Legal frame
Governing: D.M. 146/2008 arts 91-bis, 91-ter and 91-quater (added by D.M. 133/2024); D.Lgs. 171/2005 art. 53 cc.6, 9 and 10. Builds on: nothing — start here.
The national default
Since D.M. 133/2024 amended the implementing regulation (regolamento di attuazione, D.M. 146/2008), Italy has a single baseline for motor navigation near the coast. It applies unless the competent maritime authority's ordinance says otherwise for local reasons.
| Rule | Where | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Art. 91-bis c.1 | Within 500 m of the coast, breakwaters, the outer limit of harbour mouths, landings and mooring points | 8 kn under power |
| Art. 91-bis c.2 | Inside ports, and in roadsteads and bays where units lie at anchor | 3 kn, "massima prudenza" |
| Art. 91-bis c.3 | Within 500 m of the coast, in transit, stopped or at anchor | No nuisance noise (rumori molesti) |
Note the wording of c.2. The 3 kn rule is triggered by boats at anchor, not by a charted anchorage symbol. If three yachts are lying in a bay you had planned to cross at 12 kn, the bay has become a 3 kn area.
Who can change it, and how often they do
Art. 91-ter tells the Capitaneria what to weigh when it sets distance limits by ordinance: bathers' and divers' safety, and safe anchoring, especially where the coast offers few shelters or depths exceed 10 m. Local layers then sit on top of the default:
| Layer | Example read at source |
|---|---|
| Capitaneria ordinance | La Maddalena ord. 33/2026: 7 kn within 500 m, 10 kn from 500 to 1,000 m, displacement mode |
| Marine protected area | Portofino: 5 kn, displacement mode; Punta Campanella and Tavolara: 5 kn within 300 m |
| Beach-safety ordinance | Launch corridors at no more than 3 kn (see L3.2) |
The strictest applicable figure wins. Treat 8 kn as the ceiling where nobody local has spoken, not as a target.
How your speed is measured
Speed is checked with approved devices. Art. 91-quater c.2 requires a 15 % reduction of the reading, with a minimum reduction of 2 kn, covering instrument tolerance. Worked (computed):
| Reading | 15 % | Reduction applied | Speed credited |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 kn | 1.5 kn | 2 kn (minimum) | 8.0 kn — not over an 8 kn limit |
| 12 kn | 1.8 kn | 2 kn | 10.0 kn |
| 20 kn | 3.0 kn | 3 kn | 17.0 kn |
Do not plan on the tolerance. It exists to protect against instrument error, not to extend the limit.
What it costs
Art. 53 c.6 of the Codice fines speeding in port waters, near buoy fields, beaches, launch corridors and boats at anchor EUR 414-2,066. Art. 53 c.9 adds suspension of the patente nautica for one to three months, and c.10 revokes it for a repeat within two years. The reduced payment is the lower of one-third of the maximum or twice the minimum: EUR 688.67. Because suspension follows, the extra 30 % off for paying within five days (art. 57-ter c.4) is not available.
CAUTION — The clock is short 500 m at 8 kn takes about 121 seconds; at 20 kn, about 49 seconds. A yacht that "slows down near the beach" at the last minute has usually already crossed the band at planing speed.
Noise
The noise rule applies to every pleasure unit within 500 m of the coast, and "at anchor" is written into it. Deck music, tender engines revving alongside and a generator on a quiet night are all in scope. Protected areas add numeric limits (Tavolara: 45 dB by day, 35 dB at night; L2.3).