Vermont's cold-weather boating requirement means people on an open deck must wear a properly secured, Coast Guard-approved life jacket while their vessel is underway from Nov. 1 through May 1.
The requirement appears in state law on vessel safety equipment, amended effective July 1, 2026. Carrying a life jacket aboard does not satisfy the cold-weather wearing requirement.
The law includes a narrow exception for someone actively hunting or bow fishing with a valid license while aboard a vessel in water no more than three feet deep. Both the activity and water-depth conditions apply.
U.S. Coast Guard-inspected commercial vessels are exempt from the law's personal-flotation-device subsection.
The cold-weather provision also states that a violation is not subject to the penalty in section 3317 and does not constitute a traffic violation under section 2302.
The statute uses the term personal flotation device for a wearable life jacket.
