Kansas Life Jacket Rules (2026)

Conditional: Kansas requires children age 12 and younger to wear a properly-fitting life jacket while on the boat.

ConditionalVerified Jul 7, 2026

Boating rules change at the state line — and in your state.Track them in the free LawLert iPhone app: it alerts you when you cross into a state where they differ, and when they change in your state. No account.Get the app

Official source: ksoutdoors.com →

General legal information, not legal advice — verify important decisions with a licensed attorney.

Life Jacket Rules in states bordering Kansas

The same rule in each neighboring state LawLert has verified, from that state’s own official source.

ColoradoConditional
Colorado requires children 12 years of age and younger to wear a life jacket whenever the vessel is on the water, except when in an enclosed cabin or below deck.
Verified Jul 7, 2026 · Source: cpw.state.co.us · Full Colorado rule →
MissouriConditional
Missouri requires each person under age 7 aboard any watercraft on state waters to wear a USCG-approved PFD (exception for fully enclosed areas such as a houseboat/cruiser cabin).
Verified Jul 7, 2026 · Source: mshp.dps.missouri.gov · Full Missouri rule →
NebraskaConditional
In Nebraska no child under 13 may be aboard any vessel without wearing a Coast Guard-approved life preserver, except when hunting waterfowl in an anchored boat.
Verified Jul 7, 2026 · Source: outdoornebraska.gov · Full Nebraska rule →
OklahomaConditional
Oklahoma requires all children under 13 years of age to wear an approved life jacket whenever underway in a vessel less than 26 feet in length.
Verified Jul 7, 2026 · Source: digitalprairie.ok.gov · Full Oklahoma rule →

Don't get caught off guardCross into a state where this law is different and the free iPhone app tells you what changed, even with the app closed. It also alerts you when a law you track changes where you live. No account.Get the free app

Track this law — get alerted when it changes

We watch the official sources behind Kansas boating rules. If a tracked rule changes, you get one short email — never more than one a week. Free, unsubscribe anytime.