All persons who are at least 12 years of age but under 18 years of age must either complete a boating safety course and hold a boating safety certificate, or be accompanied and directly controlled by a responsible person eighteen years of age or older to operate a personal watercraft. All vessels must have an Illinois Certificate of Registry and expiration stickers to legally operate in Illinois public waters. By operating a boat or personal watercraft in Illinois waters, you have agreed to be tested for alcohol or drugs if required to do so by a law enforcement officer. If you refuse to be tested, the privilege to operate a boat will be suspended for at least 2 years. Persons 10 or 11 years of age are not permitted to operate motorboats unless supervised by a parent or guardian or a competent adult who is at least 18 years of age and designated by a parent or guardian. All boaters or passengers under the age of 13 must wear their PFD while on the deck or cockpit of a vessel less than 26 feet in length. No one under the age of 10 is legally allowed to drive any type of motorboat. You must use a personal watercraft appropriately and carefully. It is illegal to endanger life, safety or property. You must not: Exceptions to vessel registration requirements include: No person who is at least 12 years of age and under 18 years of age is permitted to operate a powerboat unless: Don`t underestimate personal watercraft – they are very powerful due to their small size and require the same respect as any boat.
In fact, PWC operations must comply with the same rules and regulations as any other powerboat – including state registration and a B-1 class fire extinguisher on board. Personal watercraft have additional requirements: The Department of Natural Resources` Office of Enforcement is responsible for regulating the State of Illinois` boat laws. The registration certificate shall indicate the number to be affixed to the bow of the vessel. The certificate must be carried on board and kept ready for inspection by an enforcement officer while the vessel or personal watercraft is in service. Boaters with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08% or higher are suspected of being under the influence of alcohol. This also applies to people under the influence of any of the following: Personal watercraft (PWC) operators in Illinois must be at least 10 years old. Persons at least 10 years of age but under 12 years of age must be under the direct control of a responsible person who is at least 18 years of age in order to work. * Although canoes and kayaks that do not have mechanical propulsion and boats that are documented by the government are not required to display the registration number, they are still required to display the registration sticker.
The use of personal watercraft is prohibited between sunset and sunrise. If an operator is convicted of OUIs while a child under the age of 16 is on board the vessel, they should expect a mandatory minimum fee of $500 in addition to the above penalties, as well as a minimum of 5 days of community service.