Heading to a reservoir or river? California law may require you to pack a life jacket

Laura S. Diaz
·5 min read

With summer rolling in – and temperatures rising – it’s more than expected that Californians will seek relief from the heat and spend a day by the rivers and lakes the state has to offer.

Unfortunately, it’s also the season where communities across the Central Valley see an increase in deaths by drowning. Already this spring in Stanislaus County, two swimmers drowned at Woodward Reservoir — one man in April, the other over Memorial Day weekend — a Denair toddler drowned in a canal in April, and a woman drowned in the San Joaquin River near Newman in May after jumping in to aid her struggling daughter.

Specifically when it comes to spending time in the water on paddle boards, kayaks and boats, there are state safety rules and laws to follow in an effort to increase water safety and prevent fatal events.

Under California law, children 13 years old or younger must wear a Coast Guard-approved life jacket on a moving recreational vessel of any length. According to the state’s Department of Parks and Recreation, the only three exceptions are when a child is:

  • on a sailboat and are constrained by a harness tethered to the sailboat

  • in an enclosed cabin

  • on a vessel engaged in an emergency rescue situation

Recreational vessels can be motorized, including boats and jet skis, or non-motorized, like paddle boards, sailboats, kayaks and canoes.

Life jacket requirement laws apply to adults, too. For anyone 13 years of age and older, when engaging in recreational activities with vessels 16 feet in length or shorter, there must be one wearable U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket per person on board.

For example, if two adult people are on a paddle board or kayak, they’re not required to wear life jackets but must have two available on the nonmotorized vessel.

Also, not all personal flotation devices sold at sporting and outdoor gear stores are compliant with the Coast Guard’s requirements and state law.

“There are many different styles of life jackets, but not all styles are approved for all boating activities,” said an email from the California State Parks’ Division of Boating and Waterways. “The inside label [of a flotation device or life jacket] will provide the U.S. Coast Guard approval number and the intended boating activity.”

Some inflatable styles of life jackets could be used for specific activities – not all – and strictly cannot be used for other activities, like when being towed behind a vessel.

The California State Parks Division of Boating and Waterways supplies life jackets for Californians to borrow at 120 stations in 30 out of California’s 58 counties.

However, at the time of writing this article when The Bee called locations listed on the state’s website, those in Stanislaus, Kings and Kern counties were either no longer participating in the program or had changed names or addresses. Both, the locations and state, have been notified of the outdated information listed.

Families or individuals can check out life jackets for a day or weekend. In the Central Valley, those interested in getting an approved and compliant life jacket can contact these stations:

Stanislaus County

  • Modesto Station A: Modesto Fire Dept. Station 1, 610 11th St., 209-572-9597

  • Modesto Station B: Modesto Fire Dept. Station 2, 420 Chicago Ave., 209-491-4388

  • Modesto Station C: Modesto Fire Dept. Station 5, 200 W Briggsmore Ave., 209-572-9555

  • Modesto Station D: Modesto Fire Dept. Station 10, 148 Imperial Ave., 209-572-9650

  • Modesto Station E: Stanislaus Consolidated Fire Dept. Station 22, 4845 Yosemite Blvd., 209-549-8402

  • Modesto Station F: Stanislaus Consolidated Fire Dept. Station 23, 7737 Yosemite Blvd., 209-549-8403

  • Ceres Station: Ceres Fire Dept. Station 15, 2755 Third St., 209-577-6450

  • Oakdale Station A: Oakdale Fire Dept. Station 27, 450 S Willowood Drive, 209-577-6260

  • Oakdale Station B: Oakdale Fire Dept. Station 28, 325 E G St., 209-577-6263

  • Knights Ferry Station: Modesto Fire Dept. Station 29, 17700 Main St., 209-577-6266

  • Riverbank Station: Stanislaus Consolidated Fire Department Station 26, 3318 Topeka St., 209-549-8406

  • Turlock Station: Turlock Fire Dept. Station 31, 540 E Marshall St., 209-668-5580

  • Waterford Station A: Stanislaus Consolidated Fire Department Station 24, 129 E St., 209-874-2123

  • Waterford Station B: Modesto Reservoir Regional Park, 18142 Reservoir Road. 209-525-6750 (these life jackets are provided by the Sea Tow Foundation, not the state, to Stanislaus County)

  • Woodward Station: Woodward Reservoir, 14528 26 Mile Road, 209-847-3304

Merced County

  • Gustine Station: San Luis Reservoir, O’Neill Forebay Kiosk at San Luis Creek Day Use Area (South Beach), 31426 Gonzaga Road, 209-826-4714

San Joaquin County

  • Manteca Station: City of Manteca Fire Department Station 2, 1154 S. Union Road, 209-456-8310

  • Stockton Station A: Stockton Fire Department Station 10, 2903 West March Lane, 209-937-8030

  • Stockton Station B: Stockton Fire Department Station 14, 3019 McNabb St., 209-937-8034

Fresno County

  • Friant Station: Millerton Lake SRA, 5290 Millerton Road in Friant, 559-822-2332

  • Sanger Station: Pine Flat Lake, 27295 Pine Flat Road, 559-787-2589

Madera County

  • Eastman Lake Station: in the park, 23 miles northeast of Chowchilla, 559-689-3255 (three locations: Upper Boating Ramp near Chowchilla Day Use Recreational Area, Upper Boating Ramp in Cordones and Main Cordones Campground)

  • Raymond Station: Hensley Lake, 25207 Road 407, 559-673-5151 (three locations: Main Office at the address, Buck Ridge Day Use Area and Hidden View Campground)

For a full list of counties and their stations, to request more life jackets for an already existing station or to request to open a new life jacket loaner station, those interested can visit https://bit.ly/3yVDcLZ.