North Dakota boating laws · checked Oct 2026

North Dakota boating laws: life jackets, boater education and jet skis

What North Dakota 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 11
Boater education card: Required (see who)
Jet ski / PWC minimum age: 12 to operate alone if the operator has passed a Department-approved course …
Emergency: 911

Emergency on the water in North Dakota

911

Life in danger, on any water: call 911 from a cell phone.

On inland lakes and rivers, 911 reaches the people who respond there: county sheriff marine units, state conservation officers and local fire and rescue.

Emergency and non-emergency contacts in North Dakota

Call 911 for emergencies on all waters. To report violations to game wardens and other law enforcement, call State Radio Communications at 701-328-9921.

How to call the Coast Guard: VHF 16 or 911 · Coast Guard phone numbers by region

North Dakota life jacket laws (and kids)

Children

On any vessel under 27 ft, everyone 10 years of age or younger must wear an appropriately sized, properly fastened USCG-approved Type I, II or III life jacket while the vessel is in operation (N.D.C.C. 20.1-13-20).

Source: ndlegis.gov

Everyone else, towing and seasonal rules

Anyone towed on water skis, a surfboard or a similar device must wear an approved life jacket, except people 16 and older who are windsurfing or boardsailing, and barefoot skiers in a proper wetsuit (who must still have a life jacket aboard). Every vessel needs a USCG-approved wearable life jacket for each person.

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 “North Dakota 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

Only youth. Ages 12–15 operating a motorboat or PWC with more than 10 hp must have passed a Department-approved boating course, unless someone 18 or older is aboard. Under 12 may operate over 10 hp only with someone 18 or older aboard. Adults are not required to take a course.

The card

Department-approved boating course certificate (Boat North Dakota course)

Source: ndlegis.gov

North Dakota jet ski (PWC) laws

Minimum age

12 to operate alone if the operator has passed a Department-approved course (ages 12–15), or with someone 18+ aboard; under 12 only with someone 18+ aboard (rules apply to craft over 10 hp)

Rules on the water

Everyone on board must wear a USCG-approved Type I, II, III or V life jacket; lanyard must be attached if the PWC has one; slow, no-wake speed within 100 ft of shore anglers, swimmers, swim/dive rafts, and occupied, anchored or non-motorized vessels; an observer or mirrors on both sides are needed when towing; no tampering with the throttle return; no chasing wildlife; no weaving or jumping a wake within 100 ft; no towing or skiing from one hour after sunset to one hour before sunrise.

Source: gf.nd.gov

Kayak, canoe, paddle board and kite rules

Non-motorized craft (SUPs, canoes, kayaks, pedal boats) must carry a USCG-approved wearable life jacket for each person and a whistle, and show a white light from sunset to sunrise. People 16 and older who are windsurfing or boardsailing are exempt from the towed-device life jacket rule. Kiteboarding is not addressed.

Boat registration in North Dakota

Every motorboat with any motor, including electric, must be registered with Game and Fish. This includes kayaks, canoes and pedal boats with a motor, and eFoils. The current registration period runs January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2028, with a $15 aquatic nuisance species fee per motorized watercraft. North Dakota does not issue titles. Registering non-motorized craft is optional but encouraged.

Popular boating waters in North Dakota

Lake Sakakawea
Devils Lake
Lake Oahe
Missouri River
Lake Metigoshe
Lake Ashtabula
Red River

Some of the waters North Dakota boaters know best. This is our list, not an official one, and it isn’t complete.

WHAT VESSELSOS DOES HERE

VesselSOS on North Dakota 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.
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 North Dakota life jacket law for kids?

Do you need a boating license in North Dakota?

How old do you have to be to drive a jet ski in North Dakota?