California boat compliance check: what do I need?
Answer a few questions about your boat and how you use it. You get the cards, registration and stickers, required safety equipment and sewage rules that apply in California, each with its source and the date we last checked it.
What you need (26 to under 40 ft)
Checked as of Wed, Nov 11, 2026.
Operator cards and age rules
RequiredCalifornia Boater Card for anyone who drives
Since January 1, 2025, anyone of any age operating a boat with an engine on California waters (even when the engine isn't the main propulsion, as on a sailboat) needs a Boater Card unless an exemption applies. You get it by passing a DBW-approved course and exam; the lifetime card fee is $10 and a replacement is $5. Exemptions: Out-of-state residents boating here temporarily for up to 60 days (foreign residents up to 90 days) who meet their home rules; Operating under the direct supervision of a card holder aged 18 or older who is on board; Racing in an organized regatta, vessel race or water-ski race; Operating a rental boat; Holding a current commercial fishing license; Holding a USCG marine operator license for those waters, or an STCW certificate; Having completed a POST-approved boating course. If you use an exemption, carry proof of it.
DependsGuests who take the helm
A guest without a card may drive only under the direct supervision of a card holder aged 18 or older who is on board. Lending the boat to a friend to take out alone means they need their own card. (Renters of a rental boat are exempt; that's the renter, not someone you lend to.)
Registration and stickers
RequiredDMV registration, CF numbers and stickers
Register with the California DMV (also required on private lakes). Put the CF number on both sides of the bow in plain vertical block characters over 3 inches high, contrasting with the hull, and the registration sticker about 3 inches from it. Nothing else near them except the mussel fee sticker. Renew by December 31 of every odd-numbered year.
RequiredInvasive Mussel Fee sticker
Required for California-registered boats used in fresh water, including the Delta east of Chipps Island. Since October 22, 2026 it costs $21 when first bought in an even-numbered year and $42 in an odd-numbered year (the $42 covers both years of the cycle); bought in 2026 it is $21. It is sold separately from registration: online through the DMV, at a DMV office, or at AAA for members. Put one sticker on each side, next to and in line with the CF number and registration sticker.
Required safety equipment
RequiredOne wearable life jacket per person
Coast Guard-approved, in good condition, the right size for each person, and readily accessible (not in bags or locked compartments).
RequiredThrowable flotation device
Boats 16 ft and longer (except canoes and kayaks) carry one throwable device in addition to the wearables, immediately available.
RequiredChildren under 13 wear a life jacket
On a boat that's underway, children under 13 must wear a Coast Guard-approved life jacket unless they are below deck or in an enclosed cabin. California's rule has no length limit.
RequiredFire extinguishers: at least 2 × 5-B
For 26 to under 40 ft. One 20-B can replace two 5-B; a 10-B counts as one 5-B. Model year 2017 or older: 5-B/20-B, or older B-I/B-II units while they stay in good condition (replace them with 5-B/20-B when they don't). Disposable units come out of service 12 years after the date stamped on them; rechargeables need yearly servicing.
RequiredVisual distress signals: day and night
On coastal waters, carry Coast Guard-approved day and night signals, for example three hand-held red flares rated for day and night. Pyrotechnic signals expire 42 months after manufacture.
RequiredSound signal: whistle or horn
Under 39.4 ft (12 m), carry some means of making an efficient sound signal, such as a whistle or horn.
RequiredNavigation lights
Display the lights for your boat's type and length between sunset and sunrise and in restricted visibility (fog, rain, haze). A sailboat under engine counts as a power-driven vessel.
RequiredOil discharge and garbage placards
Boats 26 ft and longer with a machinery space display a 5 × 8 in. 'Discharge of Oil Prohibited' placard in the machinery space or at the bilge pump controls. U.S. boats 26 ft and longer display a 4 × 9 in. garbage discharge placard where crew and guests can see it.
Sewage, pump-out and no-discharge zones
RequiredCertified marine sanitation device
A boat with an installed toilet needs an operable, Coast Guard-certified marine sanitation device (Type I, II or III up to 65 ft). Treated sewage may be discharged within 3 nautical miles only outside no-discharge zones; untreated sewage only beyond 3 nautical miles. In a no-discharge zone, secure the device so it can't discharge (padlock or wire-tie the valve, or remove the handle).
RequiredCalifornia no-discharge zones
No sewage, treated or not, from any boat in: Newport Bay; Sunset Bay; Huntington Harbour; Mission Bay; Oceanside Harbor; Dana Point Harbor; San Diego Bay (waters under 30 ft deep at MLLW); Channel Islands Harbor; Avalon Bay Harbor; Richardson Bay. Use a pump-out station or mobile pump-out service there. Lakes and reservoirs set their own rules; check with the operator.
Deadlines
RequiredRegistration renewal due 2027-12-31
California registration runs in two-year cycles and is due by December 31 of each odd-numbered year, even if you don't use the boat. The DMV mails a notice about 60 days before.
RequiredMussel fee sticker renews with the cycle
The sticker is renewed every two years and matches the registration sticker's color and date, so the current one runs to 2027-12-31. Buy it before your first freshwater trip.
RequiredCheck extinguisher and flare dates
Disposable extinguishers: 12 years from the date stamped on them. Pyrotechnic flares: 42 months from manufacture. Check before you head out.
How this works
Each answer switches rules on or off. Cards: any engine means every operator needs a California Boater Card unless one of the seven exemptions in Harbors and Navigation Code §678.11 applies.[1][2] Registration: motorized boats and sailboats over 8 ft register with the DMV unless documented with the Coast Guard; renewal is due December 31 of odd-numbered years.[6] Mussel fee: fresh water use means the Invasive Mussel Fee sticker, $21 when first bought in an even year and $42 in an odd year since October 22, 2026.[7]
Equipment comes from the Coast Guard's federal minimums by length class (under 16 ft, 16–26, 26–40, 40–65), plus California's life-jacket and engine cut-off rules.[8][9][10][4][5] Sound signals switch at 39.4 ft (12 m)[11] and placards at 26 ft.[12] Sewage rules and the no-discharge list come from the Coast Guard guide and EPA.[13] Age limits come from §658.5.[3]
The worked example is a 30 ft sailboat with an inboard diesel, a head and a galley, DMV-registered, kept in salt water and taken up the Delta, with children aboard and guests who sometimes steer. It needs Boater Cards, registration, the mussel sticker ($21 bought in 2026), two 5-B extinguishers, day and night distress signals, placards and a certified marine sanitation device.
Related guide: California boating rules for owners.
Sources
- California Legislature (via Public.Law). Harbors and Navigation Code §678.11 (California Boater Card; exemptions).
- California State Parks, Division of Boating and Waterways. California Boater Card: frequently asked questions.
- California Legislature (via Public.Law). Harbors and Navigation Code §658.5 (operator age and horsepower).
- California Legislature (via Public.Law). Harbors and Navigation Code §658.3 (life jackets; throwable; children under 13).
- California Legislature (via Public.Law). Harbors and Navigation Code §655.7 (engine cut-off switch).
- California DMV. Register your boat/vessel.
- California State Parks, Division of Boating and Waterways. Strengthened Mussel Sticker Program (news release) (October 23, 2026).
- U.S. Coast Guard Boating Safety Division (copy hosted by Illinois DNR). A Boater's Guide to the Federal Requirements for Recreational Boats (Rev. Nov 2023) (November 2023).
- U.S. Coast Guard Boating Safety. Fire extinguisher FAQ.
- Code of Federal Regulations (via Cornell LII). 33 CFR §175.15 Personal flotation devices required.
- Code of Federal Regulations (via Cornell LII). 33 CFR §83.33 Equipment for sound signals (Inland Rule 33).
- Code of Federal Regulations (via Cornell LII). 33 CFR §151.51 Applicability (garbage placards and management plans).
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. No-Discharge Zones (NDZs) by State (September 22, 2026).