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California Boating Laws and Licensing
California Boating Laws and Licensing
Every state has different laws for boating and boater registration and licensing. Knowing the right laws for the state that you're boating in will be very helpful to your enjoyment of boating and allow you to be a responsible boater. If you don't take the time to figure out the laws before you hit the water, you might find yourself in a lot of trouble with the coast guard or other authorities because you're doing illegal boating. According to California law, only certain boats are required to be registered. There are a few exemptions for specialty boats and government boats, but other than that, the rules are as follows:
Anything that is sail powered and longer than eight feet is required to be registered with the state of California. Additionally, you also have to register power boats and commercial vessels that are more than 30 feet long or weigh 5 tons. It doesn't matter what business they're used for, as long as they're commercial boats. You're not required to register visiting boats that are registered elsewhere, racing boats, anything smaller than 8 feet, lifeboats, surfboards and sailboards, or anything that is manually propelled either with oars or paddles.
As far as licensing is concerned, the state doesn't require you to have a boating license, but boating education classes are still encouraged for all boat owners and operators. Registration in the state of California costs between $29 and $77 annually, and is only $20 to renew each year after you initially register. You can replace lost registration with a $15 fee, by mail or by phone. This gives you plenty of options for all of your registration needs. For them, you should contact the DMV of the state of California to take care of everything to do with your boat and registration processes.
California and Hawaii are two states that have relatively simple boating registration processes and no licensing requirements for boat operators. This is because so many people come to the state for boating that it would be too overwhelming to make everyone get a license or register their boat that's just visiting. If you are caught breaking the law, you're simply pulled over and given a ticket, unless the authorities feel you didn't know the law, then they will merely warn you to be more careful next time. California is pretty laid back about boating laws and licensing.
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Submitted by: Sandi
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Added: Wed Dec 10 2008
