HB2499 Summary

• Amends the Boat Registration and Safety Act (625 ILCS 45) to update and reorganize definitions, including airboats, personal watercraft, nonpowered watercraft, dealers, and other vessel classifications.

• Modifies personal flotation device (PFD) requirements to mandate wearable U.S. Coast Guard approved PFDs for all persons on board watercraft, with specific rules for children under 13 who must wear PFDs while the watercraft is underway.

• Restructures navigation light requirements by vessel class (Class 1-4 based on length) and establishes specific light configurations for motorboats, sailboats, and nonpowered watercraft operating at night or in reduced visibility.

• Updates traffic and right-of-way rules for watercraft, including provisions for head-on situations, crossing, overtaking in narrow channels with horn signals, and rules governing sailing vessels relative to power-driven vessels.

• Clarifies procedures for towed watercraft, including written authorization requirements, record-keeping by law enforcement, and liability for removal and storage charges to be paid by owners or from sale proceeds.