Holding a Marine Event? As stated in 33 CFR (Code of Federal Regulations) Part 100 (33 CFR 100), an individual or organization planning to hold a regatta or marine parade which, by its nature, circumstances, or location, introduces any extra or unusual hazard to the safety of life on the navigable waters of the United States, must have the event approved by the cognizant Coast Guard authority. Sponsors of these events must submit an Application for Approval of Marine Events in accordance with 33 CFR 100.
Click here to complete and submit a "Marine Event Permit Request Form!"
For a list of waterways within the 13th Coast Guard District that are considered navigable for the purposes of exercising Coast Guard authority and jurisdiction contact the Waterways Management Branch.
When submitting your completed Marine Event Form, there are two Waterway Management (WWM) offices to email your form to.
A. Send your completed form to Sector Columbia River SCRWWM@uscg.mil for marine events taking place on the Oregon Coast and all connecting waters, including the Columbia River up to the I-90 bridge at Vantage, all of the Snake River, Willamette River, Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor.
B. Send your completed form to Sector Puget Sound SectorPugetSoundWWM@uscg.mil for marine events taking place on the Washington Coast and all connecting waters north of the Grays Harbor, including all of the Strait of Juan De Fuca, San Juan Islands, all waters from the Canadian border south through Puget Sound to Olympia, the Columbia River from the I-90 bridge at Vantage to the Candian border, Lake Coeur d'Alene, Lake Pend Oreille, Priest Lake and all of Montana.
Timeline for Submission: Applications need to be submitted no later than 135 days prior to the start of the proposed event. If your event meets the following provisions, you may submit your permit no later than 60 days prior to the start of the event:
1. The sponsor submitted an application for the same event in the year immediately preceding.
2. The relevant information contained in the previous application is essentially the same.
3. The Coast Guard received no objection to the previous application.
4 The Coast Guard did not promulgate special local regulations for the previous event.
5 The Coast Guard approved the previous event.
Late Applications: For applications received late, if a review of the application shows that a permit is required, and if the permit application cannot be processed in time for the event, the sponsor will be notified that the permit cannot be issued. We review each permit application; therefore, it is critical to include the following information for each event: sponsor name, date and time of event, type of event, location, sponsor's point of contact, on the water and/or on site, and the number of participating and spectator craft. Once your marine event has been approved you will receive a Marine Event Permit Approval Letter from either Sector Puget Sound or Sector Columbia River, which states your permit number and the responsibilities and obligations you have as an event sponsor. Should there be any doubt or questions regarding those responsibilities please notify us so we can clarify them prior to your event taking place.