False distress calls and hoax MAYDAYs

Radio · Power & sail

Knowingly sending a false distress message to the Coast Guard is a federal felony that also brings a civil penalty and the bill for the whole search (14 U.S.C. 521(c)). The Communications Act separately bans false or fraudulent distress signals (47 U.S.C. 325(a)).

The law

• Anyone who knowingly and willfully sends the Coast Guard a false distress message, or makes it attempt a rescue when no help is needed, commits a class D felony (14 U.S.C. 521(c)).
• That person is also subject to a civil penalty and must repay all costs the Coast Guard incurs because of it (14 U.S.C. 521(c)).
• The Communications Act forbids anyone in U.S. jurisdiction to knowingly transmit a false or fraudulent distress signal (47 U.S.C. 325(a)).
• Deliberately jamming Coast Guard maritime safety signals, including GPS, is a separate felony (14 U.S.C. 521(e)).

The penalties in numbers

• Class D felony: up to 6 years in prison and an individual fine of up to $250,000 (18 U.S.C. 3581(b)(4); 18 U.S.C. 3571(b)(3)).
• Civil penalty: the statute sets a maximum that the Coast Guard raises for inflation every year — 33 CFR 27.3 has the current figure (14 U.S.C. 521(c)).

Accidental alerts

• Never send a DSC distress alert as a test, and learn your radio's cancel procedure before you use it; the FCC warns that uncancelled false alerts can bring severe penalties (FCC).
• If you receive another vessel's DSC distress alert, do not relay it by DSC. Listen on channel 16 and, if no one answers it, acknowledge by voice and tell the Coast Guard (FCC).

The rules: 14 U.S.C. 521 · 47 U.S.C. 325 · 18 U.S.C. 3581 · 18 U.S.C. 3571 · 33 CFR 27.3

A plain-language summary of federal rules for recreational boats, checked against the rules’ own text and a second source, and written in our own words. It isn’t legal advice. States add rules of their own, and rules change — the links above go to the current official text.