Course and practice test
Boater safety course: what your state accepts
Every state card starts with an approved course. Pick your state to see whether it can be done fully online, whether the free course counts and what comes after.
Can I do it all online?
Online from start to finish, Texas
not confirmed
| Online course accepted | Yes |
| In-person or proctored exam | not confirmed |
| Free BoatUS course | accepted |
A boater safety course is the education the state card certifies: a course approved by the state and, in almost every case, recognized by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA), which sets the national content standard. It covers the same core everywhere: boat types and terms, the federal Navigation Rules, lights and sound signals, buoys, required equipment, fueling and ventilation, emergencies, and the law of the state. Formats vary: online at your own pace, a classroom session given by the state or by volunteer groups, or an equivalency exam. Of the 46 verified states with a requirement, 32 accept the free online course of the BoatUS Foundation, and 12 do not, so there a state-approved course is needed. Alabama, Connecticut and New Jersey also require the final exam to be taken in person or under a proctor. The tool above gives the answer for your state, and the second one shows the cheapest legal route.
The free route in your state
Cheapest legal cost, New Jersey
paid state-approved course
| Free BoatUS course | not accepted |
| State fee | none published |
| Required for | All operators |
State rules read and practice questions written by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How each state is checked
What the course teaches
NASBLA's national standard is the common base of every approved course, which is why a card from one state is honored in another. Expect chapters on:
- The boat: hull types, parts and terms (bow, stern, port, starboard), capacity plates, engines and fueling, with the ventilation rule for gasoline inboards in 33 CFR part 183.
- Equipment: life jackets for each person, throwable devices, distress signals, fire extinguishers and sound devices, set by 33 CFR part 175.
- Rules of the road: the Navigation Rules: lookout, safe speed, crossing, meeting, overtaking, sound signals and lights.
- Buoys and markers: the lateral system, "red, right, returning", regulatory markers.
- Emergencies: falling overboard, capsizing, cold water, carbon monoxide, accident reporting.
- State law: who needs the card, ages, personal watercraft, water skiing, local speed and wake rules.
Formats, state by state
"Online" is whether a course taken online is accepted for the state card; "Proctored exam" is whether the final exam must be taken in person or under supervision. A state not verified yet is left out of the table.
| State | Online course | Proctored exam | Free BoatUS course |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | yes | yes | not available |
| Arkansas | yes | not confirmed | not available |
| California | yes | not confirmed | accepted |
| Colorado | yes | not confirmed | accepted |
| Connecticut | no | yes | not accepted |
| Delaware | yes | not confirmed | accepted |
| District of Columbia | not confirmed | not confirmed | accepted |
| Florida | yes | not confirmed | accepted |
| Georgia | yes | not confirmed | accepted |
| Hawaii | yes | not confirmed | accepted |
| Illinois | yes | not confirmed | not accepted |
| Indiana | yes | not confirmed | accepted |
| Iowa | yes | not confirmed | accepted |
| Kansas | not confirmed | not confirmed | accepted |
| Kentucky | not confirmed | not confirmed | accepted |
| Louisiana | yes | not confirmed | accepted |
| Maine | yes | not confirmed | accepted |
| Maryland | not confirmed | not confirmed | accepted |
| Massachusetts | yes | no | not accepted |
| Michigan | yes | no | not accepted |
| Minnesota | yes | not confirmed | not accepted |
| Mississippi | yes | no | accepted |
| Missouri | not confirmed | not confirmed | not accepted |
| Montana | yes | no | accepted |
| Nebraska | not confirmed | not confirmed | not accepted |
| Nevada | yes | no | accepted |
| New Hampshire | yes | no | not accepted |
| New Jersey | yes | yes | not accepted |
| New Mexico | yes | no | accepted |
| New York | yes | no | accepted |
| North Carolina | yes | no | accepted |
| North Dakota | yes | no | accepted |
| Ohio | yes | no | accepted |
| Oklahoma | yes | no | accepted |
| Oregon | yes | not confirmed | accepted |
| Pennsylvania | yes | no | accepted |
| Rhode Island | not confirmed | not confirmed | not accepted |
| South Carolina | yes | no | accepted |
| Tennessee | yes | not confirmed | accepted |
| Texas | yes | not confirmed | accepted |
| Utah | not confirmed | not confirmed | accepted |
| Vermont | yes | no | not accepted |
| Virginia | yes | not confirmed | accepted |
| Washington | not confirmed | no | accepted |
| West Virginia | yes | no | accepted |
| Wisconsin | yes | no | not accepted |
Connecticut does not accept a purely online course for the state credential. In Alabama, Connecticut and New Jersey, the exam is taken under supervision. Elsewhere, an online course with an online exam is enough.
Where the free course counts
The BoatUS Foundation offers its course at no cost and lists, state by state, where it is approved. It is accepted in 32 of the states above and refused in 12. When it is accepted, the course itself is free, and what remains is the state's own fee, if any, 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 free route in your state
Cheapest legal cost, Ohio
free course; fee not published
| Free BoatUS course | accepted |
| State fee | none published |
| Required for | Born on or after January 1, 1982 |
After the course
Passing the exam is not always the end: some states issue the card themselves after the course provider reports the result, some ask you to apply and pay a fee, and a few let the course certificate serve as the card. The step-by-step page gives the sequence for each state, and the practice test lets you check that you are ready before the exam.