District of Colombia SUP Laws

  • PFD Requirement:  When the operator of a vessel sixteen feet (16 ft.) or more in length is under eighteen (18) years of age, the operator and all other persons aboard the vessel who are under eighteen (18) years of age shall wear a Coast Guard approved personal floatation device of the proper size. All persons aboard any vessel in the area from the southernmost point of the cove commonly known as Fletcher’s Cove in the Georgetown Channel of the Potomac River upstream to the District of Columbia boundary line at Little Falls shall wear a Coast Guard-approved personal floatation device at all times. No person may operate a recreational vessel underway with any child under thirteen years old aboard, unless each child is below the deck, in an enclosed cabin or wearing a US Coast Guard approved personal floatation device.
  • Approved life jackets: USCG-approved Type I, II, or III, or Type V
  • Alcohol Law – DC has Boating Under the Influence (BUI) laws—0.08% BAL is considered under the influence.