California boating rules for 2026: a checklist

California Boater Card

Since January 1, 2025, anyone operating a motor-propelled vessel on California waters needs a California Boater Card, whatever their age, and must have it on them while operating.^[1] To get one, you pass a NASBLA- or state-approved boating safety course and exam, then apply to the Division of Boating and Waterways. The card is for life and costs $10; a replacement costs $5.^[2] Last verified November 11, 2026

Who doesn't need one

The law lists seven exemptions:^[1]

1. Visitors from another state using California waters for up to 60 days, or from another country for up to 90 days, who meet their home rules.
2. Someone operating under the direct supervision of a person 18 or older who is on board and holds a card (or a Coast Guard license, below).
3. Operators in an organized regatta, vessel race or water-ski race.
4. Anyone operating a rental vessel.
5. Holders of a current commercial fishing license.
6. Holders of a valid Coast Guard marine operator license for those waters, or an STCW certificate.
7. People who completed a POST-approved boating course.

The supervision exemption is the one most owners use: a guest can take the helm while you (18+, with a card) are on board. Lending the boat to a friend who goes out without you is different; they need their own card.

DMV registration and stickers

Every boat with a motor, of any size, and every sailboat over 8 feet must be registered with the DMV, including dinghies. Canoes, rowboats and other paddle or oar boats, and sailboats under 8 feet, are exempt. Boats documented with the Coast Guard don't register with the DMV. If you buy a boat out of state or move here with one, you have 120 days to register it.^[3]

Renewal: registration must be renewed by December 31 of every odd-numbered year, even if the boat isn't used. The DMV mails a notice about 60 days before it expires.^[3] The renewal fee is $20 for the two years ($10 late penalty); a first registration is $29.^[5] The DMV's fee calculator works out the total for your boat, including any use tax or transfer fee.^[4]

Numbers and stickers: the CF number goes on both sides of the bow in plain vertical block characters taller than 3 inches, reading left to right, in a color that contrasts with the hull. Spaces or hyphens are the width of a letter (for example CF 1234 AB). The registration sticker goes on both sides about 3 inches from the number: to the left of it on the starboard side and to the right of it on the port side. Keep other markings away from it.^[3]

The mussel fee sticker (changed October 22, 2026)

The Quagga and Zebra Mussel sticker is now the Invasive Mussel Fee sticker. Since October 22, 2026 it costs $21 if first bought in an even-numbered year and $42 if first bought in an odd-numbered year, which covers the full two-year cycle. The old price was $16.^[6] The law now sets a range of $15–$21 for even years and $30–$42 for odd years, adjusted for inflation every odd year.^[7]

• Who needs it: California-registered recreational boats used in fresh water: lakes, reservoirs, rivers, and the Delta east of Chipps Island. Boats used only in salt water are exempt.^[6]
• Where to buy: separately from registration, online at the DMV, at a DMV office, or at participating AAA offices for members.^[6]
• Display: one sticker on each side, next to and in line with the CF number and registration sticker. It matches the registration sticker's color and date and must be bought every two years.^[6][3]

If you keep a boat on San Francisco Bay and cruise up the Delta past Chipps Island, you need the sticker.

Safety gear by boat length

The federal minimums, from the Coast Guard's guide to the federal requirements (revised November 2023):^[8]

• *Extinguishers are required when the boat has closed compartments, a closed cabin, permanently installed fuel tanks or similar spaces. Boats from model year 2018 on must carry 5-B or 20-B rated, date-stamped units; one 20-B can replace two 5-B. Disposable extinguishers expire 12 years from the date stamped on the bottom.
• Flares expire 42 months after manufacture; expired ones don't count.
• You need a way to make sound signals (horn or whistle), and boats 39.4 feet (12 m) and over must carry a copy of the Navigation Rules on inland waters.
• Inboard gasoline engines need backfire flame control, and compartments with gasoline engines or tanks need working ventilation.

California additions

• Children under 13 must wear a Coast Guard-approved life jacket on a moving boat unless they are below deck or in an enclosed cabin. The California rule has no boat-length limit.^[9]
• Engine cut-off switch: on a powerboat under 26 feet with 115 lb or more of static thrust that either has a cut-off switch or was built on or after December 4, 2019, the switch must be attached and working when the boat is on plane or above displacement speed. Boats with the main helm in an enclosed cabin are excluded.^[10]

The Coast Guard Auxiliary and the U.S. Power Squadrons offer free Vessel Safety Checks.^[14] If you want to check your own boat, try the compliance check.

Sewage, no-discharge zones and pump-out

A boat with an installed toilet must have a working, Coast Guard-certified marine sanitation device. Treated sewage may be discharged within 3 nautical miles of shore except in a no-discharge zone, where no sewage, treated or not, may go overboard and the system must be secured (for example a padlocked or wire-tied valve).^[8] State and local rules may add more limits.

The EPA lists these California no-discharge zones:^[11]

• Newport Bay, Sunset Bay and Huntington Harbor
• Mission Bay, Oceanside Harbor, Dana Point Harbor
• San Diego Bay (waters under 30 feet deep at mean lower low water)
• Channel Islands Harbor and Avalon Bay
• Richardson Bay

All California marine waters are also a no-discharge zone for large passenger and large oceangoing vessels; that 2012 rule is aimed at ships, not recreational boats.^[12][11]

To find a pump-out station, dump station or floating restroom, the state's free Pumpout Nav app maps them, and lets you report one that's broken.^[13] Some harbors also have mobile pump-out boats that come to your slip; Berkeley Marina, for example, lists one.^[15]

Put the deadlines on a calendar

The California maintenance calendar adds the odd-year DMV renewal, the mussel sticker and the January 1 property tax date to your month-by-month plan. Buying a boat? See buying a boat in California for title transfer and use tax.