46 CFR 131.575: Yearly inspection and repair of survival equipment
Last reviewed: October 14, 2026
This section requires yearly inspection and repair of lifesaving craft and their launching appliances. It also requires replacement of survival equipment and batteries whose expiration dates have passed, and some batteries with no marked date. Meeting it does not remove the duty to keep equipment ready for immediate use under way.
What it says
Each lifeboat, rescue boat, rigid liferaft, buoyant apparatus, and life float must be stripped, cleaned, thoroughly inspected, and repaired as needed at least once a year.
46 CFR 131.575(a)“Each lifeboat, rescue boat, rigid liferaft, buoyant apparatus, and life float must be stripped, cleaned, and thoroughly inspected and repaired as needed at least once a year.”
The yearly procedure includes emptying and cleaning each fuel tank and refilling it with fresh fuel.
46 CFR 131.575(a)“This procedure includes emptying and cleaning each fuel tank and refilling it with fresh fuel.”
Each davit, winch, fall, and other launching-appliance must be thoroughly inspected at least once a year and repaired as needed.
46 CFR 131.575(b)“Each davit, winch, fall, and other launching-appliance must be thoroughly inspected at least once a year, and repaired as needed.”
Each item of survival equipment with an expiration date that has passed must be replaced during the annual inspection and repair.
46 CFR 131.575(c)“Each item of survival equipment with an expiration date must be replaced during the annual inspection and repair if this date has passed.”
Each battery used in survival equipment and clearly marked with an expiration date must be replaced during the annual inspection and repair if the date has passed.
46 CFR 131.575(d)“Each battery used in an item of survival equipment and clearly marked with an expiration date must be replaced during the annual inspection and repair if this date has passed.”
Except for a storage battery used in a lifeboat or rescue boat, each survival equipment battery not clearly marked with an expiration date must be replaced during the annual inspection and repair.
46 CFR 131.575(e)“Except a storage battery used in a lifeboat or in a rescue boat, each battery used in an item of survival equipment and not clearly marked with an expiration date must be replaced during the annual inspection and repair.”
Complying with this section does not relieve the master or person in charge of the duty under § 131.540(a) of this subpart to keep the equipment ready for immediate use when the vessel is under way.
46 CFR 131.575(f)“does not relieve the master or person in charge of the duty of compliance with requirements in § 131.540(a) of this subpart to keep the equipment ready for immediate use when the vessel is under way.”
Common questions
How often must lifeboats and liferafts be inspected and repaired?
They must be stripped, cleaned, thoroughly inspected, and repaired as needed at least once a year.
“Each lifeboat, rescue boat, rigid liferaft, buoyant apparatus, and life float must be stripped, cleaned, and thoroughly inspected and repaired as needed at least once a year.”
What must be done with fuel tanks during the yearly lifeboat inspection?
Each fuel tank must be emptied and cleaned, then refilled with fresh fuel.
“This procedure includes emptying and cleaning each fuel tank and refilling it with fresh fuel.”
Must survival equipment batteries without an expiration date be replaced yearly?
Yes, they must be replaced during the annual inspection and repair, except a storage battery used in a lifeboat or rescue boat.
“Except a storage battery used in a lifeboat or in a rescue boat, each battery used in an item of survival equipment and not clearly marked with an expiration date must be replaced during the annual inspection and repair.”
The text of 46 CFR 131.575
Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), current as of April 16, 2026 · Read it on eCFR
Yearly inspections and repair
(a) Each lifeboat, rescue boat, rigid liferaft, buoyant apparatus, and life float must be stripped, cleaned, and thoroughly inspected and repaired as needed at least once a year. This procedure includes emptying and cleaning each fuel tank and refilling it with fresh fuel.
(b) Each davit, winch, fall, and other launching-appliance must be thoroughly inspected at least once a year, and repaired as needed.
(c) Each item of survival equipment with an expiration date must be replaced during the annual inspection and repair if this date has passed.
(d) Each battery used in an item of survival equipment and clearly marked with an expiration date must be replaced during the annual inspection and repair if this date has passed.
(e) Except a storage battery used in a lifeboat or in a rescue boat, each battery used in an item of survival equipment and not clearly marked with an expiration date must be replaced during the annual inspection and repair.
(f) Compliance with the requirements of this section does not relieve the master or person in charge of the duty of compliance with requirements in § 131.540(a) of this subpart to keep the equipment ready for immediate use when the vessel is under way.
Sections it refers to
The plain-English explanation on this page was written with AI from the regulation text above and checked automatically before publishing: every quote appears in the text, every number comes from it, and a second model confirmed each statement adds nothing the text doesn't say. Regulation text current as of April 16, 2026. The regulation text governs. RegKnot is not affiliated with the U.S. Coast Guard.