There is no national US boating licence. Boater education is set state by state, and the rules differ in kind, not just in detail. Across the 24 states covered here the birth-date cutoff runs from 1972 in Maryland to 2007 in South Carolina; the engine size that triggers the requirement runs from 6 hp in Michigan to 25 hp in Pennsylvania; Kentucky asks only operators aged 12 to 17 and nobody else; Maine's rule covers personal watercraft alone; and California, New York, Hawaii and the District of Columbia require every operator regardless of age.
| State | Who needs a card | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | every operator aged 12 or over | more than 15 hp |
| California | every operator, at any age | any motorized vessel |
| District of Columbia | every boater on District waters, with no age or birth-date cutoff | vessels on District of Columbia waters |
| Florida | born on or after 1 January 1988 | 10 hp or more |
| Hawaii | every operator, whatever their age or date of birth | more than 10 hp |
| Kentucky | operators aged 12 to 17 — adults are not required to hold one | more than 10 hp |
| Maine | anyone born on or after 1 January 1999, who must also be at least 16 | personal watercraft (PWC) |
| Maryland | born on or after 1 July 1972 | any motorized vessel, with no horsepower floor |
| Michigan | born on or after 1 July 1996 | more than 6 hp |
| Minnesota | aged 12 or over and born after 30 June 2000 | motorboats including PWC |
| Missouri | born after 1 January 1984 and before 1 January 2006 | motorized vessels over 12 feet |
| Nebraska | born after 31 December 1985 | any motorboat or PWC |
| Nevada | born on or after 1 January 1983 | powered vessels on Nevada's interstate waters |
| New Mexico | born on or after 1 January 1989 | motorboats on state waters |
| New York | every operator, at any age | any motorized vessel |
| North Carolina | born on or after 1 January 1988 | 10 hp or more |
| North Dakota | born on or after 1 January 1988 | 10 hp or more |
| Ohio | born on or after 1 January 1982 | more than 10 hp |
| Pennsylvania | born on or after 1 January 1982 — and every PWC operator, at any age | motorboats over 25 hp, or any personal watercraft |
| South Carolina | born after 1 July 2007 | 10 hp or more |
| Tennessee | born after 1 January 1989 | more than 8.5 hp |
| Texas | born on or after 1 September 1993 | more than 15 hp |
| West Virginia | born on or after 31 December 1986 | motorboats and personal watercraft |
| Wisconsin | born on or after 1 January 1989 | any motorboat or PWC |
A licence makes you legal to operate. It tells you nothing about the boat itself. Run the hull number free — it decodes the builder and model year, and flags any US Coast Guard recall campaign on record for that manufacturer.