Iowa PFD Requirements
Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs)
- The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) requires at least one U.S.
Coast Guard approved Type IV PFD (ring buoy OR seat cushion) on all
recreational boats in excess of 16 feet in length, in ADDITION to the wearable
PFD required for each person onboard all boats.
- Someone being towed behind a vessel is considered to be onboard.
- All PWC occupants must be wearing their PFD while underway.
- Inflatable PFDs are not approved for children nor are they approved for use
during high impact sports such as water skiing or operating a PWC.
Children: All boaters or passengers
12 years of age and younger on the deck or
cockpit
must be wearing their PFD, while the vessel is underway on the Mississippi and
Missouri Rivers