Boating license rules in Maryland
Anyone born on or after July 1, 1972 must possess a certificate of boating safety education to operate a motorized vessel in Maryland.12
The details
- Minimum age to operate
- Under 16 must hold a certificate and be supervised aboard by a certificate holder, who must be 18 or older on vessels 11 feet or longer.2
- Card and course cost
- Course prices vary by provider.1
- Cards from other states
- A boating safety certificate issued in another state that meets NASBLA criteria is sufficient. Visitors in out-of-state numbered vessels for 60 days or less are exempt.2
- Exemptions
- Exempt: commercial operators, out-of-state vessel visitors for 60 days or less, foreign visitors for 90 days or less, private waters, others exempted by regulation.2
The official pages we read do not say: engine size covered, personal watercraft (jet skis). Ask the agency.
The rules are set by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Natural Resources Police.
Sources
- Educational Requirement, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, checked 1 November 2026
- Md. Code, Natural Resources 8-712.2, Maryland General Assembly, checked 1 November 2026
Checked 1 November 2026. "Secondary" marks a source we used only because the official page could not be read.