H747 - 2026 Wildlife Resources Changes. (SL 2026-43)

• Reduces the number of days that vessels registered out-of-State can be present in the waters of this State before having to register their vessel in North Carolina from 90 days to 60 days.  
• Clarifies that every vessel operated in the waters of this State is required to comply with the federal Inland Navigation Rules, not just numbered or documented vessels.
• Provides that all personal watercrafts equipped by the manufacturer with an engine cut-off switch must keep the switch in use while the vessel is in operation.

This section becomes effective October 1, 2026. Prosecutions for offenses committed before October 1, 2026, are not abated or affected by this act, and the statutes that would be applicable but for this act remain applicable to those prosecutions.