§ 69-9-301. Mufflers Required
The exhaust of every internal combustion engine used on any vessel shall be effectively muffled by a muffling device or system to muffle the noise of the exhaust.
§ 69-9-302. Noise Level Restrictions — Testing for Noise Levels
No person shall operate any vessel in or upon the waters of Tennessee in such a manner as to exceed 86 bdA measured at a distance of fifty feet (50′) from the vessel. Testing procedures employed to determine such noise levels shall be in accordance with the exterior sound level measurement procedure for pleasure motorboats […]
§ 69-9-303. Certification by Manufacturers — Testing Procedures
Vessel motors manufactured after January 1, 1977, and offered for sale in Tennessee shall be certified to the agency by the motor manufacturer as having been tested and found not to exceed the noise levels prescribed in § 69-9-302. Testing procedures employed to determine such noise levels shall be in accordance with § 69-9-302. The […]
§ 69-9-304. Alterations to Engines — Cutouts
No person shall remove or alter any part of an engine, its propulsion unit, or its enclosure, or modify the mounting of an engine in or upon a vessel in such a manner as to exceed the noise levels prescribed in § 69-9-302. The use of cutouts is prohibited.
§ 69-9-305. Regattas and Boat Races Excepted
This part shall not apply to vessels competing in a regatta or boat race approved as provided in § 69-9-211, and for such vessels while on trial runs, during a period not to exceed forty-eight (48) hours immediately preceding such regatta or race and for such vessels while competing in official trials for speed records […]
§ 69-9-223. [reserved.]
The executive director, or the executive director’s designees or officers, upon observing a boat being used without sufficient lifesaving or firefighting devices, or in an overloaded or other unsafe condition, which in such person’s judgment creates an especially hazardous condition, may direct the operator to take whatever immediate and reasonable steps would be necessary for […]
§ 69-9-225. Personal Flotation Devices Required for Persons Twelve (12) Years of Age and Under — Penalty
All persons twelve (12) years of age and under in an open boat or on an open deck of a vessel being used for recreational purposes on the waters of this state shall wear a United States coast guard approved wearable personal flotation device while such vessel is underway. Any personal flotation devices required by […]
§ 69-9-226. Operation of Vessel by Persons Born After January 1, 1989 — Exceptions — Boating Safety Course Certificates — Orientation — Violations
Except as provided in subsection (b), it is unlawful for any person born after January 1, 1989, to operate any vessel subject to registration on any waters of this state unless the operator: Has successfully completed a monitored National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) approved boating safety examination administered by the agency or […]
§ 69-9-227. Regulation of Commercial Operations That Lease or Rent Nonmotorized Vessels for Noncommercial Use
As used in this section: “Nonmotorized vessels” means canoes, kayaks, stand-up paddle boards, tubes, and any other vessels powered only by their occupants and propelled by manual methods, including, but not limited to paddles and oars; and “Waters of Tennessee” means any waters within the territorial limits of this state, except privately owned ponds or […]
§ 69-9-228. Yielding Right-of-Way to Emergency Vessel Making Use of Flashing Lights
Upon the approach of an authorized emergency vessel making use of flashing lights, the operator of every other vessel shall yield the right-of-way and shall slow to a no wake speed or immediately move over at least one hundred feet (100′) to a position of safety from the emergency vessels, clear of any other vessel, […]