Louisiana boating laws
What you need before you launch in Louisiana: boater education, age limits, life jackets, safety gear and registration.
Boater education
Anyone born after Jan 1 1984 needs a boating course to operate over 10 hp or a PWC, unless an adult course holder is aboard (not allowed on a PWC). Official course info
Who can drive a boat
PWC operators must be 16 or older.
Life jackets
Children 16 and younger must wear a life jacket on vessels under 26 ft while underway. Everyone on a tiller-steered outboard boat under 16 ft must wear one.
Required safety gear
Federal U.S. Coast Guard minimums apply:
- A wearable life jacket for each person aboard, plus a throwable cushion or ring on boats 16 feet and longer
- A fire extinguisher on most motorboats with an enclosed engine or fuel tank
- A whistle or horn
- Navigation lights if you are out between sunset and sunrise or in poor visibility
- Visual distress signals (flares or a flag) on coastal waters and the Great Lakes
Registration
All motorized vessels, sailboats 12 ft or longer and non-motorized houseboats must be registered.
Boating under the influence
It is illegal to operate a boat with a blood alcohol level of 0.08 or higher.
Before you launch in Louisiana
Links go to official Louisiana agency pages.
Summary checked 2026-10-27. Rules change, so confirm with the official Louisiana source before you go. This is not legal advice.