HB 5332, enacted as Public Act No. 26-60, makes a series of changes to Connecticut boating law. It prohibits operators of recreational motorboats from allowing passengers to sit on the gunwale with legs outside the vessel or to stand on the gunwale while the boat is underway above slow-no-wake speed. It also tightens rules for personal watercraft and JAVs by requiring an operator certificate issued by the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection, maintaining a minimum age of 16 for JAV operation, and clarifying that owners may not knowingly allow uncertified persons to operate those vessels. The bill further requires vessel owners to display current contact information on vessels placed on state waters, unless the vessel already has a valid certificate of number from Connecticut, another state, or the federal government.
The act also revises the special operating rules for Wyassup Lake in North Stonington. It allows motorboats to exceed eight miles per hour and permits waterskiing only during a defined seasonal and daily window, from the Saturday before Memorial Day through September 15, between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m., while continuing to prohibit waterskiing and towing between the islands and the east shore of the lake. In addition, the bill updates the abandoned-vessel enforcement framework by allowing parties with standing to recover full costs from the person who abandoned the vessel, including environmental remediation and removal costs for state and municipal agencies, and by increasing the civil fine for abandonment from $300-$500 to $750-$1,000, with an exception for abandonment caused by a declared emergency.
The bill’s impact on state law is to expand safety regulations, improve vessel identification and accountability, and strengthen abandoned-vessel cleanup and cost-recovery provisions. It amends multiple sections of the boating statutes, adds a new requirement for contact information on unnumbered vessels, and changes both operating restrictions and penalty levels. The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is given continued administrative authority over certification, marine-event waivers, and prescribed forms for abandoned-vessel notices.
The overall sentiment appears strongly favorable and noncontroversial. The bill advanced unanimously out of the Environment Committee and passed both chambers with large bipartisan majorities, indicating broad support for boating safety, enforcement, and environmental cleanup measures. The voting history suggests the legislation was viewed as a practical update rather than a contested policy change.
The main points of contention, to the extent any are visible from the text and votes, are limited. The most notable substantive changes are the stricter penalties for vessel abandonment and the added identification requirement for vessels, which could impose compliance obligations on boat owners. The Wyassup Lake operating rules also reflect localized regulation that may be of interest to lake users and nearby residents, but the recorded votes do not show significant opposition or organized controversy.
This act amends Connecticut’s boating statutes to add new passenger safety restrictions, reinforce certification and age requirements for personal watercraft and JAV operators, require owner contact information on certain vessels, modify special operating rules for Wyassup Lake, and strengthen abandoned-vessel notice, cost recovery, and penalty provisions. It increases civil fines for vessel abandonment and expands recoverable costs for state and municipal agencies, while preserving DEEP’s regulatory and permitting authority.
The bill appears to have been broadly supported and largely noncontroversial. It received unanimous support in the Environment Committee and passed the House and Senate by wide margins, suggesting bipartisan agreement on boating safety, enforcement, and environmental cleanup measures.
The most likely areas of concern are the new compliance burdens on vessel owners, including the requirement to display current contact information and the higher penalties for abandoning vessels. Localized restrictions on Wyassup Lake and the continued certification requirements for personal watercraft and JAV operators could also draw attention from boaters, but the available votes show little evidence of significant opposition or sustained controversy.