Chapter 4: The Legal Requirements of Boating
Unlawful Operation
Illinois law (Illinois Compiled Statutes, Chapter 625—625
ILCS) states that these dangerous operating practices are
illegal:
Careless Operation (625 ILCS 45/5-1) of a vessel
is operating in a careless manner that causes danger to
any person or property, or operating at speeds greater
than that which allows the operator to bring the vessel
to a stop within an assured clear distance ahead.
Reckless Operation (625 ILCS 45/5-2) of a vessel
or the reckless manipulation of water-skis, a surfboard,
or similar device is operating in a manner that causes
danger to the life, limb, or property of any person. Examples
of reckless operation are:
- Weaving your vessel through congested waterway traffic
- Jumping a wake of another
vessel unreasonably close to the other vessel or when
visibility around the other vessel is obstructed
- Waiting until the last possible moment to swerve and
avoid collision
- Operating a vessel in a manner to create hazardous
wave or wake conditions while approaching or passing
another boat
Overloading or Overpowering (625 ILCS 45/5-4 and 45/5-6) is
defined as operating a vessel that has been loaded or powered
beyond the recommended capacity and horsepower limits shown
on the capacity plate installed
by the vessel manufacturer.
Operating in Restricted or “No Wake” Areas
(625 ILCS 45/5-7 and 45/5-12) is not maintaining
a proper speed and/or distance while operating a vessel.
Specifically, it is illegal to:
- Operate a vessel within an area that has been clearly
marked by buoys or other markers as a bathing, fishing,
swimming, or otherwise restricted area
- Operate a vessel within 150 feet of a public launching
ramp at greater than a slow – no
wake speed
- Exceed a slow – no
wake speed in any area marked with buoys or signs
as “No Wake”
 Failure
to Follow Navigation Rules (625 ILCS 45/5-13) is
not following the navigation
rules described in Chapter 3.
Riding on Bow or Gunwales (625 ILCS 45/5-21) is
allowing a passenger to ride on the decking over the bow or stern, gunwales,
or tops of seat backs of a motorized vessel unless the
passenger is within guard rails to prevent falling overboard.
This does not apply to persons assisting in anchoring,
mooring, or casting off.
Other operational practices that are described as illegal
are in the following sections on Alcohol
and Drugs, Obstructing
Navigation, Specific
Requirements for Personal Watercraft, and Towing
a Person Legally with a Vessel.
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