The United States Coast Guard runs search and rescue operations at no cost to the people it saves, drawing on broad federal authority to protect life and property on any waters under U.S. jurisdiction. Coast Guard search and rescue covers the coasts, the Great Lakes, major rivers, and the open ocean, and it starts the moment a distress signal reaches one of the agency’s Joint Rescue Coordination Centers. What the Coast Guard will do for you, what it won’t, and what you’re still on the hook for afterward all follow from a handful of rules worth knowing before you leave the dock.
Will the Coast Guard Bill You for a Rescue
No. The Coast Guard does not charge for search and rescue operations, as a matter of federal law and longstanding policy. The reasoning is practical: boaters who fear a large bill hesitate to call, and hesitation turns manageable emergencies into fatal ones. Cost is not supposed to enter your decision to pick up the radio.
The statutory authority is 14 U.S.C. § 521, which lets the Coast Guard “perform any and all acts necessary to rescue and aid individuals and protect and save property” on the high seas, on waters under U.S. jurisdiction, and in floods.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 14 U.S.C. 521 – Saving Life and Property When a Coast Guard asset isn’t the closest capable responder, the National Search and Rescue Plan lets coordinators task whoever is, whether that’s a Navy helicopter, a state agency, or a Good Samaritan vessel.2United States Coast Guard. National Search and Rescue Supplement to the International Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue Manual
What You Still Pay For
The Coast Guard’s job ends at saving lives. Once you and your passengers are safe, the disabled or grounded boat is your financial problem, and this is where boaters get surprised.
A routine tow, where a commercial operator hooks up your boat and brings it to a marina, is a straightforward service with a pre-agreed hourly rate or flat fee. Salvage is different. Under maritime law, a person who recovers a vessel or its cargo from peril at sea is entitled to a reward calculated as a percentage of the property’s value, taking into account the labor involved, the salvor’s skill, the danger to the salvor’s own equipment, and the value of what was saved. A hard grounding or a recovery in hazardous conditions can qualify as salvage rather than a tow, and the resulting claim can run well into the thousands.
The moment that matters is when you accept a line. If you’re safe but disabled, agree on terms before anyone hooks up: a fixed price or hourly rate, in writing when possible. Commercial towing membership plans, which typically cost between $15 and $215 per year, can eliminate the uncertainty by covering towing costs up to a set distance or dollar amount.
The Cost of a False Call
Because the service is free, the penalty for abusing it is steep. Under 14 U.S.C. § 521(c), anyone who knowingly communicates a false distress message or causes the Coast Guard to attempt a rescue when none is needed commits a Class D felony, faces a civil penalty of up to $10,000, and is liable for every dollar the Coast Guard spent responding.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 14 U.S.C. 521 – Saving Life and Property A Class D felony carries a potential prison sentence of up to six years. When helicopters, cutters, and shore personnel all respond to a fabricated emergency, the reimbursement figure alone can reach tens of thousands.
How to Reach the Coast Guard
VHF-FM Channel 16 is the international distress and calling frequency and is monitored continuously by the Coast Guard and most vessels.3U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Center. Radio Information for Boaters A voice distress call on Channel 16 is still the most common way boaters get help. Repeating your information three times helps cut through static and gets the critical details through.
Two technologies speed things up. Digital Selective Calling, built into newer VHF radios, transmits a digital burst containing your vessel’s identity and GPS position before you touch the microphone. An Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) goes further, sending a satellite signal to a global monitoring network that routes the alert to the nearest rescue coordination center.4U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Center. Emergency Position Indicating Radiobeacon EPIRBs must be registered with NOAA, and that registration is what coordinators pull up the second the signal comes in.5NOAA. Beacon Registration Requirements An unregistered or outdated beacon forces rescuers to start from scratch.
Whatever method you use, responders need the same core information: your position (GPS coordinates or landmarks), how many people are aboard, the nature of the emergency, and a description of your vessel including length, hull color, and type. The more precise the data, the less time crews spend searching.
What Counts as a Rescue Situation
Not every call gets a helicopter. The Coast Guard classifies incoming reports on a scale of increasing urgency, from an overdue vessel that missed a check-in, to confirmed trouble without immediate threat to life, to a sinking or a person in the water. Resources committed and response speed rise with the phase.
Running out of fuel, a dead battery, or a minor engine problem with no danger to life is not treated as a rescue. Congress directed the Coast Guard in 1982 to create the Maritime SAR Assistance Policy specifically so government resources wouldn’t compete with commercial towing companies. Under that policy, if a commercial provider can reach you in reasonable time, the Coast Guard broadcasts your request and monitors the situation rather than dispatching its own assets.6United States Coast Guard. U.S. Coast Guard Addendum to the National Search and Rescue Supplement The agency steps in when no commercial help is available or when conditions deteriorate into a real emergency.
Medical Evacuations Are Selective
Helicopter medevacs are authorized but not automatic. A Coast Guard flight surgeon evaluates whether transport would produce meaningful “medical gain,” meaning a life saved, a limb saved, or a significant reduction in suffering. The assessment weighs what the patient has, what they need, how soon they need it, and whether a helicopter can meet that window. Some conditions that sound urgent produce minimal gain: CPR in progress without a pulse and no defibrillator available, or stable patients needing only supportive care such as congestive heart failure or an overdose. The Coast Guard acts as a carrier of last resort, so a commercial air ambulance able to reach the patient takes priority.7U.S. Coast Guard. Aeromedical Technical Bulletins
How a Search Unfolds
Once a distress report reaches a Joint Rescue Coordination Center, staff analyze weather, sea conditions, currents, and your last known position to build a search plan. They dispatch the assets best suited to the situation: a 47-foot motor lifeboat, a C-130 fixed-wing aircraft, a Jayhawk helicopter, or some combination.
Crews fly or drive specific patterns to systematically cover the calculated area. An expanding square spirals outward from the last known position. A sector search divides the area into wedges radiating from a central point. Coordinators adjust as drift models update with new wind and current data. In heavy seas or when speed matters, a helicopter crew may lower a rescue basket or sling. In calmer water, a vessel-to-vessel transfer moves passengers directly onto a rescue craft. Once survivors are handed off to emergency medical services ashore, the Coast Guard’s operational role in the case ends.
When a Search Is Suspended
Coordinators track two factors: the statistical odds of survival and how thoroughly the search area has been covered. Survival modeling software accounts for water temperature, air temperature, the person’s size and clothing, access to flotation, and time since disappearance to estimate how long someone can survive. When the model shows survival is no longer plausible and the area has been thoroughly covered, the mission coordinator suspends the search. Families are typically notified a day in advance. A suspended search is not officially closed. The case status becomes “Active Search Suspended, Pending Further Developments,” and new information can reactivate it.
What to Do Before You Leave the Dock
File a Float Plan
A float plan costs nothing and shortens searches dramatically. You fill out a form with your vessel information, the names and descriptions of everyone aboard, your route and timeline, and leave it with someone reliable on shore. If you don’t return or check in on time, that person contacts the Coast Guard and hands over everything responders need to narrow the search area immediately.8United States Coast Guard (DCO). US Coast Guard Float Plan
The Coast Guard’s standard template covers vessel identification (registration number, make, length, hull color), communication equipment (radio call sign, DSC MMSI number, cell phone), navigation and propulsion details, safety gear inventory, crew information including medical conditions and swimming ability, a leg-by-leg itinerary with check-in times, and emergency contacts.8United States Coast Guard (DCO). US Coast Guard Float Plan Ten minutes to fill out. Hours saved when it matters.
Carry the Required Safety Equipment
Federal regulations require recreational vessels to carry specific safety equipment, and the requirements scale with vessel length:
- One wearable Coast Guard-approved personal flotation device per person on board. Vessels 16 feet or longer must also carry a throwable device. Any child under 13 must wear a PFD while the vessel is underway unless they are below decks or in an enclosed cabin.9eCFR. 33 CFR Part 175 – Equipment Requirements
- Visual distress signals. Vessels 16 feet or longer must carry Coast Guard-approved signals usable both day and night. Vessels under 16 feet need night signals only when operating between sunset and sunrise.9eCFR. 33 CFR Part 175 – Equipment Requirements
- Fire extinguishers. Boats under 26 feet need at least one portable 5-B extinguisher unless the hull design prevents trapping flammable vapors. Two are required for boats 26 to under 40 feet, and three for boats 40 to 65 feet.9eCFR. 33 CFR Part 175 – Equipment Requirements
Boats with gasoline engines built after July 31, 1980, must also have an operable ventilation system. Missing equipment can result in a civil penalty, and more practically, it can be the difference between staying afloat long enough for help to arrive and not.
Your Duty to Help Other Boaters
Federal law works both ways. Under 46 U.S.C. § 2304, the master or person in charge of any vessel must render assistance to anyone found at sea in danger of being lost, as long as doing so won’t create serious danger to their own vessel or crew. Ignoring this duty is a federal offense punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, up to two years in prison, or both.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 46 U.S.C. 2304 – Duties Related to Vessel Casualties
If you do stop to help, federal law protects you. Under 46 U.S.C. § 2303(c), anyone who voluntarily and in good faith renders assistance at the scene of a marine casualty, without objection from the person being helped, is shielded from liability for damages that result. The standard is reasonable conduct, the way an ordinary, prudent person would act under the circumstances, not the performance of a trained rescue swimmer.11Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 46 U.S.C. 2303 – Duties Related to Marine Casualty Assistance and Information The Good Samaritan protection covers providing or arranging towing, medical treatment, and other help at the scene.
Reporting After an Incident
Surviving the emergency doesn’t end your legal obligations. On a commercial or inspected vessel, the owner or operator must file a Report of Marine Casualty (Form CG-2692) within five days, delivered to the nearest Coast Guard Sector or Marine Safety Unit.12U.S. Coast Guard. Report of Marine Casualty, Commercial Diving Casualty, or OCS-Related Casualty (CG-2692)
Recreational vessel incidents have their own thresholds and timelines. Federal law requires a boating accident report to the state reporting authority if any of the following occurred:
- Someone died: report within 24 hours. Someone disappeared under circumstances suggesting death or injury: report within 48 hours.
- Someone was injured and needed medical treatment beyond first aid: report within 48 hours.
- Property damage totaled $2,000 or more, or a vessel was destroyed: report within 10 days.13United States Coast Guard Boating Safety. Accident Reporting
Some states set lower damage thresholds or shorter deadlines than the federal minimums, so check your state’s rules as well. Failing to file a required report can result in a civil penalty of up to $1,000.