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| Personal Flotation Devices | 169.539 – 169.545 | |||||||||||||
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33 U.S.C. 1321(j); 46 U.S.C. 3306, 6101; Pub. L. 103-206, 107 Stat. 2439; E.O. 11735, 38 FR 21243, 3 CFR, 1971-1975 Comp., p. 793; DHS Delegation 00170.1, Revision No. 01.4; § 169.117 also issued under the authority of 44 U.S.C. 3507.
CGD 83-005, 51 FR 896, Jan. 9, 1986, unless otherwise noted.
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Subscribe to: 46 CFR Part 169 Subpart 169.500 - Personal Flotation Devices
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All personal flotation devices (PFDs) must be:
(a) Approved under subpart 160.002, 160.005, 160.055, or 160.255 of subchapter Q (specification) of this chapter;
(b) Approved specifically for sailing school vessel use under subpart 160.064, 160.077, or 160.264 of Subchapter Q of this chapter; or
(c) Approved under subparts 160.047, 160.052, or 160.060 of part 160 of this chapter or approved under subpart 160.064 or 160.264 of part 160 of this chapter if the vessel carries exposure suits or exposure PFDs, in accordance with § 169.551.
[USCG-2022-0120, 89 FR 97401, Dec. 6, 2024]
Each vessel must be provided with an approved adult personal flotation device of an appropriate size for each person carried. In addition, unless the service is such that children are never carried, there must be provided an approved personal flotation device of a suitable size for each child carried.
(a) Personal flotation devices must be distributed through the upper part of the vessel in protected places convenient to the persons on board.
(b) If practicable, personal flotation device containers must be designed to allow the PFDs to float free.
(c) Personal flotation devices for children, when provided, must be stowed separately.
(d) Lockers, boxes, and closets in which PFDs are stowed must not be capable of being locked.
(a) Each personal flotation device must be marked with the vessel's name.
(b) Where PFDs are stowed so that they are not readily visible to persons onboard, the containers in which they are stowed must be marked “adult personal flotation devices” or “child personal flotation devices”, as appropriate, and with the number contained therein, in at least 1-inch letters and figures.
(c) Each personal flotation device carried on vessels certificated for exposed or partially protected waters service must have a light approved under subpart 161.012 of this chapter. The light must be securely attached to the front shoulder area of the personal flotation device.
(d) Each personal flotation device must have at least 200 sq. cm. (31 sq. in.) of retroreflective material attached on its front side and at least 200 sq. cm. on its back side. If the personal flotation device is reversible, retroreflective material must be applied as described above on both sides.
(e) Retroreflective material required by this section must be Type I material that is approved under subpart 164.018 of this chapter.