(a) The department may issue regulations to do all of the following:
(1) Establish minimum safety standards for boats and associated equipment.
(2) Require the installation, carrying, or using of associated equipment.
(3) Prohibit the installation, carrying, or using of associated equipment that does not conform with safety standards established pursuant to this chapter.
(b) The regulations shall conform with the federal navigation laws or with the navigation rules promulgated by the United States Coast Guard, or any successor thereto.
(c) A person or public agency shall not use or give permission for the use of a vessel that does not carry the equipment or meet the standards established pursuant to this chapter.
(d) A peace officer or harbor police officer authorized to enforce this chapter may order the termination of the operation of a vessel that is found to be unsafe for operation pursuant to Section 6550.5 of Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations. A violation of an order under this subdivision is a misdemeanor.
(e) A person found guilty of a misdemeanor violation of subdivision (d), or of any regulation adopted by the department pursuant to this section, shall be subject to a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000), imprisonment in a county jail not to exceed six months, or both that fine and imprisonment.
(Amended by Stats. 2010, Ch. 328, Sec. 107. (SB 1330) Effective January 1, 2011.)