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Cal. HNC § 654.03

This is the official text of Cal. HNC § 654.03, part of California’s Harbors and Navigation Code — regulates ports, harbors, and boating.

Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.

Official statutory text

(a) A person may not manufacture for sale a motorized recreational vessel that is not equipped with a muffler or muffler system, as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 654, that brings the vessel into compliance with paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 654.05, except as authorized under subdivision (b).

(b) A person may manufacture for sale a motorized recreational vessel that is not equipped as required under subdivision (a) if the vessel is designed, manufactured, and sold for the sole purpose of competing in racing events.

(c) A person may not sell a vessel that is exempted under subdivision (b) unless there is compliance with both of the following:

(1) The sales agreement includes a statement that the vessel is designed, manufactured, and sold for the sole purpose of competing in racing events and may not be operated in or upon the inland waters, or in or upon ocean waters that are within one mile of the coastline of the state, except under the conditions described in subdivision (c) of Section 654.

(2) The statement described in paragraph (1) is signed by both the buyer and the seller.

(d) Both the buyer and the seller of a vessel exempted under subdivision (b) shall maintain copies of the sales agreement described in paragraph (1) of subdivision (c).

(e) A person may not operate a vessel that is exempted under subdivision (b) unless a copy of the sales agreement described in paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) is on board the vessel.

(f) A person may not operate a vessel that is exempted under subdivision (b) in or upon the inland waters, or in or upon ocean waters within one mile of the coastline of the state, except under the conditions described in subdivision (c) of Section 654.

(g) This section shall become operative on January 1, 2005.

Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site

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About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the Open US Law dataset (Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine (Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.