Pennsylvania Life Jacket Rule Set for November 1

Pennsylvania’s annual cold-weather life-jacket requirement takes effect November 1, 2026, and runs through April 30, 2027, on all state waterways. People aboard boats under 16 feet, as well as anyone using a kayak, canoe, or paddleboard, must wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket while underway or at anchor. The Fish and Boat Commission warns that cold-water shock can trigger an involuntary gasp, panic, and impaired swimming even on warm days. Nearly 80% of Pennsylvania boating fatalities involved people not wearing life jackets, and the commission says the seasonal rule, enacted in 2012, has helped reduce the share of cold-weather boating incidents that result in fatalities. The commission also recommends life jackets for people ice fishing.