Utah boating laws: life jackets, boater education and jet skis
What Utah 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
- 18 to operate without conditions …
- Emergency
- 911
Emergency on the water in Utah
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 Utah
911 for emergencies on all waters.
How to call the Coast Guard: VHF 16 or 911 · Coast Guard phone numbers by region
Utah life jacket laws (and kids)
Children
Children 12 and younger must wear a USCG-approved life jacket while on board any vessel (exception: inside an enclosed cabin on vessels 19 ft or longer). Inflatable life jackets may not be used by children under 13.
Source: boat-ed.com
Everyone else, towing and seasonal rules
Everyone on a vessel on Utah's rivers must wear a USCG-approved life jacket. Anyone towed must wear one. Inflatable life jackets are not allowed for PWC riders, towed persons, children under 13, or on rivers.
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 “Utah 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 PWC operators aged 12-17: they must complete a Division-approved course and carry the certificate (ages 12-15 also need direct supervision by a person 18+). PWC operators 18+ and motorboat operators need no course.
The card
Utah Boating Safety Education Certificate
Source: boat-ed.com
Utah jet ski (PWC) laws
Minimum age
18 to operate without conditions; 16-17 with a boating education certificate; 12-15 with a certificate and direct supervision by a person 18+
Rules on the water
Everyone on board must wear a USCG-approved life jacket (no inflatables); attaching the engine cut-off lanyard is strongly recommended.
Source: boat-ed.com
Kayak, canoe, paddle board and kite rules
Paddleboards count as vessels and must follow life jacket rules; children 12 and under must wear one, and everyone on a river must wear one. Sailboards are exempt from registration. No kiteboarding-specific rule found.
Boat registration in Utah
All vessels propelled by a motor or by sail must be registered and display decals. Exempt: canoes, kayaks and other boats without motor or sail, sailboards, and properly registered out-of-state boats on Utah waters 60 days or less per calendar year. Motorboats and sailboats may be run by someone under 16 only under direct supervision of a person 18+.
Popular boating waters in Utah
- Lake Powell
- Bear Lake
- Utah Lake
- Flaming Gorge Reservoir
- Jordanelle Reservoir
- Deer Creek Reservoir
- Sand Hollow Reservoir
- Pineview Reservoir
Some of the waters Utah boaters know best. This is our list, not an official one, and it isn’t complete.
VesselSOS on Utah 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 Utah life jacket law for kids?
Children 12 and younger must wear a USCG-approved life jacket while on board any vessel (exception: inside an enclosed cabin on vessels 19 ft or longer). Inflatable life jackets may not be used by children under 13.
Do you need a boating license in Utah?
Only PWC operators aged 12-17: they must complete a Division-approved course and carry the certificate (ages 12-15 also need direct supervision by a person 18+). PWC operators 18+ and motorboat operators need no course.
How old do you have to be to drive a jet ski in Utah?
18 to operate without conditions; 16-17 with a boating education certificate; 12-15 with a certificate and direct supervision by a person 18+.
Do you have to register a boat in Utah?
All vessels propelled by a motor or by sail must be registered and display decals. Exempt: canoes, kayaks and other boats without motor or sail, sailboards, and properly registered out-of-state boats on Utah waters 60 days or less per calendar year. Motorboats and sailboats may be run by someone under 16 only under direct supervision of a person 18+.
Sources
State boating agency: Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation, Boating Program
- https://www.boat-ed.com/utah/
- https://www.boat-ed.com/utah/boating_law/
- https://www.boat-ed.com/utah/studyGuide/Specific-PFD-Requirements/10104602_48585/
- https://www.boat-ed.com/utah/studyGuide/Requirements-Specific-to-PWC/10104602_48625/
- https://www.boat-ed.com/utah/studyGuide/Which-Boats-Require-Registration/10104602_48561/
- https://www.boat-ed.com/utah/studyGuide/Stop-the-Spread-of-Nuisance-Species/10104602_48640/
Checked October 2026. Laws change; confirm with Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation 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.