Brianna's Law: New boating season, new requirements for Long Island mariners
Gina Lieneck holds a photo of her 11-year-old daughter, Brianna, who was killed in a boating accident on the Great South Bay in 2005. Credit: Kristy Leibowitz
With the weather beginning to warm, boating season is finally on the horizon for Long Islanders.
But mariners of all stripes will face a new set of rules before heading out on their fishing charter, sailboat or pleasure boat this year.
For the first time, all operators of motorized boats and personal watercraft will be mandated to complete a state-approved boating safety course under Brianna's Law.
The law is named in memory of 11-year-old Brianna Lieneck, of St. James, who was killed in 2005 when a large vessel crashed into her family’s boat while they were returning from Fire Island.
Here's what to know about the law and what boaters need to do to comply with it
The law, which passed in 2019, requires operators of motorized boats to complete a boating safety class, which typically runs eight hours, before heading out on the waters.
Starting in 2020, the program has been phased in by age, initially focused on motorboat operators born on or after Jan. 1, 1993.
Those born after Jan. 1, 1988, were required to complete a safety course beginning in 2022; those born on or after Jan. 1, 1983, had to complete course starting in 2023, and those born on or after Jan. 1, 1978, needed to take the course beginning in 2024.
Now in 2025, the requirement extends to all motorboat operators, regardless of age.
"I think it's great," Gina Lieneck, Brianna's mother, who advocated for years for the law, said in an interview. "We are at the five-year phase now and everybody has to be educated. I think it's going to make a big difference on the waterways."
Failure to comply could result in a fine of between $100 and $250. Boaters only need to take the course one time.
In 2023, there were 431,474 vessels registered in the state, the overwhelming majority for recreational purposes, according to a report by the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.
In 2023, New York had 18 reported fatalities on the waterways, an increase from 10 fatalities in 2022, state data shows. From 2010 to 2023, recreational boating deaths averaged 23 annually, the report found.
Among the leading cause of accidents on the water are operator inattention or inexperience, machinery failure, weather, excessive speed or alcohol use, the report shows.
The law has required nearly 1 million boaters to take the course over the five years of phasing in the requirement by age, the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation told Newsday in January. Updated numbers were not immediately available.
Richard Werner, education director at Safe Boating America, a training company based on Bethpage, said the 2025 season has started busy, with classes about twice as full as this time last year. The main difference, he said, are older boaters who are now taking a safety class for the first time.
"A lot of folks that are older in years have waited until the last minute, and now, before they operate their boat this year, they have to complete the course," Werner said in an interview. "So there's kind of a mad rush to get it done. We've seen a majority of the classes are those that are getting up there in age, whereas in the past, it's been a more of a mixture young and old."
Courses typically cost $30 to $80 and can be done in a single day, though some experts recommend breaking it up over several sessions and doing it in-person instead of online.
Information on classes and other aspects of Brianna’s Law is available on the state parks website at parks.ny.gov/boating/safety-courses.aspx.
The law does not apply to operators of sailboats, kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, rowboats or canoes, not does it apply to people renting personalized watercrafts such as Jet Skis.
With the weather beginning to warm, boating season is finally on the horizon for Long Islanders.
But mariners of all stripes will face a new set of rules before heading out on their fishing charter, sailboat or pleasure boat this year.
For the first time, all operators of motorized boats and personal watercraft will be mandated to complete a state-approved boating safety course under Brianna's Law.
The law is named in memory of 11-year-old Brianna Lieneck, of St. James, who was killed in 2005 when a large vessel crashed into her family’s boat while they were returning from Fire Island.
Here's what to know about the law and what boaters need to do to comply with it
What is Brianna's Law?
The law, which passed in 2019, requires operators of motorized boats to complete a boating safety class, which typically runs eight hours, before heading out on the waters.
Starting in 2020, the program has been phased in by age, initially focused on motorboat operators born on or after Jan. 1, 1993.
Those born after Jan. 1, 1988, were required to complete a safety course beginning in 2022; those born on or after Jan. 1, 1983, had to complete course starting in 2023, and those born on or after Jan. 1, 1978, needed to take the course beginning in 2024.
Now in 2025, the requirement extends to all motorboat operators, regardless of age.
"I think it's great," Gina Lieneck, Brianna's mother, who advocated for years for the law, said in an interview. "We are at the five-year phase now and everybody has to be educated. I think it's going to make a big difference on the waterways."
What happens if boaters fail to comply with the law?
Failure to comply could result in a fine of between $100 and $250. Boaters only need to take the course one time.
How many boats are registered in New York and how many people die in accidents on the water each year?
In 2023, there were 431,474 vessels registered in the state, the overwhelming majority for recreational purposes, according to a report by the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.
In 2023, New York had 18 reported fatalities on the waterways, an increase from 10 fatalities in 2022, state data shows. From 2010 to 2023, recreational boating deaths averaged 23 annually, the report found.
Among the leading cause of accidents on the water are operator inattention or inexperience, machinery failure, weather, excessive speed or alcohol use, the report shows.
How are boaters responding to the law?
The law has required nearly 1 million boaters to take the course over the five years of phasing in the requirement by age, the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation told Newsday in January. Updated numbers were not immediately available.
Richard Werner, education director at Safe Boating America, a training company based on Bethpage, said the 2025 season has started busy, with classes about twice as full as this time last year. The main difference, he said, are older boaters who are now taking a safety class for the first time.
"A lot of folks that are older in years have waited until the last minute, and now, before they operate their boat this year, they have to complete the course," Werner said in an interview. "So there's kind of a mad rush to get it done. We've seen a majority of the classes are those that are getting up there in age, whereas in the past, it's been a more of a mixture young and old."
How much does the course cost?
Courses typically cost $30 to $80 and can be done in a single day, though some experts recommend breaking it up over several sessions and doing it in-person instead of online.
Information on classes and other aspects of Brianna’s Law is available on the state parks website at parks.ny.gov/boating/safety-courses.aspx.
Who, if anyone, is exempt from the law?
The law does not apply to operators of sailboats, kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, rowboats or canoes, not does it apply to people renting personalized watercrafts such as Jet Skis.
Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.
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