Chapter 4: The Legal Requirements of Boating
Who May Operate a Vessel
California law requires a person to be 16 years of age or older
to legally operate a vessel powered by a motor of 15 horsepower
or more, including personal watercraft (PWCs).
Exceptions to this law are:
- Persons 12 to 15 years of age may operate a vessel powered
by a motor of 15 horsepower or more, including personal watercraft,
if they are supervised on board by a person at least 18 years
of age.
- There is no age restriction for operating a sailboat under
30 ft. long (with wind as the main source of propulsion) or a
dinghy used between a moored vessel and shore or between two
moored vessels.
It is illegal to permit a person under the age of 16 to operate
a vessel powered by a motor of 15 horsepower or more, including
personal watercraft, without onboard supervision by a person 18
years of age or older.
Court Ordered Boating Education
Any person convicted of any moving violation in the Harbors and
Navigation Code, the Federal Rules of the Road and regulations
adopted by the California Department of Boating and Waterways while
operating a vessel must be ordered by the court to complete and
pass a boating safety course approved by the Department of Boating
and Waterways.
Proof of completion and passage of the course must be submitted
to the court within seven months of the time of the conviction.
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