Boater Card Rules

All states

Boating license rules in Kentucky

A person 12 to 17 operating a motorboat of 10 horsepower or over must carry a Kentucky Safe Boating Certificate Card or NASBLA approved course certificate.1

The details

Engine size covered
10 horsepower or over1
Personal watercraft (jet skis)
PWCs may only be operated between sunrise and sunset. Minimum age 12. Operators and passengers must wear a USCG approved PFD.1
Minimum age to operate
Must be 12 or older to operate a motorboat, including personal watercraft, of 10 horsepower or over.1
Cards from other states
A certificate showing completion of a NASBLA approved boater education course is accepted.1

The official pages we read do not say: card and course cost, exemptions. Ask the agency.

The rules are set by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.

Sources

  1. Boating (Fishing and Boating Guide), Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, checked 1 November 2026

Checked 1 November 2026. "Secondary" marks a source we used only because the official page could not be read.