Washington Administrative Code › Title 352 - Parks and Recreation Commission › Chapter 352-60 - Recreational vessel equipment and operation › Section 352-60-030 - Personal flotation devices required

Current through Register Vol. 24-14, July 15, 2024
No person shall operate or permit the operation of a vessel on
			the waters of the state unless the vessel has on board United States Coast
			Guard approved personal flotation devices as follows:
(1) Vessels less than sixteen feet (4.9
		  meters) in length, and canoes and kayaks of any length, must have one Type I,
		  II, or III PFD, or one wearable with a buoyancy of 50, 70, 100, 150, or 275
		  newtons and is of the proper size for each person on board.
(2) Vessels sixteen feet (4.9 meters) or more
		  in length, except a canoe or kayak, must have one Type I, II, or III wearable
		  PFD, or a wearable PFD with a buoyancy of 50, 70, 100, 150, or 275 newtons of
		  the proper size for each person on board and, in addition, one Type IV, or a
		  throwable PFD.
(3) Alternate PFD
		  requirement. A United States Coast Guard approved Type V PFD may be carried in
		  lieu of any required PFD under this section if it is approved for the activity
		  in which the vessel is engaged in and used in compliance with requirements on
		  the approval label.
(4) Stowage and
		  condition.
(a) All personal flotation devices
		  required by this section shall be readily accessible to all persons on board
		  and be in good and serviceable condition. All Type IV or throwable personal
		  flotation devices must be immediately available.
(b) All devices shall be approved by the
		  United States Coast Guard and marked in compliance with Coast Guard
		  standards.
(c) No PFD may exhibit
		  deterioration that could diminish the performance of the PFD, including:
(i) Metal or plastic hardware used to secure
		  the PFD on the wearer that is broken, deformed, or weakened by
		  corrosion;
(ii) Webbing and straps
		  used to secure the PFD on the wearer that are ripped, torn, or which have
		  become separated from the attachment point on the PFD; or
(iii) Any rotted or deteriorated structural
		  component that fails when tugged.
(d) In addition to meeting the requirements
		  of this section, no inherently buoyant PFD, including the inherently buoyant
		  components of a hybrid inflatable PFD, may exhibit:
(i) Rips, tears, or open seams in the fabric
		  or coating that are large enough to allow the loss of buoyant
		  material;
(ii) Buoyant material
		  that has become hardened, non-resilient, permanently compressed, waterlogged,
		  oil-soaked, or which shows evidence of fungus or mildew; or
(iii) Loss of buoyant material or buoyant
		  material that is not held in place.
(e) Except as provided in this section, a
		  properly armed inflation mechanism, complete with a full inflation medium
		  cartridge and all status indicators showing that the inflation mechanism is
		  properly armed, must also have:
(i) Inflatable
		  chambers that are all capable of holding air;
(ii) Oral inflation tubes that are not
		  blocked, detached, or broken;
(iii)
		  A manual inflation lanyard or lever that is not inaccessible, broken, or
		  missing; and
(iv) Inflator status
		  indicators that are not broken or otherwise nonfunctional.
(f) All devices shall be approved by the
		  United States Coast Guard or Underwriters Laboratory and marked in compliance
		  with United States Coast Guard Standards.