The card: rules, age, cost
Boater education card: fee, validity and replacement
The card goes by many names: certificate, permit, ID card, vessel license. Pick your state to see its name, what the state charges for it and how long it lasts.
What the state charges for the card
State fee, Texas
none published
| Replacement | none published |
| Valid for | not confirmed |
| Free BoatUS course | accepted |
TPWD says course fees start at $10 and vary by provider and format.
A boater education card is the proof that you completed a boating safety course approved by your state. It is not a driver license for the water: in most states it is issued once and does not expire, and it is not tied to a boat. Among the 46 verified states that require boater education, the official page says the credential is valid for life in 13, and gives a limited validity in 1 (Utah); for the others the page does not say. The name changes from state to state: Vessel operator license (class V), Boating education certificate, California Boater Card, Boating safety course certificate and Safe Boating Certificate (SBC) / Certificate of Personal Watercraft Operation (CPWO) and more, which is why searching for a "boating license" can lead to different words for the same thing. The fee is set by each state and paid to the state, separately from the course price. Most states recognize a card from another state when the course was NASBLA-approved. The tool gives the fee, replacement price and validity in your state; the second one gives the official name and the agency that issues it.
What is the credential called in your state?
New Jersey credential
New Jersey Boating Safety Certificate
| Issued by | New Jersey State Police, Marine Services Bureau |
| Valid for | not confirmed |
| Required for | All operators |
State rules read and practice questions written by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How each state is checked
The card in each state
| State | Credential | Issued by | Valid | State fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Vessel operator license (class V) | Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (Marine Patrol Division) | not confirmed | $41.25 |
| Arkansas | Boating education certificate | Arkansas Game and Fish Commission | not confirmed | not confirmed |
| California | California Boater Card | California State Parks, Division of Boating and Waterways | for life | $10 |
| Colorado | Boating safety course certificate | Colorado Parks and Wildlife | not confirmed | not confirmed |
| Connecticut | Safe Boating Certificate (SBC) / Certificate of Personal Watercraft Operation (CPWO) | Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) | for life | $50 |
| Delaware | Delaware Boating Safety Certificate | Delaware DNREC, Division of Fish and Wildlife | not confirmed | not confirmed |
| District of Columbia | Boating Safety Certificate | Metropolitan Police Department, Harbor Patrol Unit | not confirmed | not confirmed |
| Florida | Boating Safety Education Identification Card | Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) | for life | not confirmed |
| Georgia | Boater education card | Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Law Enforcement Division | not confirmed | not confirmed |
| Hawaii | Boating safety course certificate (+ thrill craft operator certification for PWC) | Hawaii DLNR, Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation (DOBOR) | not confirmed | not confirmed |
| Illinois | Illinois Boating Safety Certificate | Illinois Department of Natural Resources | not confirmed | not confirmed |
| Indiana | Boater education certificate | Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Law Enforcement Division | not confirmed | not confirmed |
| Iowa | Iowa boater education certificate | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not confirmed | $5 |
| Kansas | Boater safety education certificate | Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks | not confirmed | not confirmed |
| Kentucky | Kentucky Safe Boating Certificate | Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources | not confirmed | not confirmed |
| Louisiana | Boater education certificate | Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) | not confirmed | $0 |
| Maine | Boating Safety Education Card | Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife | for life | not confirmed |
| Maryland | Certificate of boating safety education | Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Natural Resources Police | for life | not confirmed |
| Massachusetts | Boater safety certificate | Massachusetts Environmental Police, Boat and Recreation Vehicle Safety Bureau | for life | $0 |
| Michigan | Boating safety certificate (boater education card) | Michigan Department of Natural Resources | not confirmed | not confirmed |
| Minnesota | Watercraft operator's permit | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not confirmed | not confirmed |
| Mississippi | Boater education card | Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks | not confirmed | not confirmed |
| Missouri | Boating safety identification card | Missouri State Highway Patrol, Water Patrol Division | for life | not confirmed |
| Montana | Montana Motorboat Operator's Safety Certificate | Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks | not confirmed | $0 |
| Nebraska | Boater Education Card (boating safety certificate) | Nebraska Game and Parks Commission | not confirmed | not confirmed |
| Nevada | Boater education card | Nevada Department of Wildlife | not confirmed | not confirmed |
| New Hampshire | Safe Boater Education Certificate | New Hampshire State Police, Marine Patrol | for life | not confirmed |
| New Jersey | New Jersey Boating Safety Certificate | New Jersey State Police, Marine Services Bureau | not confirmed | not confirmed |
| New Mexico | New Mexico boater education card | New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department, State Parks Division | for life | not confirmed |
| New York | Safe Boating Certificate | New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation | for life | not confirmed |
| North Carolina | Boating safety certification card | North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission | not confirmed | not confirmed |
| North Dakota | Boat North Dakota boater education card | North Dakota Game and Fish Department | not confirmed | $0 |
| Ohio | Ohio Boater Education Card / certificate | Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Watercraft | not confirmed | not confirmed |
| Oklahoma | Boating safety education card | Oklahoma Department of Public Safety, Oklahoma Highway Patrol Marine Enforcement Section | not confirmed | $0 |
| Oregon | Oregon Boater Education Card | Oregon State Marine Board | not confirmed | $20 |
| Pennsylvania | Boating Safety Education Certificate | Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission | for life | $10 |
| Rhode Island | Certificate of boating safety education | Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Division of Law Enforcement | not confirmed | not confirmed |
| South Carolina | South Carolina boating safety certificate | South Carolina Department of Natural Resources | not confirmed | not confirmed |
| Tennessee | Boating Safety Certification of Completion (wallet card) | Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency | not confirmed | not confirmed |
| Texas | Boater Education Certificate | Texas Parks and Wildlife Department | not confirmed | not confirmed |
| Utah | Boating safety certificate (PWC youth course); from 2027 also proof of the annual watercraft operator safety course | Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation | Annual course (2027+): proof expires at the end of the calendar years | not confirmed |
| Vermont | Certificate of boating safety education | Vermont State Police, Department of Public Safety | for life | not confirmed |
| Virginia | Boating safety education card (Virginia Lifetime Boater's Card available) | Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources | not confirmed | not confirmed |
| Washington | Washington State Boater Education Card | Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission | for life | $10 |
| West Virginia | Boater education card (certificate of boating safety education) | West Virginia Division of Natural Resources | not confirmed | not confirmed |
| Wisconsin | Boating safety certificate | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | not confirmed | not confirmed |
What the card proves, and what it does not
It proves you passed an approved course, so you know the federal Navigation Rules, the required equipment and your state's law. It does not license the boat, which is registered and numbered separately under 33 CFR part 173, and it does not allow you to carry paying passengers, which takes a Coast Guard credential. In some states the same credential also sets what a young holder may operate.
Names that mean the same thing
Certificate, card, permit, ID card: what matters is that the state issues or recognizes it after an approved course. Alabama is the main exception to the pattern, with a class on the driver license rather than a separate card. The mini-tool shows the name in a state and the agency to contact.
What is the credential called in your state?
Minnesota credential
Watercraft operator's permit
| Issued by | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources |
| Valid for | not confirmed |
| Required for | Born on or after July 1, 2000 |
Visiting another state with your card
States generally recognize a card from another state when the course was NASBLA-approved, sometimes only for visitors or for a set number of days. A person who moves to a new state can usually keep using a card from such a course, but some states want residents to obtain their own credential. Each state page gives what its agency says about nonresidents.
Getting one
The four steps go from the check to the card, and the cost page adds the course price to the state fee. A free approved course exists in most states; see the free course page.