CALIFORNIA WATER SAFETY LAWS

Make sure you, your friends, family and associates understand critical health and safety laws in YOUR community.

SWIMMING POOL SAFETY ACT

LIFE JACKETS

Under California law, every child under 13 years of age on a moving recreational vessel of any length must wear a Coast Guard-approved life jacket in serviceable condition and of a type and size appropriate for the conditions and the activity. The law does not apply to children under 13 years of age who are:

1. on a sailboat and are restrained by a harness tethered to the sailboat;
2. in an enclosed cabin;
3. on a vessel engaged in an emergency rescue situation.

For a boat less than 16 feet long, or a canoe or a kayak of any length, you are required to:

1. Everyone on board a personal watercraft (popularly known as “jet skis”) and anyone being towed behind a vessel must wear a Coast Guard-approved life jacket.
2. A Coast Guard-approved life jacket must be carried for each person on board. If stored, these life jackets must be readily available (easy to get to), and you must show passengers the location of life jackets and other safety equipment.
3. Anyone using an underwater maneuvering device is exempt from wearing a life jacket. An underwater maneuvering device is any towed or self-powered device designed for underwater use that a person can pilot through diving, turning and surfacing moves.

For a boat 16 feet or longer, you must carry for each passenger:

1. The same requirements as above and one immediately accessible (easy-to-reach) Type IV device designed for throwing – such as a ring, cushion or horseshoe buoy for each boat.

DRAIN ENTRAPMENTS - Virginia Graham Baker Act

The Virginia Graeme Baker Pool & Spa Safety Act (P&SS Act) was signed on December 19, 2007. Designed to prevent the tragic and hidden hazard of drain entrapments and eviscerations in pools and spas, the law became effective on December 19, 2008.

VIRGINIA GRAEMEBAKER POOL AND SPA SAFETY ACT

CALIFORNIA’S CONFORMITY TO THE VGBA