America’s Boating Course
State and Local Regulations
Chapter 2, Section 8
IOWA
The Hawkeye State
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1
Life Jacket Requirements
USCG Approved PFD Required
(Personal Floatation Device = Life Jacket)
One for each person
Correct size - fit
Serviceable
Children
Must Wear
Life Jackets:
Readily
available
While underway on a recreational vessel on any Iowa waters, a child
under 13
years old must
wearwear
a USCG–approved life jacket unless the
Children
must
child is below deck or in an enclosed cabin.
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2
Inflatables
Inflatable PFDs
• ZERO buoyancy unless inflated
• Inflated manually or automatically
• Requires regular maintenance
Notlaw:
to be
used for:
Iowa
Inflatables
may not be used for –
• Weak or non-swimmers
•Persons on Personal Water Craft (PWC)
• Children under 16 or under 80 lbs
•Persons towed behind a vessel
• Water Impact Sports; under clothing
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3
Sound Producers
Bell
Iowa law –26 feet long or longer
The USCGornoother
longer
requires a vessel
between
Whistle
sound-producing
device
39.4 ft. (12 meters) and 65.6 ft. (20 meters) to carry
a bell. States
andmay have additional rules.
Bell (still required by Iowa regulatiions)
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4
Navigation Light Patterns
“Tug Towing”
Learn about Towboats
DANGER on Mississippi and
MissouriTowline
Rivers –may
downbound
not be have standTug with tow less than 650 ft. long
visible –
onday
privileges
or night
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5
Boat Registration
All motorboats:
• Registered with state, or …
• Documented with U.S. Coast Guard, and …
registered with Iowa
Registration numbers on the vessel
Required paperwork onboard
Iowa registration expires in three years, and
must be renewed at that time
Registration violations are one of top three
citations issued by Iowa
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6
USCG Standards
Capacity label by
manufacturer
Required under 20 feet
Combined persons,
motor & gear –
Numberas
of persons
enforced
federalis legal limit under Iowa law.
This number must be displayed on starboard side of hull near
requirement
stern
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7
Negligent Operation
Operating in swimming area
Boating Under the Influence (BUI)
Excessive speed
Hazardous waterskiing
Wake jumping
Improper Speed or Distance (the most
Bowofriding
common violation
Iowa regulations)
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8
Sewage Discharge
Illegal to discharge raw sewage; black water in
inland waters
Iowa regulations prevent discharge of gray
water
Use approved
pump-out
station
or approved
All
Iowa
waters
are
“No
Discharge”
discharge area
Beware of no discharge zones
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9
Iowa Regulations
Discussion Items
Operator qualifications
License requirements
Wearing PFDs
Additional required equipment
Speed restrictions
Time of day restrictions
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10
Who May Operate -- Iowa
Vessel over 10 horsepower
Persons under 12
Must be accompanied by a responsible person at least 18
years old
Persons 12 or older - but younger than 18,
 Must have certificate of completion of a boater education
course such as this one
or …
Be accompanied on board by a responsible person who is
at least 18 years old and experienced in operating the
vessel.
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11
Who May Operate -- Iowa
Persons who are required to have successfully
completed a boater education course -Must carry their boater education certificate on
board and
Make it available upon request by an
enforcement officer.
Note: There is no Iowa requirement to renew
boater education certificates.
They do not expire.
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12
Registering Your Vessel
Registration Certificate must be on board
Registration decals properly displayed
Exceptions to Iowa registration are:
• Inflatable vessels that are 7 feet or less in length
• Canoes and kayaks that are 13 feet or less in length
and have no motor or sail
• Vessels properly registered in another state
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13
Iowa Law Enforcement
Iowa DNR officers enforce Iowa’s boating laws.
The U.S. Army Engineers also have enforcement
authority on federal reservoirs such as Coralville.
May stop and inspect a vessel operated, moored or being
launched
May board a vessel in the course of an inspection
You must bring your vessel to a stop after being signaled
to do so
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14
Iowa Speed & Distance Laws
It is illegal in Iowa to operate -At greater than 5 mph within 100 feet of another vessel that
is underway at 5 mph or less
At greater than 5 mph within 50 feet of another vessel that
is underway at greater than 5 mph
At greater than “slow, no wake speed” in any posted “no
wake zone”
At greater than 10 mph within 300 feet of shore
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15
Iowa Required Equipment
Required equipment includes -Life Jackets
Fire Extinguisher
Sound Producing Device
Exhaust Muffler
(See Iowa regulations for complete requirements)
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16
Life Jackets
Iowa law requires the following aboard motorboats:
Type I, II, III, or V life jacket for each person on board.
Life Jacket violations are one of the most common
Also one Type IV (throwable) on vessels 16 feet or longer
reasons for issuance of citations by
except canoes or kayaks.
Iowa law enforcement
Children Under 13 must wear life jackets while underway
unless the child is below deck or in an enclosed cabin.
This includes Missouri and Mississippi Rivers.
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17
Alcohol & Drugs
Iowa law prohibits anyone from boating --Under the influence of alcohol or other drug
or a combination of such substances or…
With a blood, breath, or urine alcohol
concentration of 0.08% or more
or…
With any amount of a controlled substance
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18
Implied Consent
By operating a vessel on Iowa waters, you
have given “implied” consent to alcohol
testing (“sobriety” testing).
For a first offense of refusing to be tested,
you can be fined and lose your operating
privileges.
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19
PWC’s in Iowa
Each person must wear a Type I, II, III or V PFD.
Inflatable PFDs are not approved for use on
PWCs.
PWCs may not be operated between sunset and
sunrise.
A lanyard-type ignition safety switch must be
attached to the person, clothing, or life jacket of
the operator whenever the PWC is running and in
use.
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20
Towing Skiers In Iowa
Must have observer in addition to operator
Persons towed must wear PFD (not inflatable)
Boat may tow between sunrise and ½ hour after
sunset
PWC may tow between sunrise and sunset
(PWC may not operate after sunset)
Vessel must have capacity to bring skier on board
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21
Boating Accidents and Casualties
Anyone involved in a boating accident must
stop the vessel immediately at the scene of the
accident and …
Assist anyone
injured
or in danger
from
the accident,
“Good
Samaritan”
laws
protect
you –unless doing
so would seriously
endanger
vessel or passengers and …
both
stateown
& federal
Give, in writing, his or her name, address, and vessel identification
to anyone injured and to the owner of any property damaged by
the accident.
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22
Iowa Accident Reporting
Loss of life
Loss of
consciousness
Property
damage
greater than
$2000.
Medical
Treatment
Disability
greater than 24
hours.
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23
Iowa Accident Reporting
Vessel operators involved in an accident must
submit in writing to DNR a
VESSEL OCCURRENCE OPERATOR’S REPORT
Property exceeding $2,000 – within five days.
Death, disappearance, or personal injuries
requiring medical treatment – within 48 hours.
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24
Charts & Maps
River
free online from of earth
Bothcharts
show available
scaled representations
US Army Engineers
• Maps cover terrestrial areas
• Charts
water
areas
Other
charts cover
available
free
online from
National Ocean Service
Charts show
National Ocean Service no longer
• Underwater
features
prints
paper copies
of charts
• Features for boaters
Charts of local waters are required for safety
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25
Hypothermia
Timing depends on water temperature
How often is Iowa water
temp 50º or less?
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26
Operator Controls
Start & stop
Throttle on handlebars
Fuel selector
Reverse lever
SLIDE AUTOADVACES
Ignition shut-off switch with
lanyard must be connected
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27
End Chapter 2
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END
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