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Do I need a boater card?
It depends on your state, the year you were born and how your boat is powered. Florida and Texas look at your birth year and your engine or, in Texas, a wind-blown vessel over 14 feet. California asks most people who run a motorized vessel, with a few exceptions. Find your state below. For any state we do not list, ask its boating agency.
By State Cert GuideChecked against the sources listed below.Published · Updated
The steps, in order
Find your state's rule
The rule differs by state
Check your birth year
Some states ask only newer boaters
Check your boat
Some states look at the engine or the sail
Take a course if it names you
Look for a free one first
Carry your proof on the boat
Five steps in order: find your state's rule, check the year you were born, check your boat, take a course if the rule names you, then carry your proof on the boat.
What the rule says
Who needs a boater card in Florida?
A person born on or after January 1, 1988 who runs a boat with a motor of 10 horsepower or more. Florida's law says that person may not run the boat without the boating safety papers aboard. If you were born earlier, or your motor is smaller, this rule doesn't apply to you.
Florida Legislature · Florida Statutes 327.395 · checked Nov 12, 2026 (opens agency website)
What do I carry on the boat in Florida?
Photo identification and your boating safety card, aboard the vessel while you run it. The law also lists a few other papers that can stand in for the card.
Florida Legislature · Florida Statutes 327.395 · checked Nov 12, 2026 (opens agency website)
How long does a Florida card last?
For life. The law says a card earned by finishing a boating safety course is valid for life.
Florida Legislature · Florida Statutes 327.395 · checked Nov 12, 2026 (opens agency website)
Is there a Florida exception for private water?
Yes. A person who runs a boat only on a private lake or pond is exempt. The law lists other exceptions too, so read the full list before you decide you are exempt.
Florida Legislature · Florida Statutes 327.395 · checked Nov 12, 2026 (opens agency website)
Who needs a boater card in California?
Most people who run a motorized vessel, whatever their age, with a few exceptions. California does not use a birth year for this.
California Boater Card · About the card · checked Nov 12, 2026 (opens agency website)
Does it count in California if the engine is not the main way my boat moves?
Yes. The law covers a vessel propelled by an engine even when the engine is not the main way the boat moves.
Is there a free California course?
Yes. The state's own California Course for Safe Boating and its exam are free. Look at the free courses first, before you pay a private course.
Is the state's own free course online?
Yes, the course itself. DBW says its home study course can be read online or downloaded to a home computer. The exam is a separate step, and it comes by mail.
How do I take the exam for the state's free course?
You request an exam pack by email. The pack comes by mail with an answer sheet and a return envelope.
Is there a free California course online?
Yes. The state's list also shows an online course from BoatU.S. Foundation, the BoatU.S. Online Boating Safety Course, with a cost of none. Look at it before the paid online courses on that list.
California Boater Card · Courses · checked Nov 12, 2026 (opens agency website)
Can I take a California course online?
Yes. Approved courses may be classroom, home study or online.
California Boater Card · FAQs · checked Nov 12, 2026 (opens agency website)
What does the California card itself cost?
DBW says the only required fee is a one-time $10 for the card application, plus a $1 service fee.
Do I need a California card to run a rental boat?
No. California lists a person who operates a rental vessel as exempt.
California Boater Card · FAQs · checked Nov 12, 2026 (opens agency website)
What if I am exempt in California?
Carry proof of the exemption whenever you run a boat on the state's waterways.
California Boater Card · FAQs · checked Nov 12, 2026 (opens agency website)
I live in another state. Do I need the California card?
Not if you are only visiting for less than 60 days and you meet your own state's boating rules, if it has any.
California Boater Card · FAQs · checked Nov 12, 2026 (opens agency website)
Who needs a boater card in Texas?
Anyone born on or after September 1, 1993 who runs a vessel over 15 horsepower, a wind-blown vessel over 14 feet or any personal watercraft.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department · Boater Education · checked Nov 12, 2026 (opens agency website)
Can I take the Texas course online?
Yes. Texas accepts an approved online certification course.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department · Boater Education · checked Nov 12, 2026 (opens agency website)
I am visiting Texas from another state. Do the rules apply to me?
Yes. Texas says boaters visiting from another state must follow its boater education laws.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department · Boater Education · checked Nov 12, 2026 (opens agency website)
Does Texas accept a course I took in another state?
Texas accepts NASBLA-approved state courses from all 50 states and the US territories.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department · Boater Education · checked Nov 12, 2026 (opens agency website)
How old do I have to be to run a covered boat alone in Texas?
You must be 13 to run a covered boat alone, and you must meet Texas's boater education requirement.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department · Boater Education · checked Nov 12, 2026 (opens agency website)
How old do I have to be to run a motorboat in California?
No one under 16 may run a boat with a motor of more than 15 horsepower. The law makes a few exceptions, such as a dinghy used between a moored boat and the shore.
California Boater Card · About the card · checked Nov 12, 2026 (opens agency website)
Does California accept a card from another state?
Not on the water, unless you live in another state and are only using California waters for a short time.
California Boater Card · FAQs · checked Nov 12, 2026 (opens agency website)
Does Florida accept a card from another state?
Florida lists a boating safety card or certificate from another state among the papers it accepts.
Florida Legislature · Florida Statutes 327.395 · checked Nov 12, 2026 (opens agency website)
Can I take a Florida course online?
Yes. Florida's law covers online course providers, and every one must get the state commission's approval before it offers courses to the public. Ask a provider for proof of that approval before you pay.
Florida Legislature · Florida Statutes 327.395 · checked Nov 12, 2026 (opens agency website)
What if my state is not on this page?
We haven't confirmed the rule for any other state yet, so we won't guess. Ask your state's boating agency before you pay for a course.
[source pending]
Check your state's page
Where people go wrong
- You think your home state's rule follows you. California does not accept another state's card on the water unless you live elsewhere and are only visiting. Texas expects visitors to follow its law.
- You check only your age. California does not use your birth year. Florida and Texas do, and they also look at your engine or, in Texas, a wind-blown vessel over 14 feet.
- You count your engine out because it is not the main power. California covers a vessel propelled by an engine even then.
- You pay for a course before you look for a free one. California's own course and exam are free, and the state's list shows a free online course too.
- You leave your proof at home. Florida asks you to carry photo identification and your boating safety card on the boat.
Questions
Why aren't people who rent motorboats in California required to have a Boater Card?
California's law exempts a person operating a rental vessel. DBW, the state's boating agency, says many rental facilities give operators basic boater safety information, and it encourages every operator to take an approved course. In Florida or Texas, ask the rental company and your state's boating agency before you rent.
Is there an age exception for small sailboats in California?
Yes. A sailboat that does not exceed 30 feet is excepted from California's rule that no one under 16 may run a boat with a motor of more than 15 horsepower. So is a dinghy used directly between a moored boat and the shore, or between two moored boats.
Does a boater card expire?
California calls its card a lifetime card. For the Texas card, ask Texas Parks and Wildlife how long it lasts.
Is there a fine for running a boat in California without the card?
Yes. It is an infraction. The fine is up to $100 for a first conviction, up to $250 for a second and up to $500 for a third or later. The fine is waived if you prove you held a valid card when you were cited. The court must also order a convicted person to complete and pass a boating safety course that DBW approves, with proof due within seven months of the conviction.
I live in California. Do I need the card on the Colorado River or Lake Tahoe?
Yes, if California is your primary residence, even when your boat is registered in another state. A vacation home does not count as a primary residence.
How long does a California boating course take?
Approved online courses run at least three hours. Classroom and home study courses vary, and most classes are no more than eight hours.
Your next step
Start with your state's page, linked above. It shows who needs the card, whether you can take the course online and where the rule comes from. If your state is not there, ask its boating agency before you pay for any course.
Sources we read
- www.leg.state.fl.us › index · read Nov 12, 2026
- californiaboatercard.com › about the card · read Nov 12, 2026
- californiaboatercard.com › faqs 2 · read Nov 12, 2026
- californiaboatercard.com › courses 2 · read Nov 12, 2026
- dbw.parks.ca.gov · read Nov 12, 2026
- leginfo.legislature.ca.gov › codes displaySection · read Nov 12, 2026
- tpwd.texas.gov › faq · read Nov 12, 2026
Who publishes this guide
State Cert Guide is an independent guide to what each state requires. If a fact on this page is wrong, tell us and we fix it.