Kentucky is the odd one out. There is no birth-date cutoff at all — the requirement is an age band. Only operators aged 12 to 17 need the card, and the obligation ends on their eighteenth birthday rather than applying for life.
| Who needs it | operators aged 12 to 17 — adults are not required to hold one |
| Applies to | more than 10 hp |
| What it is called | Kentucky Safe Boating Certificate Card |
| Issued by | Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources |
| Minimum age to operate at all | 12, for any motorboat or PWC over 10 hp |
| Requirement ends at | 18 — adults are not required to hold the card |
| Accepted alternative | A certificate from any NASBLA-approved boater course |
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Start the Kentucky courseNo. Kentucky's requirement applies only to operators aged 12 through 17. There is no birth-date cutoff bringing older boaters into scope, unlike most states.
Twelve. Below that age a person may not operate a motorboat or personal watercraft of more than 10 hp on Kentucky public waters at all.
The card itself does not expire, but the legal obligation to carry it ends at 18. It stays useful as proof of a NASBLA-approved course if you boat in a state that does have an adult requirement.
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.