Louisiana Revised Statutes 34:855.3 – A. A person shall not operate a personal watercraft unless each person aboard is wearing a type I, type II, type III, or type V personal flotation device approved by the United State
Terms Used In Louisiana Revised Statutes 34:855.3
- person: includes a body of persons, whether incorporated or not. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 1:10
- personal watercraft: means a vessel which uses an inboard motor powering a water jet pump as its primary source of motive power and which is designed to be operated by a person sitting, standing, or kneeling on the vessel, rather than the conventional manner of sitting or standing inside the vessel. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 34:855.2
A. A person shall not operate a personal watercraft unless each person aboard is wearing a type I, type II, type III, or type V personal flotation device approved by the United States Coast Guard.
B. A person operating a personal watercraft equipped by the manufacturer with a lanyard type engine cutoff switch shall attach such lanyard to his person, clothing, or personal flotation device as appropriate for the specific vessel.
C. A person shall not operate a personal watercraft at any time between sunset and sunrise unless equipped with navigational lights in accordance with the regulations of the United States Coast Guard.
D. A personal watercraft shall at all times be operated in a reasonable and prudent manner as defined in La. Rev. Stat. 34:851.5.
E. No person under the age of sixteen may operate a personal watercraft on the waters of this state.
F. It shall be unlawful for the owner of any personal watercraft or any person having charge over or control of a personal watercraft to authorize or knowingly permit the same to be operated by a person under the age provided for in Subsection E of this Section.
G. A violation of any provision of this Section shall be a class one violation subject to penalties and enforcement procedures as set forth in Title 56 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950.
Acts 1991, No. 97, §1; Acts 1999, No. 12, §1; Acts 2004, No. 709, §1; Acts 2009, No. 27, §1; Acts 2023, No. 136, §1.