The purpose of the state recreational boating safety program is to encourage greater state participation and uniformity in boating safety efforts, and particularly to permit the states to assume the…

The U.S. Coast Guard awarded the California Department of Parks & Recreation $4,962,116 under the Boating Safety Financial Assistance program (CFDA 97.012) on October 1, 2025, for the State Recreational Boating Safety Program.

The award funds boating safety activities including facilities, equipment, and supplies for boating safety education and law enforcement; personnel training in boating safety and enforcement of boating safety laws; public boating safety education through programs and lectures to the boating community and public schools; acquisition, construction, and repair of public access sites used primarily by recreational boaters; boating safety inspections and marine casualty investigations; establishment and maintenance of emergency and search-and-rescue facilities and assistance; establishment and maintenance of waterway markers and aids to navigation; and state recreational vessel numbering and titling programs.

The period of performance runs from October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2028. Work is performed in California. The award is structured as a formula grant, a standard assistance type under the Boating Safety Financial Assistance program, which operates as a cooperative agreement between the Coast Guard and designated state agencies to support recreational boating safety efforts.

The purpose of the state recreational boating safety program is to encourage greater state participation and uniformity in boating safety efforts, and particularly to permit the states to assume the greater share of boating safety education, assistance, and enforcement activities. Federal funds provided for a state's boating safety program may be used for any of the following expenses. 1. Providing facilities, equipment, and supplies for boating safety education and law enforcement, including purchase, operation, maintenance, and repair. 2. Training personnel in skills related to boating safety and to the enforcement of boating safety laws and regulations. 3. Providing public boating safety education, including educational programs and lectures, to the boating community and the public school system. 4. Acquiring, constructing, or repairing public access sites used primarily by recreational boaters. 5. Conducting boating safety inspections and marine casualty investigations. 6. Establishing and maintaining emergency or search and rescue facilities, and providing emergency or search and rescue assistance. 7. Establishing and maintaining waterway markers and other appropriate aids to navigation. 8. Providing state recreational vessel numbering and titling programs.