United States Coast Guard launches the 2026 National Recreational Boating Safety Survey

The survey is the only source of recreational boating data across all 50 states and provides information on safety and security on the water.

DATE: July 9, 2026

DENVER - Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is asking Colorado boaters to take the United States Coast Guard (USCG) 2026 National Recreational Boating Safety Survey (NRBSS) to provide detailed information about boating in Colorado.

The survey supports national safety and law enforcement programs by improving boating safety. The 2026 NRBSS is particularly important, as it is the first time the survey has been conducted since 2020, when boating as an outdoor activity saw a nationwide rise. 

“The NRBSS has an extensive history of giving important insight into how people are boating in waterways across the country,” said Captain Brent Schmadeke, Office Chief, Coast Guard Office of Boating Safety, United States Coast Guard. “The findings are critical in guiding the Coast Guard’s security efforts to keep boating safe and enjoyable for everyone.”

The survey is being conducted under a cooperative agreement by NORC at the University of Chicago, a nonpartisan research organization that has conducted impactful research and analysis for more than 80 years. Over the next year, NORC will interview more than 50,000 households across all 50 states and the District of Columbia to gather information from individuals who own or rent boats. 

Selected households will be invited throughout the year to participate in the study via invitation letters, postcards, emails and text messages. All responses are confidential and used solely for research purposes.

Survey feedback will help the Coast Guard enhance safety on waterways by setting standards for boat construction, improving accident investigations and saving lives through better programs nationwide. 

Colorado boaters can also sign up to be selected to receive a survey throughout the year. To sign up, visit https://norcfed.gov1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0ezfBlrTYxLdG4e.

“Boating in Colorado is a popular outdoor pastime,” said CPW Boating Safety Program Manager Grant Brown. “Your participation in the survey can help provide valuable boating information for our state, so we can better serve our outdoor community and keep waterways safe.”

Colorado offers unrivaled boating opportunities in some of the most scenic bodies of water, with over 6,000 miles of streams and over 1,300 lakes and reservoir​s. Colorado’s recreational boater community currently consists of approximately 73,000 people. 

Through the Coast Guard Office of Auxiliary and Boating Safety, the Recreational Boating Safety Program remains a cornerstone to ensuring a safe and enjoyable experience for all recreational boaters. The National Recreational Boating Safety Program estimates 95,000 lives have been saved since the Program’s inception. The most recent year of information recorded the fewest deaths in the Program’s history.

For more information about the NRBSS, visit https://uscgboating.org. To learn more about boating in Colorado, read the CPW 2026 Boating Handbook (Folleto de Regulacíon de Caza Mayor (En Español).