Which Waters Are Federally Controlled?

Federally controlled waters are waters on which vessels must observe federal requirements, including VDS requirements. These waters include:

• Coastal waters (Coastal waters are the Atlantic Ocean; the Gulf of Mexico; and all bays, sounds, harbors, rivers, inlets, etc., where any entrance is over two miles wide to the first point where the distance between shorelines narrows to two miles.)
• The Great Lakes
• Territorial seas