Chapter Two: Wyoming Laws and Safety Requirements

Practice safe and legal boating every time you are on the water. Boating is a highly regulated recreational activity, and there may be occasions when a law enforcement officer will inspect your boat for compliance with equipment and legal conformity. The boat operator has the responsibility of ensuring the safety of all passengers and this includes making certain all required safety equipment is onboard the boat and ready to use.

LAW ENFORCEMENT

The Wyoming Game and Fish Commision law enforcement officers and any other peace officers of the state or any of its political subdivisions otherwise authorized by law may enforce this act and rules and regulations of the commission.

For purposes of this section, any game and fish department law enforcement officer and any other peace officer may:

• Stop, halt, inspect or board any watercraft;
• If there is probable cause to believe a watercraft and associated trailer are stolen, seize the watercraft and associated trailer. A defaced, altered, removed or destroyed vessel hull identification number (HIN) is prima facia evidence that the watercraft and trailer are stolen.

Any person operating a watercraft shall upon observing a visual or hearing an audible signal from a law enforcement officer enforcing this act and rules and regulations of the commission, bring the watercraft to an immediate stop. No person, after observing a visual or hearing an audible signal from a law enforcement officer enforcing this act and rules and regulations of the commission, shall attempt to elude a law enforcement officer by watercraft or any other means.

Red or blue rotating or flashing lights shall not be displayed and sirens shall not be used on watercraft except as authorized for watercraft operated or used by law enforcement and emergency watercraft.

Definitions

• “Accompanied by an adult” means no person under the age of sixteen (16) years shall operate or be in actual physical control of a motorized watercraft, required to be numbered, on the waters of the State unless an adult is also physically in or aboard the motorized watercraft.
• “Adult” means a person eighteen (18) years of age or older.
• “Certificate of number” means watercraft registration.
• “Degrees of a compass” means the gradations in a compass; there are three hundred sixty (360 o) degrees within a compass.
• “Diver's down flag” means a rectangular shaped flag either blue and white in color or red in color with a white diagonal stripe, not less than twelve (12) inches x twelve (12) inches and displayed no less than three (3) feet above the surface of the water.
• “Duplicate number or duplicate certificate” means a certificate of number issued by the Department to replace an original certificate of number.
• “Kill switch” means a device for shutting off the engine of a personal watercraft in the event the operator falls off the personal watercraft while it is underway.
• “Length of a watercraft” means the length of the hull of a watercraft measured in a straight line from one end of the hull to the other excluding the deck, bowsprits, bumpkins, rudders, outboard motor brackets and similar fittings or attachments.
• “Motorized watercraft” means any watercraft powered by an internal combustion or electric engine.
• “Motorized watercraft dealer ” means a person who is engaged in the business of manufacture or sale of motorboats in Wyoming and who is required to be licensed with the Wyoming Department of Revenue to collect and remit sales tax or a person whose motorboat sales business is outside Wyoming, but who demonstrates motorboats in Wyoming.
• “No wake” means the speed of a watercraft which is underway that does not cause water action which disturbs another watercraft at rest, a dock, or swimmers; and, in no case shall the speed of the watercraft which is underway be in excess of five (5) miles per hour.
• “Operator” means the person who is in control or in charge of a watercraft while it is in use.
• “Personal watercraft” means any inboard motorized watercraft less than sixteen (16) feet in length which has a water-jet pump as its primary source of motor propulsion and which is designed to be operated by a person sitting, standing or kneeling on the watercraft, rather than the conventional manner of sitting or standing inside the watercraft.
• “Proof of ownership for temporary operation” means a notarized bill of sale stating the name of the previous owner of the motorized watercraft, the name of the purchaser of the watercraft, description of the watercraft with correct HIN or a copy of a properly transferred title, a bill of sale with correct HIN from a motorized watercraft dealer, or a copy of a notarized affidavit by the builder of a homemade watercraft that indicates a description of the watercraft and the date construction was completed.
• “Port” means the left side of a watercraft and is denoted by a red light.
• “Starboard” means the right side of a watercraft and is denoted by a green light.
• “Rental boat owner” means a person who rents watercraft to the public for a fee.
• “Safe carrying capacity as stated on the capacity plate affixed to the watercraft” means the capacity shall not exceed the number of persons or the weight limit stated on the capacity plate, whichever is reached first.
• “Stem” means the line where the port and starboard hulls join together at the bow.
• “ Throwable device ” means a U.S. Coast Guard approved Type 4 personal floatation device.
• “Underway” means the watercraft is being propelled by propulsion machinery powered by an energy source, by wind, or human effort.
• “Vessel” means every description of watercraft, other than a seaplane on the water, used or capable of being used as a means of transportation on the water.
• “Wake” means the water action left by a watercraft which is underway that does cause water action which disturbs another watercraft at rest, a dock, or swimmers; and, the speed of the watercraft exceeds five (5) miles per hour.
• “Water sport toy” means a sailboard or any aid to swimming or fishing that is not defined as a watercraft.
• “Watercraft” means any contrivance used or designed primarily for navigation on the water that is propelled by paddles, oars, sails or motors; except, sailboards are defined as water sport toys.
• “ Wearable personal floatation device ” means a U.S. Coast Guard approved Type 1, Type 2, or Type 3 personal floatation device.