Boating and Water Safety

NEW MINNESOTA BOATING LAW

Effective July 1, 2025, there is a new boater education law requiring most young people and some adults to have a valid watercraft operator’s permit, i.e. boater safety certificate.  Here are the key points of the law:

Teen and Adult operators:

• Starting July 1, 2025, anyone born after June 30^th, 2004 needs a valid operator's permit to drive a motorboat or a personal watercraft.
• Starting July 1, 2026, anyone born after June 30^th, 2000 needs a valid operator's permit to drive a motorboat or a personal watercraft.
• Starting July 1, 2027, anyone born after June 30^th, 1996 needs a valid operator's permit to drive a motorboat or a personal watercraft.
• Starting July 1, 2028, anyone born after June 30^th, 1987 needs a valid operator's permit to drive a motorboat or a personal watercraft.
• People without a permit still can operate a boat, but only if there's an accompanying valid operator onboard.  A valid operator is defined to be a person 21 years of age or older who:
  • Is in a personal watercraft or other type of motorboat;
  • Is within immediate reach of the controls of the motor; and
  • Possesses a valid operator's permit or is an exempt operator.
• Anyone 18 years old or older needs a valid operator's permit to RENT a motorboat or a personal watercraft.
• Anyone less than 18 years old CANNOT RENT a watercraft but CAN operate a rented watercraft of they have a valid operator’s permit.

Young Operators:

• Anyone less than 12 years old CANNOT operate a personal watercraft or any motorboat with a motor over 75 horsepower.
• Anyone less than 12 years old CAN operate a motorboat that's not a personal watercraft and has a motor under 75 horsepower if there is an accompanying valid operator in the motorboat.

Exempt Operators:

• Anyone driving a motorboat with a motor under 25 horsepower.
• Is 12 years old or older and possesses a valid license to operate a motorboat issued for maritime personnel by the United States Coast Guard under Code of Federal Regulations, title 46, part 10, or a marine certificate issued by the Canadian government.
• Is 12 years old or older, is not a resident of the state, is temporarily using the waters of the state for a period not to exceed 60 days, and:

• • meets any applicable requirements of the state or country of residency; or
  • possesses a Canadian pleasure craft operator's card;
  • is operating a motorboat under a dealer's license according to section 86B.405; or
  • is operating a motorboat during an emergency.

For a deeper dive on the new boating law and boating safety, please review the MN DNR boating guide pamphlet:  MN Boating Guide

 

OWN YOUR WAKE

The Minnesota DNR has started the “Own your Wake” awareness campaign to educate boaters about the impact of watercraft wakes.  Almost every motorboat can create a wake, which is why boaters must be aware of the danger wakes present and the damage they can do. While common courtesy dictates boaters should control their wakes, there are consequences beyond how wakes may affect people.  The environmental impacts of watercraft wakes can include:

• Shoreline erosion
• Impaired water quality resulting from increased sediment in the water
• Loss of shoreline vegetation, which helps stabilize the shore and provides important habitat wildlife and fish
• Damage to spawning beds and other underwater fish habitat

So, what do boaters really need to know when it comes to owning their wake?  To help minimize environmental impact and improve boating safety, here are key takeaways:

• Personal watercraft must operate at least 150 feet from shore, as required by Minnesota law.
• Motorboats should operate at least 200 feet from shore.
• Wake boats, i.e. motorboats designed specifically for wakeboarding, should operate at least 500 feet from shore and in at least 20 feet of water

For more information about the Own Your Wake campaign, please visit the DNR website:   Own Your Wake - For Everyone's Sake