Who is required to carry a boater card when operating a vessel?
On September 18, 2014, former Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. signed into law Senate Bill 941, which prohibits the operation of motorized vessels in California without a valid boater card developed and issued by DBW. The new mandatory boating safety education law went into effect January 1, 2018. The law was phased in by age and, as of January 1, 2025 all persons regardless of age must have a boater card to operate a motorized vessel on California waters (unless they meet certain exemptions). The cost of the lifetime card is $10, and all the money goes toward developing and operating the program.
For more information please visit: California Boater Card website
To purchase a required Mussel Fee Sticker visit: https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/vehicle-registration/new-registration/register-your-boat-vessel/quagga-sticker-request/
Also, for a more comprehensive resource on boating laws, please visit the ABCs of California Boating page on the California State Parks Division of Boating and Waterways website.
Noteworthy to Remember Before Heading onto the Water
AB 2538: All children under 13 years of age are required to wear a life jacket while underway in recreational vessels of any size. The law also requires water skiers to wear life jackets, as well as all users of personal watercraft. Of course, it is recommended that persons of all ages wear a life jacket while underway in a vessel of any size.
County Ordinance 12.24.090 (Speed Zones) governs Speed Zones on Shasta Lake, Fall River, Lake Britton, Lake McCloud, little Tule River, and Eastman Lake. Be informed before you go boating.
Also see Shasta County Code, Chapter 12.24 - Boating, Swimming, and Fishing for more information.