Guide · Palermo

Distance from shore and speed limits when boating in Palermo

The rules for anyone boating between Bagheria and Carini, and at Ustica: the 2026 ordinance of the Palermo Harbor Office (Capitaneria di porto, the local office of the Italian Coast Guard, Guardia Costiera), the other ordinances for the area and the national rules that apply all year round.

By Salpe · checked against the official sources on October 16, 2026

In brief

During the bathing season (stagione balneare), within 300 meters of the beach and 100 meters of cliffs, from 8 a.m. to sunset (and in any case whenever people are swimming) only boats with oars or paddles, pedal boats and SUPs may enter: no engines and no sailing, except small sailing dinghies (derive) such as the Optimist. This is the swimming zone (zona di mare riservata ai bagnanti), marked by red buoys.
Between 300 and 1,000 meters from the coast (between 100 and 500 from cliffs), no more than 8 knots, without planing: the ordinance sets this for the bathing season, but it is wise to follow it all year round.
In season, under power you may leave from and land on the beach only through the launch corridors (corridoi di lancio), at no more than 3 knots.
All year round: at least 100 meters from divers’ markers, 8 knots within 500 meters of the coast, 3 knots in harbors.

Which ordinances apply

For the bathing season, and for some rules all year round, the Palermo Harbor Office’s beach safety ordinance no. 46 of May 29, 2026 (ordinanza di sicurezza balneare) applies. It covers the coast from Bagheria (Capo Mongerbino) to Carini (right bank of the Ciachea stream) and the island of Ustica, and remains in force for future seasons too, unless amended (art. 20). Ordinance no. 26/2011, with the general rules for pleasure boats, also remains in force, and ordinance 46/2026 refers to it.

Outside this stretch, the ordinances of the district maritime offices (uffici circondariali marittimi) of Porticello, Termini Imerese and Terrasini apply. In the Terrasini district (from Carini to Balestrate), for example, the 2025 ordinance sets a limit of 10 knots between 300 and 1,000 meters from the coast, and requires personal watercraft (moto d’acqua, jet skis) to stay at least 500 meters from the coast.

When the bathing season runs

Ordinance 46/2026 does not give the dates: it refers to national law (decree-law 73/2025, art. 6), under which the season runs from the third week of May to the third week of September; Regions and local authorities may move the start and the end by one week. Its preamble also cites the Region’s decree.

For bathing water quality purposes, the Sicilian Region set the 2026 season from May 1 to October 31 (Regional Health Department decree no. 388 of March 23, 2026).

The 2011 ordinance, still in force, bans motorboats from passing through or stopping in the stretch of sea used by swimmers, within 300 meters of the beach and 100 meters of cliffs, from May 1 to September 30, at all hours (ordinance 26/2011, art. 8).

The dates do not match. If in doubt, follow the bathing-season rules from May 1 to October 31, and within 300 meters of the beach do not go under power at any hour, except in the launch corridors and to enter or leave harbors. For the exact dates, ask the Harbor Office.

The swimming zone

In season, the swimming zone extends to 300 meters from the shoreline and 100 meters from rocky shores and cliffs. Its limit is marked by red buoys, one every 50 meters, which you may not moor to (art. 3). Where there are no buoys, the limit still applies; where the seabed makes it impossible to place them at 300 meters, the buoys may be closer to shore, but under the ordinance the zone still extends to 300 meters.

Inside it, from 8 a.m. to sunset and in any case whenever people are swimming (arts. 3, 10 and 11):

no boat with an engine may enter, not even an electric one, nor any boat under sail (except small sailing dinghies such as the Optimist), and no kitesurfing or windsurfing;
only boats with oars or paddles and no engine may go there: jole (light rowing boats), canoes, pattini (rowing catamarans), sandolini (small kayaks), mosconi (twin-hulled rowing boats), pedal boats, SUPs, Optimists;
mooring and anchoring are not allowed, unless authorized.

Anyone stopped near the limit must make sure that wind and current do not carry them inside (art. 3, paragraph 6).

Launch corridors

Throughout the season, motorboats, sailboats with an auxiliary engine, personal watercraft and anyone towing inflatables may leave from and land on the beach only through the launch corridors (art. 10):

they are 20 meters wide (or as narrow as 10) and run from the beach to the outer limit of the swimming zone;
they are marked by orange buoys, with small white flags at the seaward entrance;
under power, go through them at no more than 3 knots (about 5.5 km/h); under sail, with the utmost caution;
no mooring or anchoring inside them.

Where there is no corridor, you may reach the shore only by rowing with the engine off, only if there are few people on the beach, and only to let people on or off or in an emergency (art. 11, paragraph 3).

Speed limits

Speed limits in Palermo
Where	Maximum	Source
Between 300 and 1,000 m from the coast, and between 100 and 500 m from cliffs (written for the bathing season: if in doubt, all year round)	8 knots, without planing	Ordinance 46/2026, art. 3
In launch corridors	3 knots	Ordinance 46/2026, art. 10
Entering and leaving the harbors of Mondello, Sferracavallo and Isola delle Femmine	3 knots	Ordinances for the three harbors
Small harbors of Arenella, Acquasanta and Sant’Erasmo	1 knot, daytime only	Ordinance 4/2026
Within 500 m of the coast, breakwaters, harbor entrances and mooring points (all year round)	8 knots	Boating Regulations, art. 91-bis
In harbors, and in roadsteads and bays with boats at anchor (all year round)	3 knots	Boating Regulations, art. 91-bis
Capo Gallo – Isola delle Femmine Marine Protected Area	Zone A off-limits; Zone B under power only boats up to 10 m, 5 knots; Zone C 10 knots, but 8 within 500 m of the coast	See the guide

8 knots is about 15 km/h. “Without planing” means with the hull in displacement mode, that is, sitting in the water rather than on top of it.

Port of Palermo, ships and small harbors

No stopping within 1 nautical mile of the entrance to the port of Palermo, and no navigating or stopping on the routes ships use to enter and leave. In front of the other harbors in the area, stopping is banned within 500 meters (ordinance 46/2026, art. 5).
Swimming, spearfishing and other nautical activities are banned inside harbors and landing places, within 100 meters of their entrances and outer structures (200 meters for the port of Palermo) and in the launch corridors (art. 4).
In the roadstead and port of Palermo, keep at least 300 meters from ships maneuvering or at anchor. Pleasure boats under 45 meters may cross the “precautionary area” (area di precauzione), without stopping, but may not enter the ships’ traffic lanes (ordinance 28/2026).
After the January 2026 storm, in the small harbors of Arenella, Acquasanta and Sant’Erasmo you may enter and leave only in daylight, at no more than 1 knot, with someone on lookout, and not if murky water prevents you from seeing the bottom (ordinance no. 4 of January 22, 2026, still on the list of ordinances in mid-October).
There are also temporary bans for ongoing works: for example near the Arenella pier (until November 20, 2026) and at Acquasanta (until the end of 2026), where you may not navigate or stop within 50 meters of the work vessels, and at the mouth of the Passo di Rigano canal, where navigation is banned within 200 meters until December 31, 2026. Before heading out, check the Harbor Office’s list of ordinances (in Italian).

Divers and swimmers

Always keep at least 100 meters from divers’ markers, and slow down. The marker is a red flag with a white diagonal stripe (the “diver down” flag), on a float or on the support boat; at night, a flashing yellow light. The diver stays within 50 meters of the marker (Law 70/2026, art. 10; Boating Regulations, art. 91; ordinance 46/2026, art. 3).

It is not a new rule: the 100-meter rule has been in place since 2008. Anyone with a boating license who passes closer risks a license suspension of 1 to 3 months; if it happens again within two years, revocation (Recreational Boating Code, art. 53, paragraphs 9 and 10).

Swimmers beyond the swimming zone must also signal their presence with the same float (ordinance 46/2026, art. 3, paragraph 5).

Personal watercraft (jet skis)

A boating license is always required, regardless of engine power.
Daytime only, with wind up to force 3 (10 knots) and sea state up to 2 (waves up to half a meter).
No more than 1 nautical mile from the coast, or 1,000 meters from the support boat.
The rider and anyone on board must always wear a life jacket; no children under 14 on board; no towing of water skis, parasails or banana boats.
In launch corridors, no more than 3 knots and no planing. A self-returning throttle and a kill cord (engine cut-off lanyard) that stops the engine if the rider falls off are required; rental jet skis must also be fitted with a remote shut-off.
To rent one and ride it yourself you must be at least 18 (ordinance 70/2026).
Always banned in the Capo Gallo – Isola delle Femmine Marine Protected Area, including in the harbors of Isola delle Femmine, Sferracavallo and Fossa del Gallo (ordinance 59/2026).
The 2011 general ordinance, still in force, requires them to stay at least 300 meters from any coast and bans them in Mondello Bay, Carini Bay and along almost the entire coast of Ustica (ordinance 26/2011, arts. 16 and 17).

The in-season rules for personal watercraft are in articles 12 (paragraph 2) and 13 of ordinance 46/2026.

Ustica

Ustica has its own marine reserve, with its own zones and rules: in Zone A, on the west coast and marked by buoys, you may not navigate or stop (decree of November 12, 1986). Before you go, read the reserve’s rules. At Ustica, anchoring is also banned within 100 meters of some archaeological sites and of a wreck (ordinances 62/2024 and 65/2020).

Music and noise

Along the coast, and in particular within 500 meters, using sound amplification systems on board is banned (ordinance 75/2025, which applies all year round). Within 500 meters of the coast, disturbing noise is also banned (Boating Regulations, art. 91-bis).

Off-season

All year round, these apply:

the national rules: 8 knots within 500 meters of the coast, 3 knots in harbors and in roadsteads with boats at anchor, 100 meters from divers;
the bans in front of harbors, the 300-meter distance from ships in the Palermo roadstead, the ban on entering the ships’ traffic lanes and on stopping in the precautionary area;
the 3-knot limit in the harbors of Mondello, Sferracavallo and Isola delle Femmine, and 1 knot in the small harbors of Arenella, Acquasanta and Sant’Erasmo;
for personal watercraft, the 300-meter distance from any coast and the bans in the 2011 ordinance;
the ban on sound amplification, and the rules of the marine protected area and of the Ustica reserve.

Fines

In general, for anyone who breaks an ordinance or a safety rule while using a pleasure boat: from €276 to €1,377, half that if it is a natante, that is, a rowboat or a boat with a hull up to 10 meters long, but not a jet ski (Recreational Boating Code, art. 53, paragraph 4).
Speeding in harbors, near beaches, beach clubs and mooring fields, in launch corridors or near boats at anchor: from €414 to €2,066, and the license suspended for 1 to 3 months (art. 53, paragraphs 6 and 9).
In the Capo Gallo – Isola delle Femmine Marine Protected Area, the 2026 management rules (disciplinare) punish almost every violation with a fine of €26 to €1,032 (€51 if paid within 60 days), and state that this fine is in addition to the penalties of the protected areas law (Law 394/1991, art. 30): for breaking the most serious bans, such as going under power where it is not allowed, the law provides for detention of up to 6 months or a criminal fine of about €103 to €12,911.

Sources

Checked on October 16, 2026.

This guide summarizes the rules in force on October 16, 2026. It does not replace the official texts or the ordinances of the Harbor Office (Capitaneria di porto) for the area where you are boating. If in doubt, ask the Harbor Office; for emergencies at sea call 1530 (or 112).