North Carolina boating laws
What you need before you launch in North Carolina: boater education, age limits, life jackets, safety gear and registration.
Boater education
Anyone born on or after Jan 1 1988 needs a boating safety course to operate 10 hp or more. Official course info
Who can drive a boat
PWC operators must be 14 or older.
Life jackets
Children under 13 must wear a life jacket while underway.
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 must be registered. Craft moved only by oars, paddles or current are exempt.
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 North Carolina
Links go to official North Carolina agency pages.
Summary checked 2026-10-27. Rules change, so confirm with the official North Carolina source before you go. This is not legal advice.