The card: rules, age, cost
Do you need a license to drive a boat?
Pick the state, your year of birth and the engine power. If your birthday falls in the year of the cut-off, the full check gives the answer for your exact date.
Do I need a card? Quick answer
Texas · motorboat
Yes, you need it
| Who needs it today | Born on or after September 1, 1993 |
| Power threshold | more than 15 hp |
| Free BoatUS course | accepted |
For a recreational boat, the answer depends on your state, your age and the engine, not on the boat's size alone. No federal license exists for recreational operators; the Coast Guard credential is for people who carry paying passengers. Among the 50 jurisdictions we verified, 46 require a boater education card from at least some operators and 4 have no general requirement. Where it is required, the card is usually needed by people born on or after a cut-off date (28 states) or by every operator of a covered boat; in 25 states only motors above a set power count, while 21 apply the rule to any motorboat. Personal watercraft are covered almost everywhere. If you need no card, you still must follow the Navigation Rules, carry a life jacket for each person and register a motorboat. The quick tool answers from a year of birth and an engine power; the check on the home page uses your exact birth date and the day you go out.
Compare two states
New York / New Jersey
All operators / All operators
| State fee | none published / none published |
| Minimum age, motorboat | – / 13 |
| Free BoatUS course | accepted / not accepted |
State rules read and practice questions written by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How each state is checked
The three questions, in order
- Does your state require boater education at all? 46 of the verified jurisdictions do; the table of every state gives the rule.
- Is your boat covered? Most rules cover motorboats above a set power and every personal watercraft. The thresholds in our data are 6 hp, 8.5 hp, 10 hp, 15 hp and 25 hp. Paddle craft are almost never covered.
- Are you in the group covered? Usually people born on or after a date, sometimes everyone, sometimes only young operators. Some states are still widening the group year by year.
Only when all three answers are yes do you need the card. The comparison below shows how much two neighbors can differ.
Compare two states
New York / New Jersey
All operators / All operators
| State fee | none published / none published |
| Minimum age, motorboat | – / 13 |
| Free BoatUS course | accepted / not accepted |
Common exemptions
States list exemptions in their statute, and they recur: an adult card holder on board and in charge; a rental from a livery that gives a safety briefing or a short exam; a valid Coast Guard captain's license; a visitor with a card from another state, sometimes only for a set period. They are not the same in every state, and some apply only to adults. Each state page lists those its agency publishes.
What applies to everyone, card or not
- The Navigation Rules: keep a lookout, keep a safe speed, give way as the rules say.
- Equipment: one approved wearable life jacket for each person, plus a throwable on boats of 16 feet or more, under 33 CFR part 175.
- A child under 13 wears a life jacket while the boat is underway, under the federal rule, unless the state sets its own age.
- Operating under the influence is illegal everywhere, and states set the limits and penalties.
If the answer is "depends on your birthday"
When your year of birth is the year of your state's cut-off, the quick tool cannot decide. Enter your exact date in the full check, which also takes the day of your outing into account for states that change their rule on a set date.