Chapter 4: The Legal Requirements of Boating

Reckless Operation (ORC 1547.07)

Ohio law prohibits reckless operation of a boat or PWC.

No person shall operate a vessel, water skis, or similar device:

• Carelessly or heedlessly
• Without due caution
• In disregard of the rights or safety of any person, vessel, or property
• At a rate of speed or in a manner so as to endanger any person, vessel, or property

No person shall operate or permit operation of a vessel in an unsafe manner. Unsafe operation includes:

• Becoming airborne while crossing the wake of another vessel within 100 feet or an unsafe distance
• Operating at a speed or in proximity to a vessel or person being towed so as to require either vessel to swerve to avoid collision
• Operating less than 200 feet behind a water-skier
• Weaving through congested traffic

A vessel shall be operated in a reasonable and prudent manner at all times.

Unsafe Condition and Termination (ORC 1547.071)

A law enforcement officer may determine that an unsafe condition presents an especially hazardous condition to persons aboard a vessel and may direct the operator to take immediate, reasonable actions to correct the situation. An especially hazardous condition exists if a reasonably prudent person would believe that continued operation would create a hazard to persons aboard.

The law enforcement officer may direct the operator to return a vessel to shore until the condition is corrected or has ended. Refusal by an operator to terminate operation after being ordered to do so is a violation of the Ohio Revised Code.

The following situations present unsafe conditions:

• Insufficient personal flotation devices
• Insufficient fire extinguishers
• Overloaded, insufficient freeboard for the water conditions in which the vessel is operating
• Improper display of navigation lights
• Fuel leaks, including fuel leaking from either the engine or fuel system
• Accumulation of or an abnormal amount of fuel in the bilges
• Inadequate backfire flame control
• Improper ventilation

Remember ... Many Ohio state park lakes have an unmarked, 300-foot “idle speed” or “no wake” shore zone, while other lakes have a 100-foot shore zone. To gauge the 300-foot zone, visualize the length of a football field. Check the lake’s zoning before boating.

Operation in Restricted Areas (ORC 1547.08)

No person shall operate a vessel in a designated “swim area,” in areas buoyed off as “no boats,” or within any restricted area in violation of the designated restriction.

No person shall operate a vessel at greater speed than idle speed– Slowest possible speed needed to maintain steerage and maneuverability. “Wake” is defined as a track left in the water by a watercraft, causing waves that may cause discomfort, injury, or damage to persons, watercraft, or property. or create a wake under any of the following circumstances:

• Within an area buoyed or marked as a “no wake” area
• Within 300 feet of any marina, boat-docking facility, gasoline dock, launch ramp, recreational boat harbor, or harbor entrance on Lake Erie or the Ohio River
• During sunset to sunrise between the Dan Beard bridge and the Brent Spence bridge on the Ohio River for any vessel not documented by the U.S. Coast Guard as commercial

Boat Creating a Wake

Remember ... Operators are also responsible for any damage caused by the wake of their boats or PWCs.

No person shall operate a vessel within 300 feet of an official diver’s flag unless tendering the dive operation.

Failure to Control (ORC 1547.072)

No person shall operate or permit the operation of a vessel without sufficient control to avoid an incident that results in:

• Property damage or…
• Physical injury or…
• Loss of life or…
• Any combination of the above.

No person shall permit operation of a vessel in violation of this section.