Life jacket rules for kayaks, canoes and paddleboards
Carrying one is the law everywhere. Wearing one is the law for children — and, in four states, for everybody during the cold months.
The federal baseline
Coast Guard rules apply on every navigable water in the country, and states build on them.
- One wearable life jacket per person. Every recreational vessel must carry a Coast Guard-approved wearable life jacket for each person on board — sized for that person and within reach.
- Children under 13 wear theirs. On a vessel that is underway, children under 13 must wear an approved life jacket unless they are below deck or in an enclosed cabin. State laws may set a different age.
- No throwable device for canoes and kayaks. Boats 16 feet and longer must carry a throwable device, but canoes and kayaks are excepted.
- Paddleboards count as vessels. Used beyond the narrow limits of a swimming, surfing or bathing area, a stand-up paddleboard is a vessel, so a life jacket has to be on board.
- Night signals on coastal waters. Manually propelled boats do not need daytime distress signals but must carry night signals between sunset and sunrise.
Source: U.S. Coast Guard — A Boater’s Guide to the Federal Requirements for Recreational Boats. As of October 2026.
Cold-season laws: when everyone has to wear one
Four northeastern states go further than carrying a life jacket. During the cold months paddlers there must wear it, whatever their age. The calendar runs from July to June; the bar shows the months in which wearing is mandatory.
Cold water is the reason. A capsize in April can be more dangerous than one in August even when the air feels warm, because water temperatures lag weeks behind.
Source: New York State Parks — PFD laws of New York. Pennsylvania: Fish and Boat Commission, unpowered boat regulations. Massachusetts: boating law summary on mass.gov. Connecticut: DEEP, manually propelled vessel safety. As of October 2026.
Children: the age differs by state
- Federal ruleUnder 13
Applies where a state has no rule of its own.
- Connecticut12 and under
All children 12 and under must wear a life jacket.
- MassachusettsUnder 12
Youth under 12 must wear one.
- New YorkUnder 12
On boats 65 feet or less, unless in a fully enclosed cabin.
- Oregon12 and younger
All children 12 and younger are required to wear a life jacket.
- Pennsylvania12 and younger
On boats 20 feet or less and on every canoe, kayak and paddleboard.
Whistle and light
Several states list two small items alongside the life jacket. New York requires paddlecraft to carry a sound-producing device such as a whistle and a white light such as a waterproof flashlight. Pennsylvania accepts an athletic coach’s whistle as a sound device and asks for a hand-held light between sunset and sunrise. Oregon requires a whistle or horn on boats under 39 feet 4 inches. A whistle clipped to the life jacket covers all three.
Source: Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission — Unpowered boat regulations. As of October 2026.
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