USCG Anchorage Regulations

Legal Authority

• 33 U.S.C. § 471 — Coast Guard authority to designate anchorage grounds in U.S. navigable waters
• 33 U.S.C. §§ 1221–1232 (Ports and Waterways Safety Act, 1972) — Broad authority over vessel traffic, navigation safety, and port security; authorizes Coast Guard to establish vessel traffic services and regulate anchorages
• 33 U.S.C. § 1223 — Federal preemption of state vessel traffic regulation where federal rules have been issued
• 33 CFR Part 110 — USCG implementing regulations; over 200 designated anchorage areas organized by geographic district; sets rules for anchorage use, special anchorage areas, and Captain of the Port authority to issue temporary orders

Key Mechanics

Under 33 CFR Part 110, the Coast Guard designates specific anchorage areas in U.S. navigable waters where vessels may drop anchor while waiting for berths, pilots, tides, weather, or cargo clearance. Part 110 is organized geographically by USCG district, with each subpart identifying named anchorages by GPS coordinates, allowable vessel types, time limits, and any applicable cargo restrictions. Three operational categories: (1) General anchorages — open to all vessel types meeting size and draft limits; (2) Special anchorage areas — designated for small craft only; vessels anchored in special anchorages are exempt from the anchor light requirements of the Inland Rules; (3) Cargo-specific anchorages — areas designated for vessels carrying hazardous materials, explosives, or LNG, typically buffered from commercial and residential areas. Captains of the Port (COTPs) have authority under the Ports and Waterways Safety Act (33 U.S.C. § 1221) to issue temporary modifications to anchorage assignments on short notice — accommodating emergencies, special events, or port security incidents. Anchoring outside designated areas is prohibited; violations may result in civil penalties and orders to move. Part 110 interacts with state pilotage laws (requiring licensed pilots in many ports) and Army Corps of Engineers navigational chart requirements.

Every U.S. port handles thousands of vessel arrivals each year, and most arrivals involve some period of waiting — for a pilot, for a berth, for tide, for weather, for cargo paperwork to clear, for cleaning, for crew change. Waiting safely in a busy harbor requires designated anchorages: legally defined areas where vessels can drop anchor without colliding with each other, with navigation channels, with submarine cables, or with restricted military and commercial areas. The Coast Guard runs that system through 33 CFR Part 110 — Anchorage Regulations, which designates over 200 specific anchorages in U.S. waters, sets rules for their use, and gives Captains of the Port (COTPs) flexibility to modify them on short notice.

Current Rule (2026)

What Part 110 Does

Part 110 is organized geographically. After a short general-provisions subpart (Subpart A) and a special-anchorage-areas subpart (Subpart B), the bulk of the regulation is a sequence of district-by-district anchorage descriptions:

• Subpart B — Special anchorage areas (small craft only, exempt from anchor-light requirements)
• § 110.5–110.225 — Atlantic Coast anchorages from Maine to Florida, with each section covering one harbor (Portland, Boston, Buzzards Bay, Narragansett Bay, Long Island Sound, New York Harbor, Delaware Bay, Chesapeake Bay, Charleston, Savannah, Brunswick, Jacksonville, etc.)
• § 110.230+ — Gulf Coast anchorages (Tampa Bay, Mobile Bay, Pensacola, Pascagoula, New Orleans/Mississippi River, Galveston Bay, Corpus Christi, Sabine Pass, etc.)
• § 110.270+ — Pacific Coast anchorages (San Diego, Los Angeles/Long Beach, San Francisco Bay, Humboldt Bay, Coos Bay, Columbia River, Puget Sound, etc.)
• § 110.290+ — Great Lakes anchorages (Cleveland, Toledo, Buffalo, Detroit, Chicago, Duluth-Superior, etc.)
• § 110.330+ — Alaska, Hawaii, and U.S. territories (Caribbean, Pacific)

Each anchorage section follows the same template:

• Geographic description: latitude/longitude coordinates of the boundaries, often by reference to local landmarks (Coast Guard buoy numbers, points of land, range lights)
• Authorized vessel types: general anchorage vs. tug/barge anchorage vs. small-craft anchorage vs. specific cargo (explosives, LNG)
• Maximum vessel size or draft, where applicable
• Time limits: many anchorages cap vessel stays (often 96 hours) with COTP approval needed for longer stays
• Special restrictions: weather conditions, simultaneous-use limits, mooring versus drift anchorage

Special Anchorage Areas — Subpart B

The most heavily used category. Special anchorage areas are designated for vessels not more than 65 feet in length (i.e., recreational craft and small commercial vessels). They have two key features:

1. Exemption from anchor-light requirements — vessels under 65 feet anchored in a special anchorage area do NOT need to display anchor lights under Inland Navigation Rule 30(e). This is the main reason boaters care about special-anchorage designations: it makes overnight anchoring practical at small craft harbors.
2. No need to keep an anchor watch under standard rules of the road — though prudent seamanship and local conditions may still require a watch.

The full list of special anchorages — typically dozens per Coast Guard district — sits in 33 CFR 110.1 through approximately 110.4, with the actual designations in Part 110 Subpart B's sequence of locality sections.

Captain of the Port Authority

The COTP for each Coast Guard sector (there are 37 sectors covering U.S. coastal and inland waters) has significant authority to manage anchorage use beyond the static Part 110 text:

• Discretionary permission to anchor outside designated areas or beyond standard time limits
• Authority to close anchorages temporarily for safety, security, or operational reasons (often issued as a Marine Safety Information Bulletin or by VHF broadcast)
• Authority to require specific anchoring procedures: which anchor, scope, watch requirements, communications protocols
• Authority to direct vessels to depart an anchorage for safety reasons or to accommodate higher-priority traffic
• Authority to designate temporary anchorages during emergencies, port emergencies, or special operations

The COTP also issues local General Permits that modify Part 110 in specific anchorages — typically published as Notices to Mariners and incorporated by reference in updated Part 110 regulations.

Cargo-Specific Anchorages

A subset of Part 110 anchorages is restricted to vessels carrying specific dangerous cargoes:

• Explosives anchorages: vessels carrying Class 1 explosives may only anchor in designated areas, typically away from population centers and other anchored vessels
• LNG and LPG anchorages: liquefied gas carriers are restricted to specific deep-water anchorages with enhanced standoff distances
• Bulk hazardous cargo anchorages: vessels carrying certain chemicals or other dangerous bulk cargoes may be restricted to particular anchorages with response equipment pre-positioned

These cargo-specific designations sit alongside the general anchorage description for each port and reference 33 CFR Part 126 (Handling of Dangerous Cargo) and 33 CFR Part 154 (Facilities Transferring Oil or Hazardous Material).

Anchorage versus Federal Channel

Part 110 designates anchorages by reference to federal navigation channels maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers — anchorages are sited adjacent to channels but outside them, so that anchored vessels don't block transiting traffic. The Coast Guard's role in setting anchorages is closely coordinated with:

• Army Corps of Engineers — operates and maintains channels, sets channel depth and width
• NOAA — produces nautical charts that depict anchorages in Part 110
• Port authorities — coordinate with COTPs on practical anchorage management
• Pilots' associations — provide operational input on anchorage practicality

How It Affects You

If you operate a recreational vessel: special anchorage areas at popular harbors (Newport, Annapolis, Marblehead, Cape May, Sausalito, Catalina) are designated in Part 110 and allow you to anchor overnight without anchor lights — convenient for small-boat cruising. Outside special anchorage areas, you need to display a Rule 30 white anchor light, keep proper anchor watch, and yield to commercial traffic. Check the actual Federal Register section for the harbor you're using — special anchorage area boundaries don't always match local custom, and a vessel anchored outside the designated boundary may be cited.

If you operate a commercial vessel (towing vessel, fishing boat, oceangoing cargo): you'll know Part 110 because every port-call planning document references it. Pilot associations, agent firms, and ship's officers maintain operational summaries of each anchorage. The 96-hour time limit common to general anchorages is a real constraint — overstaying without COTP approval can result in citation or order to depart. For ships waiting for berth space at congested ports, agent firms file for time-limit extensions routinely.

If you live near a busy harbor: anchored ships are a frequent source of complaints (lights, noise, air pollution from generators, the rare grounding or anchor drag during weather events). Part 110 sets the legal framework but doesn't fully solve the coexistence problem — local ordinances often layer in additional restrictions on commercial anchorage use within state waters (within 3 nautical miles of shore).

If you're concerned about port air pollution: the EPA and California Air Resources Board have layered emission-control rules on ships in port, including those at anchor. The 2014 California "at-berth" regulation requires container, refrigerated cargo, and cruise ships to use shore power or equivalent emissions controls while at California ports — at anchor remains a regulatory gray area. EPA's Emission Control Area (ECA) rules apply within 200 nautical miles of U.S. and Canadian coasts.

State Variations

• Anchorage regulation is largely federally preempted by the Ports and Waterways Safety Act (33 U.S.C. § 1223), but states retain authority over state waters (generally within 3 nautical miles of shore) and over recreational vessel registration.
• States can impose anchorage-related restrictions on water quality grounds — California, Florida, and Washington have rules prohibiting discharge from anchored vessels in certain areas (No-Discharge Zones designated under the Clean Water Act).
• Some states have aggressively regulated long-term anchorage and "anchor-out" liveaboards through local ordinances — Florida's anchorage laws have been a particular focus of legislation and litigation over the past decade.
• Pilotage requirements (mandatory state-licensed pilots in many U.S. ports) are state-regulated and interact with anchorage use because anchoring outside the pilot boarding area without a pilot may violate state pilotage law.

Statutory Authority

This regime implements:

• 33 U.S.C. § 471 — Coast Guard authority to designate anchorage grounds
• 33 U.S.C. § 1221 (Ports and Waterways Safety Act) — broad authority over vessel traffic, navigation safety, and port security
• 33 U.S.C. § 1223 — federal preemption of state regulation of vessel traffic where federal regulation has been issued
• 33 U.S.C. § 1226 — security-related orders and rules (Coast Guard maritime security authorities)

Recent Rulemakings

Part 110 evolves continuously rather than through major rulemaking cycles. Recent significant changes include:

• New York/New Jersey anchorage modifications (2018–2022) — multiple rounds of changes to accommodate expanded container traffic, LNG-fueled vessels, and the growth of cruise ship anchoring
• Hawaii anchorage updates (2020–2021) — designations and modifications addressing inter-island fuel barge operations
• Pacific Northwest expansion (2019) — added anchorages in support of crude-oil-by-rail receiving terminals

The continuous-update structure is by design: anchorage management is fundamentally a local-conditions problem, and Part 110 amendments are issued more frequently than nearly any other Coast Guard regulation.

Pending Action

Related Pages

• Coast Guard — USCG organizational overview and the COTP authority
• Vessel Inspection Safety — companion framework regulating vessels rather than where they anchor
• Maritime Port Security — security framework that often imposes additional restrictions on anchorage use
• Army Corps Waterways — federal channel maintenance and the navigation framework anchorages support