting, and sober operation. Penalties range from small infraction fines to felony charges when someone is hurt or killed. Here is what applies to you on the water.
Who Needs to Register a Boat
Most boats on California waters must be registered with the DMV. That includes all motorized vessels regardless of size, sailboats longer than eight feet, and personal watercraft such as jet skis.1California DMV. 24.180 Vessels Required to be Registered in California Boats already documented with the U.S. Coast Guard are exempt.
Once registered, you get a “CF” number and a sticker. The number must be painted on or permanently attached to both sides of the bow in plain, vertical block letters more than three inches high.2California Department of Motor Vehicles. Boat/Vessel Registration Keep the registration certificate on board any time the vessel is in use; officers ask for it during routine stops.
Registration runs on a two-year cycle. The base renewal fee is $20, though vessel type and county of principal use can push the total higher.3California DMV. Vessel Registration Fees and Use Tax
The California Boater Card Requirement
Since January 1, 2025, everyone who operates a motorized vessel on California waters must carry a California Boater Card, no matter their age. The requirement was phased in starting in 2018 with operators 20 and younger, and now covers everyone.4California Boater Card. About the Card You earn the card by completing an approved boating safety course and passing the exam. It is valid for life once issued.
Operating without one is an infraction. Base fines run up to $100 for a first offense, $250 for a second, and $500 for a third or later offense. Court assessments and fees add up quickly, so what you actually pay tends to be several times the statutory maximum.
Safety Equipment You Must Carry
Life Jackets
Every vessel must carry a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket for each person on board. Jackets must fit the wearer, be in serviceable condition, and be readily accessible rather than locked away.
Children under 13 must actually wear one whenever the vessel is underway. The only exception is a child who is below deck or inside an enclosed cabin, meaning a space surrounded by bulkheads or canvas and covered by a roof.5FindLaw. California Harbors and Navigation Code HNC 658.3 “Underway” covers any moment the boat is not anchored, moored, or aground, drifting included.
Fire Extinguishers
Boats with inboard engines, enclosed fuel compartments, double-walled hulls, or enclosed living spaces must carry Coast Guard-approved fire extinguishers in easy-to-reach locations. Count and size depend on your vessel’s length.6Division of Boating and Waterways. Fire Extinguishers
The labeling rules trip up a lot of owners. Vessels model year 2018 or newer must carry extinguishers labeled 5-B, 10-B, or 20-B; the older B-I and B-II labels no longer qualify on these boats. If your vessel is model year 2017 or older, B-I and B-II extinguishers are still fine as long as they remain serviceable and the manufacture date on the bottle is under 12 years old.6Division of Boating and Waterways. Fire Extinguishers Federal rules in effect since April 2022 require every extinguisher to be replaced 12 years after manufacture, whatever the vessel’s age.
“Serviceable” means the gauge reads in the operable range, the lock pin is in place, the nozzle is clean, and there is no significant corrosion or damage. Officers check all of it.
Visual Distress Signals
On coastal waters, the Pacific Ocean, and large navigable federal waterways, you must carry visual distress signals. The baseline is at least three Coast Guard-approved nighttime signals, either pyrotechnic flares or electronic distress lights. Expired flares do not count, even if they still work.
Speed, Wake, and Distance Rules
It is an infraction to operate a motorized vessel faster than five miles per hour within 100 feet of anyone swimming, or within 200 feet of a beach used by swimmers, a swimming float, a diving platform, or a landing float where boats load and unload passengers.7California Legislative Information. California Harbors and Navigation Code HNC 655.2 Water-skiers being towed are not “swimmers” for the 100-foot rule.
Local agencies can and do impose tighter limits. Lake Tahoe enforces a no-wake zone extending 600 feet from shore, and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency asks vessels producing especially large wakes to extend the buffer to 1,300 feet.8Tahoe Regional Planning Agency. Lake Tahoe Boating and Safety Guide Harbor entrances and congested channels usually post their own speed limits.
You are liable for damage your wake causes to docks, moored vessels, and shoreline structures, even where no no-wake zone is posted. That can mean a civil suit, and in extreme cases a criminal charge for negligent operation.
Navigation Lights and Sound Signals
Between sunset and sunrise, every vessel must display navigation lights suited to its type and size. A power-driven vessel underway generally needs red and green sidelights on the bow, a white masthead light, and a white stern light. Sailboats under sail alone may use a tricolor masthead light in place of separate sidelights and a stern light. At anchor, any vessel must show a white anchor light visible all around the horizon.
Federal sound-signaling rules scale to length. Boats 12 meters (about 39 feet) or longer must carry a whistle. At 20 meters (about 65 feet), you also need a bell. Vessels 100 meters or longer need a whistle, bell, and gong.9eCFR. Equipment for Sound Signals (Rule 33) Boats under 12 meters can use any effective sound-signaling device, including a hand-held air horn.
Sewage and Environmental Rules
Discharging sewage from a vessel into California waters is illegal. The state operates as a No Discharge Zone, so both treated and untreated sewage discharges from vessels are prohibited inside state waters. You must hold sewage on board and dispose of it at a shore-based pump-out or discharge it at sea beyond three nautical miles.10U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Vessel Sewage No-Discharge Zones
Any vessel with an installed toilet must have a marine sanitation device, and in no-discharge waters its discharge valve must be secured closed. Officers check for this, and violations carry both state and federal penalties.
When You Must Report an Accident
California requires boating accidents to be reported to the Division of Boating and Waterways on a timeline set by severity:
- Within 48 hours: any accident involving a death within 24 hours, a person who disappears from the vessel under circumstances suggesting death or injury, or an injury requiring medical treatment beyond basic first aid.
- Within 10 days: any accident causing property damage over $500 or total loss of a vessel, or a death occurring more than 24 hours after the accident.11Division of Boating and Waterways. Reporting Boat Accidents
The $500 property damage threshold is low. A gelcoat repair alone can clear it, so many minor-looking collisions still trigger a mandatory report. Failing to report is a separate violation on top of whatever caused the accident.
Boating Under the Influence
BUI is the most heavily penalized boating offense in California. Operating any vessel with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08% or higher is unlawful; the threshold drops to 0.04% for commercial vessel operators.7California Legislative Information. California Harbors and Navigation Code HNC 655.2 A first conviction is a misdemeanor carrying up to $1,000 in fines, up to six months in county jail, or both.12California Legislative Information. California Harbors and Navigation Code HNC 668
A second or later conviction within seven years brings up to $1,000 in fines and up to one year in county jail.12California Legislative Information. California Harbors and Navigation Code HNC 668 When a BUI causes serious bodily injury or death, prosecutors can file it as a felony, with 90 days to one year in county jail or state prison and fines between $250 and $5,000. Refusing a chemical test after a lawful request gives the judge discretion to impose a longer sentence on conviction.
Other Penalties for Violations
Multiple agencies enforce boating laws in California: the Division of Boating and Waterways, the U.S. Coast Guard, county sheriff marine units, and harbor police can all stop vessels, inspect them, and issue citations.
Operating without proper registration numbers or in violation of emission standards carries a base fine of $250, with court assessments and fees added on top. Equipment violations such as missing life jackets or expired fire extinguishers are infractions, and each deficiency draws its own citation.
Negligent operation covers a range of dangerous behavior: weaving through congested traffic, passing unreasonably close to other vessels, riding on the bow or gunwale of a moving boat, and running through swimming areas. Many of these are infractions with fines up to $250. Conduct that rises to reckless operation can be charged as a misdemeanor carrying up to $1,000 in fines and six months in jail.12California Legislative Information. California Harbors and Navigation Code HNC 668 When negligent operation causes injury or significant property damage, courts can order restitution for medical bills and repairs.