Do you need a boating license? Check your state
Pick the state, your date of birth, the boat and its engine power: the answer comes with its reason, the minimum age to operate alone, the state fee and the cheapest legal route.
Florida · Motorboat
Yes, you need the card
You were born on or after the cut-off date.
| Your age that day | 30 yrs |
| Minimum age to operate alone | not confirmed |
| Credential | Boating Safety Education Identification Card |
| State fee | none published |
| Free BoatUS course | accepted |
| Cheapest legal route | Free coursestate fee not published |
Anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1988 needs an approved course and an FWC Boating Safety Education ID Card to run a motorboat of 10 hp or more.
Official page: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) · Archived copy (web.archive.org) of February 8, 2026, June 6, 2026
There is no federal boating license for recreational boats in the United States: each state decides who must carry a boater education card, and in most states it is a course certificate that lasts for life, not a license you renew. Of the 51 jurisdictions (50 states and DC), we confirmed the rule of 49 states and DC on an official page or a dated archived copy of it; of those, 46 require the card from some operators and 4 have no general requirement. Three facts decide the answer: your date of birth (in Florida the card is needed by anyone born on or after January 1, 1988), the engine power (10 hp or more in Florida) and the day of the outing, because several states widen their rule in stages; California has required it at every age since 2025 and Minnesota moves its cut-off each July 1 until 2028. In 32 of those states the free online BoatUS Foundation course is accepted, so the cheapest legal route costs only the state fee, where there is one, or the payment the Foundation states on its page for the state (collected at enrollment in Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington; the card must be bought in New York and Oregon). The tool applies your state's rule to the day you go out and cites the official page and the date we read it.
Last updated , each rule read on the state's official page or a dated archived copy of it · Radif Partners · How each state is checked · About this site
This site answers one question from your date of birth and your boat: does your state's law require a boater education card on the day you go out on the water? Then it tells you how to get one at the lowest cost.
Every state's rule in one table
"Who needs it" is the rule in force today, October 24, 2026. A state marked "not verified yet" has not been confirmed on an official page so far: we do not fill in its rule from another source.
| State | Who needs it | Power | State fee | Free course |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | All operators | any motor | $41.25 | not available |
| Alaska | No general requirement | – | – | – |
| Arizona | State not verified yet | – | – | – |
| Arkansas | Born on or after January 1, 1986 | any motor | – | not available |
| California | All operators | any motor | $10 | accepted |
| Colorado | Up to age 17 | any motor | – | accepted |
| Connecticut | All operators | any motor | $50 | not accepted |
| Delaware | Born on or after January 1, 1978 | any motor | – | accepted |
| District of Columbia | All operators | any motor | – | accepted |
| Florida | Born on or after January 1, 1988 | 10 hp or more | – | accepted |
| Georgia | Born on or after January 1, 1998 | any motor | – | accepted |
| Hawaii | All operators | more than 10 hp (sailboats with an auxiliary engine over 10 hp included) | – | accepted |
| Idaho | No general requirement | – | – | – |
| Illinois | Born on or after January 1, 1998 | more than 10 hp | – | not accepted |
| Indiana | All operators | more than 10 hp | – | accepted |
| Iowa | Up to age 17 | more than 10 hp | $5 | accepted |
| Kansas | Born on or after January 1, 1989 | any motor | – | accepted |
| Kentucky | Up to age 17 | more than 10 hp | – | accepted |
| Louisiana | Born on or after January 2, 1984 | more than 10 hp | $0 | accepted |
| Maine | Born on or after January 1, 1999 | more than 25 hp | – | accepted |
| Maryland | Born on or after July 1, 1972 | any motor | – | accepted |
| Massachusetts | Born on or after January 2, 1989 | any motor | $0 | not accepted |
| Michigan | Born on or after July 1, 1996 | motor more than 6 hp (PWC: anyone born after Dec. 31, 1978) | – | not accepted |
| Minnesota | Born on or after July 1, 2000 | motor factory-rated over 25 hp (any PWC) | – | not accepted |
| Mississippi | Born on or after July 1, 1980 | any motor | – | accepted |
| Missouri | Born on or after January 2, 1984 | any motor | – | not accepted |
| Montana | Up to age 14 | motor rated at more than 10 hp (motorboat or PWC) | $0 | accepted |
| Nebraska | Born on or after January 1, 1986 | any motor | – | not accepted |
| Nevada | Born on or after January 1, 1983 | motor of more than 15 hp, PWC included; only on interstate waters (e.g. Lake Tahoe, Lake Mead, Lake Mohave, Colorado River) | – | accepted |
| New Hampshire | By age band | motorboat over 25 hp | – | not accepted |
| New Jersey | All operators | any motor | – | not accepted |
| New Mexico | Born on or after January 1, 1989 | any motor | – | accepted |
| New York | All operators | any motor | – | accepted |
| North Carolina | Born on or after January 1, 1988 | motor of 10 hp or greater (PWC included) | – | accepted |
| North Dakota | Up to age 15 | motor over 10 hp (statute); Game and Fish page says at least 10 hp | $0 | accepted |
| Ohio | Born on or after January 1, 1982 | boat powered by more than 10 hp (PWC included) | – | accepted |
| Oklahoma | Up to age 15 | motor of more than 10 hp; also any PWC and sailboats 16 ft or longer | $0 | accepted |
| Oregon | All operators | more than 10 hp | $20 | accepted |
| Pennsylvania | Born on or after January 1, 1982 | motor greater than 25 hp (PWC: every operator, any age) | $10 | accepted |
| Rhode Island | Born on or after January 1, 1986 | propulsion machinery of more than 10 hp; any PWC operator regardless of age | – | not accepted |
| South Carolina | Born on or after July 2, 2007 | engine of 10 hp or greater, any PWC or specialty propcraft | – | accepted |
| South Dakota | No general requirement | – | – | – |
| Tennessee | Born on or after January 2, 1989 | more than 8.5 hp | – | accepted |
| Texas | Born on or after September 1, 1993 | more than 15 hp | – | accepted |
| Utah | Up to age 17 | any motor | – | accepted |
| Vermont | Born on or after January 2, 1974 | any motor | – | not accepted |
| Virginia | All operators | 10 hp or more | – | accepted |
| Washington | Born on or after January 1, 1955 | motor of 15 hp or greater (PWC included) | $10 | accepted |
| West Virginia | Born on or after December 31, 1986 | any motor | – | accepted |
| Wisconsin | Born on or after January 1, 1989 | any motor | – | not accepted |
| Wyoming | No general requirement | – | – | – |
What decides the answer
- Your date of birth. Most states require the card from people born on or after a set date, so older operators are left out without going back to class. The date ranges from the 1950s to the 1990s depending on the state.
- The boat and its engine. Personal watercraft are almost always covered. For motorboats, many states only count engines above a set power: 10 hp or more in Florida, motor factory-rated over 25 hp (any PWC) in Minnesota. Sailboats without a motor are covered only in a few states, from a set length.
- The day of the outing. Massachusetts, Minnesota and Utah widen their rule in stages over the next years, so the answer for next summer may not be today's. Put the date of your trip in the tool.
- Exemptions. Being accompanied by an adult card holder, renting with the livery's checklist, holding a Coast Guard captain's license or visiting with another state's card exempt you in many states. Each state page lists them.
The cheapest route
In 32 states with a requirement, the BoatUS Foundation, which describes itself as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, offers a free approved online course. 7 states also charge their own fee for the card, and in some the Foundation collects a payment at enrollment or asks you to buy the card: the free course page says which. Where the free course is not accepted, as in Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts and Michigan, you take a state-approved course, often a paid one. The free course page gives the detail state by state.
Practice before the exam
The course exam covers the federal Navigation Rules, lights, sound signals, buoys, required equipment and your state's law. The practice test holds 47 questions we wrote from 33 CFR and 46 U.S.C., plus 143 questions generated from the states' verified rules, each with its explanation.
Answers by topic
The card: rules, age, cost
- Requirements in all 50 statesOne table: who needs the card, the power threshold, the minimum ages and the credential in each state.
- Do you need a license to drive a boat?The 30-second answer from your year of birth and engine power, and what still applies without a card.
- How to get a boating licenseCheck, course, exam, card: the four steps and what each costs in your state.
- Boater education cardWhat the card is called in each state, what it costs, how long it lasts and how to replace it.
- How much is a boating license?Course price plus the state fee: the cheapest legal total in each state, and what a replacement costs.
- Boating license ageThe youngest age to drive a boat or a jet ski alone in each state, and what changes with a card or an adult on board.
- Jet ski (PWC) licenseWho needs a card to drive a jet ski, the minimum age in each state and what rental counters ask.
Course and practice test
- Boater safety courseWhich course formats each state accepts, where the free one counts and where an exam must be proctored.
- Free boating courseWhere the free online course is approved for the state card, and what the state still charges.
- Boating license onlineWhich states let you take the course and exam fully online, and which want a proctored or classroom exam.
- Practice testFree 20-question boating test from the federal rules and your state, every answer explained.
Most searched states
Florida · Texas · California · New York · Michigan · Ohio · Georgia · New Jersey
What boaters ask about this
Is there a national boating license in the United States?
Not for recreational boating. The Coast Guard issues captain's licenses to people who carry paying passengers, but education for recreational boaters is set by each state. What people call a "boating license" is usually a course card or certificate, and most states accept another state's card when the course is NASBLA-approved.
Does a boater education card expire?
In most states it does not: the boater education certificate is valid for life. Alabama is a notable exception, because its credential is a class on the driver license. The table on this page and each state page give the validity when the agency publishes it.
Do I need a card for a kayak or a paddleboard?
In almost every state, no: the rule covers motorboats, often from a set horsepower, and personal watercraft; a few states add sailboats from a set length. Boats without a motor still fall under the equipment rules, such as carrying one life jacket per person.
Is my card valid in another state?
Almost always. States recognize certificates from NASBLA-approved courses issued in another state, and several exempt visitors for a period. Carry the card and a photo ID. Some states, such as New York, recognize only a card from your current state of residence. Each state page sums up what its agency says about nonresidents.
Will the rules change in the next few years?
Yes, in several states. Massachusetts requires the card from people born after January 1, 1989 since April 2026 and from everyone from April 2028; Minnesota moves its cut-off each July 1 until 2028; Utah will ask every motorboat operator for a course from 2027. The tool accepts a future outing date to show the rule on that day.
How much does it cost in total?
Where the free course is accepted, the state fee or the payment the Foundation states for that state (for example $11 at enrollment in Texas, according to BoatUS); the state fee which runs from zero to $50 in Connecticut, the highest in our data. Where it is not, add the price of an approved course, set by each provider. The tool shows the cheapest route in your state.
Written by Radif Partners
Independent publisher of state-by-state boater education rules, costs and free practice tests for the United States
State rules checked on · Editorial policy · Contact
Boating education rules of 2026, read on each state agency page, last checked on