46 CFR 25.26-20: EPIRBs on other manned uninspected commercial vessels

Last reviewed: November 2, 2026

This section sets EPIRB carriage rules for owners of manned uninspected commercial vessels not covered by §§ 25.26-5 or 25.26-10. The required EPIRB type depends on the vessel's length and on whether it has a builder's certification of sufficient inherently buoyant material.

Applies toOwners of manned uninspected commercial vessels, other than those covered by § 25.26-5 or § 25.26-10, that operate on the high seas or beyond three miles from the coastline of the Great Lakes.

What it says

  1. The owner of a manned uninspected commercial vessel 11 meters (36 feet) or more in length must ensure the vessel does not operate on the high seas or beyond three miles from the Great Lakes coastline without a float-free, automatically activated Category 1 406 MHz EPIRB, unless the vessel falls under § 25.26-5, § 25.26-10 or paragraph (b).

    46 CFR 25.26-20(a)“shall ensure that the vessel does not operate on the high seas or beyond three miles from the coastline of the Great Lakes, unless it has on board a float-free, automatically activated Category 1 406 MHz EPIRB”

  2. The Category 1 EPIRB required under paragraph (a) must be stowed so that it will float free if the vessel sinks.

    46 CFR 25.26-20(a)“stowed in a manner so that it will float free if the vessel sinks”

  3. Paragraph (b) covers the owner of a manned uninspected commercial vessel less than 11 meters (36 feet) in length, or 11 meters or more in length with a builder's certification of sufficient inherently buoyant material to keep the flooded vessel afloat.

    46 CFR 25.26-20(b)“or 11 meters or more in length which has a builder's certification that the vessel is constructed with sufficient inherently buoyant material to keep the flooded vessel afloat”

  4. These owners must ensure the vessel does not operate on the high seas or beyond three miles from the Great Lakes coastline unless an EPIRB is installed in a readily accessible location at or near the principal steering station.

    46 CFR 25.26-20(b)“unless it has installed in a readily accessible location at or near the principal steering station”

  5. The EPIRB under paragraph (b) may be a manually activated Category 2 406 MHz EPIRB.

    46 CFR 25.26-20(b)(1)“A manually activated Category 2 406 MHz EPIRB; or”

  6. The EPIRB under paragraph (b) may instead be a float-free, automatically activated Category 1 406 MHz EPIRB.

    46 CFR 25.26-20(b)(2)“A float-free, automatically activated Category 1 406 MHz EPIRB.”

Common questions

What EPIRB does a manned uninspected commercial vessel of 11 meters or more need?

Unless paragraph (b) or §§ 25.26-5 or 25.26-10 applies, it needs a float-free, automatically activated Category 1 406 MHz EPIRB on board to operate on the high seas or beyond three miles from the Great Lakes coastline.

“unless it has on board a float-free, automatically activated Category 1 406 MHz EPIRB stowed in a manner so that it will float free if the vessel sinks”

Can a vessel under 11 meters use a Category 2 EPIRB?

Yes. A manned uninspected commercial vessel less than 11 meters (36 feet) may install a manually activated Category 2 406 MHz EPIRB near the principal steering station.

“A manually activated Category 2 406 MHz EPIRB; or”

Where must the EPIRB be installed under paragraph (b)?

It must be installed in a readily accessible location at or near the principal steering station.

“unless it has installed in a readily accessible location at or near the principal steering station”

The text of 46 CFR 25.26-20

Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), current as of April 16, 2026 · Read it on eCFR

Other manned uninspected commercial vessels

(a) The owner of a manned uninspected commercial vessel 11 meters (36 feet) or more in length, other than a vessel under § 25.26-5 or § 25.26-10 or under paragraph (b) of this section, shall ensure that the vessel does not operate on the high seas or beyond three miles from the coastline of the Great Lakes, unless it has on board a float-free, automatically activated Category 1 406 MHz EPIRB stowed in a manner so that it will float free if the vessel sinks.

(b) The owner of a manned uninspected commercial vessel less than 11 meters (36 feet) in length, or 11 meters or more in length which has a builder's certification that the vessel is constructed with sufficient inherently buoyant material to keep the flooded vessel afloat, shall ensure that the vessel does not operate on the high seas or beyond three miles from the coastline of the Great Lakes, unless it has installed in a readily accessible location at or near the principal steering station—

(1) A manually activated Category 2 406 MHz EPIRB; or

(2) A float-free, automatically activated Category 1 406 MHz EPIRB.

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.