The commission heard a briefing from Ty Hunter, the division’s technical advisor for water and boating safety, about administrative rules for personal flotation devices (PFDs) and recent legislative interest in changing mandatory-wear provisions.

Hunter said a legislator raised three issues: mandatory wear of PFDs on whitewater rivers, the state requirement to carry a properly fitting PFD for each person aboard a vessel (Utah Code and federal law), and mandatory wear for youth 12 years and younger. Hunter told the commission that federal law requires carriage of Coast Guard–approved PFDs and that the state cannot preempt federal carriage requirements.

The division’s aquatic-safety advisory group and several outside commenters — including the Utah Drowning Prevention Coalition, recreation and parks aquatic professionals and members of the public — opposed loosening the rules. Hunter said the committee received public comments opposing any reduction in PFD requirements and recommended not removing mandatory wear statewide.

As a compromise, Hunter said staff would research and pursue rulemaking to add specific river sections to the administratively defined “flat water” list (the rule language referenced in the meeting as R650-215-6 and R650-215-7). Where a river section is designated flat water, the wear rules for non‑whitewater sections allow different carriage/wear expectations. Hunter said the division will work with the attorney general’s office and the advisory council to identify sections that could be reclassified and that the division will pursue the administrative rule process for any such changes.

Why it matters: PFD rules affect boating safety, public education and enforcement. The division reported broad stakeholder concern about loosening wear requirements and proposed a targeted, site-specific approach (adding flat‑water designations) rather than a statewide rollback of wear requirements.