New Jersey boating laws: life jackets, boater education and jet skis
What New Jersey law requires on the water, pulled from official sources and linked line by line: life jackets, boater education, jet skis, paddle craft and registration.
- Kids must wear a life jacket
- Under 13
- Boater education card
- Required (see who)
- Jet ski / PWC minimum age
- 16 to operate, with a NJ Boating Safety Certificate
- Emergency
- 911 · VHF Channel 16
Emergency on the water in New Jersey
Emergency and non-emergency contacts in New Jersey
In case of emergency dial 911 and/or call on VHF Channel 16 (U.S. Coast Guard and NJ State Police Marine Services Bureau monitor it). Marine Bureau stations include Point Pleasant (732) 899-5050 and Jersey City (973) 663-3400.
Coast Guard sectors covering New Jersey
Each sector runs a 24-hour command center. Its line is useful for reporting an overdue boat or reaching the Coast Guard by phone, but in a distress use VHF Channel 16 or call 911 first.
| Sector New York | (844) 692-8724 24-hour Coast Guard sector line · checked Oct 2026 · atlanticarea.uscg.mil |
|---|---|
| Sector Delaware Bay | (833) 453-1007 24-hour Coast Guard sector line · checked Oct 2026 · atlanticarea.uscg.mil |
Toll-free 8xx numbers may not connect from a foreign SIM or a satellite phone.
How to call the Coast Guard: VHF 16 or 911 · Coast Guard phone numbers by region
New Jersey life jacket laws (and kids)
Children
Every child 12 or younger on board must wear a properly fitted USCG-approved life jacket whenever the vessel is underway.
Source: njsp.njoag.gov
Everyone else, towing and seasonal rules
From November 1 to May 1, everyone of any age on a recreational vessel under 26 ft, including rowboats, canoes, kayaks and stand-up paddleboards, must wear a USCG-approved life jacket while underway (people inside a cabin are exempt). PWC riders must always wear one.
The federal baseline
Federal default: children under 13 must wear a USCG-approved life jacket on a recreational vessel that is underway, unless they’re below decks or in an enclosed cabin. Where a state has its own child-wear rule, the state rule applies on its waters (33 CFR 175.15(c), 175.25). Coast Guard required safety equipment →
Boater education card (the “New Jersey boating license”)
Most states don’t issue a boating license. What they require is a boater education card: proof you passed an approved boating safety course.
Who needs it
Everyone operating any power vessel (including PWC) on NJ waters, regardless of birth year; no exemptions to the age rules. Ages 13-15 with a certificate may operate only a vessel powered solely by an electric motor or a vessel 12 ft or longer with under 10 hp. Out-of-state residents 16+ in NJ under 90 days may use their home-state or NASBLA-approved course proof. A separate MVC non-tidal boat license endorsement is needed on non-tidal (inland) lakes, with exemptions for under 1 hp/12-volt electric and 12 ft+ boats under 10 hp.
The card
New Jersey Boating Safety Certificate (plus a non-tidal boat license endorsement from MVC for non-tidal waters)
Source: njsp.njoag.gov
New Jersey jet ski (PWC) laws
Minimum age
16 to operate, with a NJ Boating Safety Certificate
Rules on the water
Operator and passengers must wear a USCG-approved life jacket; lanyard must be worn; no operation from sunset to sunrise or in restricted visibility; banned in the Point Pleasant Canal and Cape May Canal; minimum headway speed within 100 ft of swimming-area buoys, the shoreline, people in the water, or homes; no going airborne within 100 ft of another vessel; nobody may ride between the operator and the handlebars; towing a skier only on a 3+ seat PWC with an observer facing the rider.
Source: njsp.njoag.gov
Kayak, canoe, paddle board and kite rules
Stand-up paddleboards are covered by the Nov 1 to May 1 must-wear life jacket rule. Non-powered kayaks, canoes and paddleboards do not need registration. Surfboards are exempt from the life-jacket carriage rule. No kiteboarding-specific rule found.
Boat registration in New Jersey
All power vessels regardless of length must be registered (and titled boats registered). Non-powered vessels over 12 ft (for example, larger sailboats) must also be registered. Exempt: non-powered kayaks, canoes and paddleboards; non-powered vessels 12 ft or less; non-powered inflatables, surfboards, racing shells and dinghies; non-powered boats used only on small private lakes; transient out-of-state boats.
Popular boating waters in New Jersey
- Barnegat Bay
- Jersey Shore (Atlantic Ocean)
- Lake Hopatcong
- Great Egg Harbor Bay
- Delaware River
- Raritan Bay and Sandy Hook Bay
- Hudson River (Jersey City)
- Cape May Harbor
Some of the waters New Jersey boaters know best. This is our list, not an official one, and it isn’t complete.
VesselSOS on New Jersey waters
- Life in danger? One tap dials 911. The screen shows your GPS position and a word-for-word script: say “Boat emergency, I’m on the water” and the name of the lake, river or bay you’re on.
- On the coast and the Great Lakes it also shows which Coast Guard sector covers your position, with that sector’s 24-hour line as a second Call button, and a VHF Channel 16 MAYDAY script filled with your boat’s details for you to read on your own radio.
- A live link for family ashore (Plus, free during the beta): your position, speed, course and phone battery in any browser, no app needed on their end. You send it by text yourself.
- Not an emergency? The tow screen has Call buttons for the TowBoatUS and Sea Tow 24-hour dispatch lines, or your own member number.
What it doesn’t do: it doesn’t call the Coast Guard for you and isn’t connected to 911 or any rescue system. Nobody is alerted automatically if you’re late. The return-time check only asks “Are you OK?” on your own phone. It doesn’t replace a VHF radio, a PLB or EPIRB, or the life jackets the law requires.
iPhone only, in invite-only TestFlight beta. Not in the App Store yet, no Android. US support (911 routing, American English) is in beta version 1.4 and later.
Quick answers
What is the New Jersey life jacket law for kids?
Every child 12 or younger on board must wear a properly fitted USCG-approved life jacket whenever the vessel is underway.
Do you need a boating license in New Jersey?
Everyone operating any power vessel (including PWC) on NJ waters, regardless of birth year; no exemptions to the age rules. Ages 13-15 with a certificate may operate only a vessel powered solely by an electric motor or a vessel 12 ft or longer with under 10 hp. Out-of-state residents 16+ in NJ under 90 days may use their home-state or NASBLA-approved course proof. A separate MVC non-tidal boat license endorsement is needed on non-tidal (inland) lakes, with exemptions for under 1 hp/12-volt electric and 12 ft+ boats under 10 hp.
How old do you have to be to drive a jet ski in New Jersey?
16 to operate, with a NJ Boating Safety Certificate.
Do you have to register a boat in New Jersey?
All power vessels regardless of length must be registered (and titled boats registered). Non-powered vessels over 12 ft (for example, larger sailboats) must also be registered. Exempt: non-powered kayaks, canoes and paddleboards; non-powered vessels 12 ft or less; non-powered inflatables, surfboards, racing shells and dinghies; non-powered boats used only on small private lakes; transient out-of-state boats.
Sources
State boating agency: New Jersey State Police, Marine Services Bureau
- https://njsp.njoag.gov/marine-services/
- https://njsp.njoag.gov/wp/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Boating-Safety-Manual_02_26.pdf
- https://njsp.njoag.gov/njsp/msb-boating-safety-cert-license/
- https://www.atlanticarea.uscg.mil/Our-Organization/Northeast-District/Units/Sector-New-York/
- https://www.atlanticarea.uscg.mil/Our-Organization/East-District/District-Units/Sector-Delaware-Bay/
Checked October 2026. Laws change; confirm with New Jersey State Police before you go.
This page summarizes the law for planning; it isn’t legal advice. Where this page and the official text differ, the official text wins. Spotted an error? Email support@vesselsos.com.