[PSUBS-MAILIST] PSUBS launches SUBNOTE

[Jon Wallace via Personal_Submersibles]

Alec,

According to AI, any navigable water is subject to USCG jurisdiction.  Navigable means "It must function (or be capable of functioning) as part of a commercial transportation system between states or with foreign nations."

So that would include all coastal waters, the Intra-Coastal waterway on the east coast, and large lakes that span multiple states such as the Great Lakes, Lake Mead, Lake Tahoe, etc.  Small local lakes situated entirely within a single state is typically not "navigable" or under Coast Guard control.

Jon



On Saturday, February 21, 2026 at 09:17:23 AM EST, Alec Smyth via Personal_Submersibles <personal_submersibles at psubs.org> wrote: 

Jon, that's super useful, thanks. I have a very basic question. D'you know the criteria for when bodies of water in the US are subject to CG jurisdiction?