Who Is Allowed to Operate a Motorboat or Personal Watercraft
If you were born after January 1, 1984, you may operate a motorboat over 10 horsepower or personal watercraft if you have successfully completed an approved boater education course OR if you are accompanied by someone over age 18 who has a successfully completed an LDWF-approved boater education course, if required. This exception does not apply to personal watercraft. Individuals must have their certificate of course completion in their possession while on the motorboat or personal watercraft. If you are a U.S. Coast Guard licensed captain, you are not required to take this course.
You must be age 16 or older to operate a personal watercraft. It is illegal for a person who owns or has charge of a personal watercraft to knowingly permit a person under age 16 to operate a personal watercraft. It is also illegal for a rental company to rent a personal watercraft to anyone under age 16.
Mandatory Boater Education
We encourage every boater to take a boater education course. However, if you were born after January 1, 1984, you must successfully complete an LDWF-approved boater education course to operate a motorboat over 10 horsepower, unless you are accompanied by someone over age 18 who has a successfully completed an LDWF-approved boater education course, if required.
In addition, if you were born after January 1, 1984, you must successfully complete an approved boater education course to operate a personal watercraft. You must also be age 16 or older to operate a personal watercraft.
Individuals must carry their certification of course completion while on the motorboat or personal watercraft.
If you are a U.S. Coast Guard licensed captain, you are not required to take this course to operate a motorboat or personal watercraft.
Youth younger than age 10 may take a boater education course but are not eligible to be certified. They must retake the course to be certified when they reach 10 years of age or older.
Rules of the Road for Vessels
Violation of any of the below is considered careless operation of a vessel, a crime which carries a penalty of a fine of not more than $300 or imprisonment for not more than 30 days, or both.
- Vessels passing head-on shall each keep to their respective right.
- A vessel overtaking another vessel may do so on either side but must grant the right-of-way to the vessel being overtaken.
- When vessels are on paths that cross, the vessel on the left will yield right-of-way to the vessel on the right.
- Motorboats shall yield right-of-way to non-motor-powered boats, except when being overtaken by non-powered vessels, for deep draft vessels that have to remain in narrow channels, or when vessel is towing another vessel.
- Motorboats must maintain a direct course when passing sailboats.
- A vessel approaching a landing dock or pier shall yield the right-of-way to any departing vessel.
- A vessel departing shoreline or tributary shall yield right-of-way to through traffic and vessels approaching shoreline or tributary.
- Vessels will not abruptly change course without first determining that it can be safely done without risk of collision with another vessel.
- If an operator fails to fully comprehend the course of an approaching vessel, he or she must slow down immediately to a speed barely sufficient for steerageway until the other vessel has passed.
- Vessels yielding right-of-way shall reduce speed, stop, reverse, or alter course to avoid collision. Vessel with right-of-way shall hold course and speed. If there is danger of collision, all vessels will slow down, stop, or reverse until danger is averted.
- Vessels will issue warning signals in fog or weather conditions that restrict visibility.
- No mechanically propelled vessel shall be operated to traverse a course around any other vessel underway or any person swimming.
- In a narrow channel, vessels will keep to the right of mid-channel.
- Vessels approaching or passing another vessel shall be operated in such manner and at such a rate of speed as will not create a hazardous wash or wake.
- A seaplane on the water shall in general keep clear of all vessels and avoid impeding the navigation of all vessels.
- All vessels shall be operated at reasonable speeds for given conditions and situations and must be under the complete control of the operator at all times.
- No person shall, under any circumstances, operate a vessel in excess of an established speed or wake zone.
- No vessel or person shall obstruct or block a navigation channel, entrance to channel, mooring slip, landing dock, launching ramp, pier, or tributary.
- Vessels shall keep at least 100 feet clearance of displayed diver’s flag.
- Operator shall maintain a proper lookout.
Personal Watercraft
You must operate personal watercraft in a careful and responsible manner. Avoid operating around fishermen, anchored vessels, or swimmers. It is illegal to:
- Operate a personal watercraft between sunset and sunrise.
- Weave the personal watercraft through congested waterway traffic.
- Jump the wake of another vessel when visibility is obstructed.
- Operate in a manner that requires swerving at the last possible moment to avoid a collision.
- Chase, harass, or disturb wildlife with your personal watercraft.
Intoxication
You may not operate any motorboat or vessel or manipulate any waterski, surfboard, or similar device while intoxicated or under the influence of any narcotic drug, barbiturate, or marijuana. It is also illegal for a person who owns or is in charge of any watercraft to authorize or knowingly permit anyone who is intoxicated or under the influence of any narcotic drug, barbiturate, or marijuana to operate that watercraft.
Boat operators who are driving while intoxicated (DWI) with a blood alcohol content of 0.08 and higher face the same penalties as someone operating a vehicle on the highway while intoxicated. Penalties include suspension or revocation of boating privileges and driver’s license. A designated sober operator is required for both the roadway and waterway.
Incapacity of Operator
It is illegal for a person who owns or is in charge of any watercraft to authorize or knowingly permit anyone whose physical or mental disability makes them incapable of operating a watercraft under the prevailing circumstances to operate that watercraft.
Interference with Navigation
You may not operate any watercraft in a manner that unreasonably or unnecessarily interferes with other watercraft or with the free and proper navigation of Louisiana’s waterways. This may include anchoring under bridges or in heavily traveled channels, if unreasonable under the prevailing circumstances.
Overloading
Do not load watercraft with passengers or cargo beyond its safe carrying capacity, taking into consideration weather and other existing operating conditions.
Overpowering
Do not equip any watercraft with any motor or other propulsion machinery beyond its safe power capacity, taking into consideration the type and construction of such watercraft and other existing operating conditions.
Riding on Decks and Gunwales
Do not allow anyone to ride or sit on either the starboard or port gunwales or on the decking over the bow of a motorboat 26 feet long or less while it’s underway, unless such motorboat has adequate guards or railing that prevents passengers from falling overboard. Riding on decks and gunwales makes it easy to fall from a boat and can lead to serious injuries or death.
Restricted Areas
Do not operate a watercraft within an area which has been marked, in accordance with and as authorized by Louisiana law, by buoys or some other distinguishing device as a bathing, swimming, or otherwise restricted area.
Waterskiing
At least two competent individuals must be operating a motorboat towing or otherwise assisting a person on waterskis, surfboard, or similar device in or upon any waterway. Exceptions:
- Motorboat used by representatives of duly constituted waterski school for instruction or in a duly authorized waterski tournament, competition, exposition, or trial, if applicable permit has been obtained from LDWF or the U.S. Coast Guard
- Motorboat operated by a person age 16 or older AND equipped with a wide-angle convex marine rearview mirror at least 7 by 14 inches positioned to observe the skiers being towed.
Pollution
It is a violation of the Federal Pollution Control Act to pump or discharge into navigable waters any kind of oil or oily waste that causes a film or discoloration or the surface of the water or a sludge or emulsion beneath the surface of the water. Persons found with oily water in the bilges of their vessel must be able to show how they intend to dispose of it according to proper procedure.
Boats 26 feet or longer must display a 5 by 8-inch sign near the bilge pump control station stating the regulations of the Federal Pollution Control Act.
The Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (MARPOL ANNEX V) limits the discharge of garbage from vessels. It is illegal to dump plastic trash anywhere in the ocean or navigable waters of the United States. It is also illegal to discharge garbage in the navigable waters of the United States. The discharge of other types of garbage is permitted outside of specific distances offshore depending on the nature of that garbage.
U.S. vessels 26 feet or longer must display in a prominent location a durable placard at least 4 by 9 inches notifying the crew and passengers of discharge restrictions.
U.S. oceangoing vessels 40 feet or longer, which are engaged in commerce or are equipped with a galley and berthing, must have a written Waste Management Plan describing the procedures for collecting, processing, storing, and discharging garbage, and designating the person who is in charge of carrying out the plan.
Termination Order for Hazardous Conditions
There are certain conditions under which a law enforcement agent may observe especially hazardous conditions aboard a vessel and direct the operator to take immediate steps to correct the condition, including returning to port. Some examples where termination may be imposed are:
- Overloading beyond recommended safe loading capacity (Capacity Plate)
- Manifestly unsafe voyage
- Operating in regulated boating areas during permitted marine events.
| Personal Watercraft | Boats Less than 16 Feet | Boats 16 Feet to Less than 26 Feet | |
| Registration on Board | X | X | X |
| Validation Decals Displayed | X | X | X |
| PFDs (Type I,II, or III) | X | X | X |
| PFDs (Type IV) | X | ||
| Engine Cut-off Switch | X | X (if hand tiller outboard motor 10 horsepower or more) | X (if hand tiller outboard motor 10 horsepower or more) |
| Type B Fire Extinguishers | X | X | X |
| Navigation Lights | N/A (not allowed to operate between sunset and sunrise) | X | X |
| Horn, Whistle, or Bell | X | ||
| Daytime Visual Distress Signals | X (in federal waters) | ||
| Nighttime Visual Distress Signals | N/A (not allowed to operate between sunset and sunrise) | X (in federal waters) | X (in federal waters) |
| Backfire Flame Arrestor | X | X (on inboards and stern drives only) | X (on inboards and stern drives only) |
| Ventilation System | X | X | X |
| Muffler/Underwater Exhaust | X | X | X |
Boat Registration, Number, and Decal
When you register your boat, you will receive a registration certificate, which states the number assigned to your boat, and two decals.
You must keep your registration certificate on board the vessel at all times. We suggest keeping it in a waterproof container in a safe but easily accessible place.
Paint or attach the assigned number to each side of the forward half of the vessel’s hull. The letters and numbers must be:
- Plain block design
- At least 3 inches high*
- Of a color that contrasts with the hull (light numbers on a dark hull or vice versa)*
- Clearly visible and legible
- Placed vertically.
There must be a hyphen or space equal to the width of a number (except 1) or letter (except I) between the prefix, numerals, and suffix. Examples of correct number display are: LA-4002-CS OR LA 4002 GS.
You must attach decals received from LDWF to each side of the vessel’s bow within 6 inches of your registration number.
Hull Identification Number
A hull identification number is a 12-digit combination of letters and numbers located on the outside transom in quarter-inch minimum letters. All boats constructed after November 1, 1972, must have this number permanently displayed on the boat by the manufacturer before the boat can be sold. Boats manufactured prior to this date will have a metal tag serial number.
It is a violation of state and federal law to possess any boat from which the hull identification number or manufacturer’s identification plates bearing the serial number have been removed or altered. Law enforcement will consider an outboard motor or motorboat without these numbers contraband and seize the property. Salvage or found boats, or boats with no identification markings must be reported immediately to LDWF.
Personal Flotation Devices
Louisiana law requires that all children age 16 and younger wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved Type I, II, or III PFD while underway on a vessel less than 26 feet long. The PFD must be fastened and properly sized for the child. Inflatables are not allowed for children age 16 and under. A wearable U.S. Coast Guard-approved Type I, II, or III PFD must be readily available for each of the other passengers on board.
Everyone on board a motorboat less than 16 feet propelled by a hand tiller outboard motor must wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved Type I, II, III or V PFD while the motorboat is underway.
You must have a U.S. Coast Guard-approved Type I, II, or III PFD for each person on board a pirogue, canoe, or kayak. The PFD must be properly sized and in serviceable condition.
If you’re riding on a personal watercraft, you must wear a U.S. Coast Guard–approved Type I, II, III, or V PFD.
Individuals engaged in watersports, including but not limited to waterskiing, being towed on a tube, wakeboarding, wake surfing, etc., must wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved Type I, II, III, or V PFD. An inflatable PFD is not permitted.
Engine Cut-off Switches
The operator of a motorboat less than 26 feet with a hand tiller outboard motor over 10 horsepower designed to have or with an engine cut-off switch must attach the engine cutoff switch to himself, his clothing, or his PFD (if it’s worn while the motor is running and the vessel is underway).
If your personal watercraft has a lanyard ignition safety switch, you must attach the lanyard to your person, clothing, or PFD.
Fire Extinguishers
All mechanically propelled vessels less than 26 feet must carry one B-1 U.S. Coast Guard-approved fire extinguisher if any of the following applies:
- Inboard engines
- Closed compartments and compartments under seats where portable fuel tanks may be stored
- Double bottoms not sealed to the hull or not completely filled with flotation materials
- Closed living spaces
- Closed compartments in which combustible or flammable materials are stored
Navigation Lights
The following requirements apply to every motorboat or vessel underway in any type of weather from sunset to sunrise.
Motorboats and Class A and 1 vessels must carry:
- A bright white light aft to show all around the horizon
- A combined lantern in the fore part of the vessel and lower than the white aft showing green to starboard and red to port so fixed as to throw the light from right ahead to two points abaft the beam on their respective sides.
Motorboats and Class 2 and 3 vessels must carry:
- A bright white light in the fore part of the vessel as near the stern as practicable so constructed as to show an unbroken light over an arc of the horizon of 20 points of the compass and so fixed as to throw the light 10 points on each side of the vessel, namely from right ahead to two points abaft the beam on either side
- A bright white light aft to show all around the horizon and higher than the white light forward
- On the starboard side, a green light so constructed as to show an unbroken light over an arc of the horizon of 10 points of the compass and so fixed as to throw the light from right ahead to two points abaft the beam on the starboard side. On the port side, a red light so constructed as to show an unbroken light over an arc of the horizon of 10 points of the compass so fixed as to throw the light from right ahead to two points abaft the beam on the port side. These side lights must be fitted with inboard screens of sufficient height so set as to prevent these lights from being seen across the bow.
Motorboats and Class A and 1 vessels propelled by sail alone must carry the combined lanterns but not the white light aft as previously described.
Motorboats and Class 2 and 3 vessels propelled by sail alone must carry suitably screened colored side lights but not the white light as previously described.
Non-Motorized vessels must carry a lantern or flashlight which shows a white light and is readily accessible so it can be shown in sufficient time to avert collision.
Note: When propelled by sail and machinery, a motorboat must carry the same lights required for a motorboat propelled by machinery only.
Anchor Lights
All motorboats anchored in navigable waterways of Louisiana must show a white 360-degree stern light from sunset to sunrise. This light shall be the highest such light to be exhibited.
Visibility of Lights
White lights must be visible from at least two miles away. Colored lights must be visible from at least one mile away. Visible means visible on a dark night with clear atmosphere.
Trawling Vessels
A vessel engaged in trawling (dragging a dredge net or other apparatus used as a fishing appliance through the water) must show two all-round lights in a vertical line, the upper being green and the lower white, or a shape consisting of two cones with their apexes together in a vertical line one above the other.
A vessel less than 20 meters (65.6 feet) in length may exhibit a basket (a masthead light abaft of and higher than the all-round green light) instead of the aforementioned shape.
A vessel less than 50 meters (164 feet) in length is not required to exhibit such a light.
When making way through the water, trawling vessels must also have sidelights and a stern light.
Fishing Vessels
A vessel engaged in fishing other than trawling must exhibit two all-round lights in a vertical line, the upper being red and the lower white, or a shape consisting of two cones with apexes together in a vertical line one above the other.
A vessel less than 20 meters (65.6168 feet) in length may exhibit a basket instead of the aformentioned shape.
A vessel with outlying gear extending more than 150 meters (492.126 feet) horizontally from the vessel must have an all-round white light or a cone apex upward in the direction of the gear.
When making way through the water, fishing vessels must also have sidelights and a stern light.
Sound Signaling Devices
Every motorboat and Class 1, 2, and 3 vessel must have an efficient whistle or other sound-producing mechanical appliance. Every motorboat and Class 2 and 3 vessel must also have an efficient bell.
Visual Distress Signals
All recreational boats, when used on coastal waters and the territorial seas, up to a point where a body of water is less than two miles wide, must be equipped with visual distress signals. Boats owned in the United States operating on the high seas must also be equipped with visual distress signals.
The following boats are only required to carry visual distress signals when operating at night:
- Recreational boats less than 16 feet in length
- Boats participating in organized events such as races, regattas, or marine parades
- Open sailboats less than 26 feet in length and not equipped with propulsion machinery
- Manually propelled boats.
Pyrotechnic visual distress signals must be U.S. Coast Guard-approved and readily accessible. They must be in serviceable condition—their marked expiration date must not have passed.
Launchers produced before January 1, 1981, intended for use with approved signals are not required to be U.S. Coast Guard-approved.
Backfire Flame Arrestors
The carburetor or carburetors of every motorboat engine using gasoline as fuel (except outboard motors) must have an efficient flame arrestor, backfire trap, or other similar device.
Gasoline engines installed after April 25, 1940, except outboard motors, must be equipped as stated above. The device must be suitably attached to the air intake with a flame tight connection and is required to be U.S. Coast Guard-approved or comply with SAE J-1928 or UL 1111 standards and marked accordingly.
Powered Ventilation System
Each compartment in a boat that has a permanently installed gasoline engine with a cranking motor must be:
- Open to the atmosphere OR
- Ventilated by an exhaust blower system.
Mufflers
It is illegal to use a motorboat without an efficient muffler, underwater exhaust, or other modern device capable of adequately muffling the sound of the exhaust of the engine.
Marine Sanitation Devices
All recreational boats with installed toilet facilities must have an operable marine sanitation device (MSD) on board. Vessels 65 feet and under may use a Type I, II, or III MSD. Vessels over 65 feet must install a Type II or III MSD.
All installed MSDs must be U.S. Coast Guard-certified. U.S. Coast Guard-certified devices are labeled as such, except for some holding tanks, which are certified by definition under regulations.
When operating a vessel on a body of water where the discharge of treated or untreated sewage is prohibited, the operator must secure the MSD in a manner which prevents any discharge. Acceptable methods include:
- Padlocking overboard discharge valves in the closed position
- Using non-releasable wire tie to hold overboard discharge valves in the closed position
- Closing overboard discharge valves and removing the handle
- Locking the door with a padlock or keylock to the space enclosing the toilets (for Type I and II only).
Termination Order for Hazardous Conditions
There are certain conditions under which a law enforcement agent may observe especially hazardous conditions aboard a vessel and direct the operator to take immediate steps to correct the condition, including returning to port. Some examples where termination may be imposed are:
- Fuel in bilges
- Fuel leakage
- Insufficient number of U.S. Coast Guard-approved PFDs
- No or insufficient fire extinguishers
- Improper navigation light display
- Ventilation requirements for tank and engine spaces not met or up to standard
- No or improper backfire flame arrestor.
For additonal information contact:
Louisiana Department of
Wildlife and Fisheries
PO Box 98000
2000 Quail Drive
Baton Rouge, LA 70898 800.256.2749 or 225.765.2800