APPROVED CHAPTER
MAY 29, 2025 148
BY GOVERNOR PUBLIC LAW
STATE OF MAINE
_____
IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD
TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-FIVE
_____
H.P. 671 - L.D. 1042
An Act to Require a Person Operating a Watercraft for Recreational
Purposes to Ensure All Children Under 13 Years of Age Wear United States
Coast Guard Approved Personal Flotation Devices
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 12 MRSA §13068-A, sub-§4, ¶A, as amended by PL 2023, c. 228, §§13
and 14, is further amended by enacting a new subparagraph (2-A) to read:
(2-A) Fails to ensure that a child who has not attained 13 years of age, including
the operator, is wearing an appropriate United States Coast Guard approved
personal flotation device while the watercraft is underway and used for recreational
purposes unless the child who has not attained 13 years of age is below decks or in
an enclosed cabin. This subparagraph does not apply to a watercraft with a United
States Coast Guard certificate of inspection.
Sec. 2. Effective date. This Act takes effect January 1, 2026.
Page 1 - 132LR0918(03)


Statutes affected:
Bill Text ACTPUB , Chapter 148: 12.13068