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Texas Boating License Requirements: Who Needs a Boater Card

Texas Boating License Requirements: Who Needs a Boater Card

Posted by Safe Boating America on 14th Nov 2026

Texas Boating License Requirements: Who Needs a Boater Card

Renter showing boating credentials before boarding

Texas does not issue a boating license like a driver’s license. It requires a boater education certificate instead. If you were born on or after September 1, 1993, you must complete a course certified by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) before you operate a personal watercraft (PWC, such as a Jet Ski or WaveRunner), a motorboat with more than 15 horsepower, or a sailboat or other windblown vessel longer than 14 feet, per TPWD’s mandatory boater education rules.

The course is the whole requirement: pass the exam, receive the card, carry it with a photo ID. This guide covers who is covered, the age rules, what it costs, how the exam works, who is exempt and the PWC rules that apply once you are on the water.

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TL;DR

  • No Texas boating “license” exists. A boater education certificate (the boater card) is required for anyone born on or after September 1, 1993.
  • It applies to PWCs, motorboats over 15 horsepower and windblown vessels over 14 feet.
  • Minimum age to operate without an adult on board is 13. Cost is the provider’s fee plus a $10 state fee.
  • You pass with a 70% on the course exam. The card does not expire.
  • Carry the card and a photo ID. Renters are not exempt.

Table of Contents

Do you need a boating license in Texas?

You need one thing: proof that you completed boater education. Texas calls it a boater education certificate or boater identification card. Most people call it a boating license or boater card.

The requirement is set by Texas Parks and Wildlife Code § 31.109. The TPWD boater safety manual states that anyone born on or after September 1, 1993 must complete a course to operate a motorized vessel over 15 horsepower or a windblown vessel longer than 14 feet on Texas public waters. Renters are not exempt. If you rent a boat or a Jet Ski, you need the education first.

If you were born before September 1, 1993, the education requirement does not apply to you. You still have to follow every operating rule, equipment rule and alcohol law.

Quick check: does this apply to you?

Your situation Boater education needed?
Born on or after September 1, 1993, operating a PWC Yes
Born on or after September 1, 1993, operating a motorboat over 15 horsepower Yes
Born on or after September 1, 1993, operating a sailboat over 14 feet Yes
Born before September 1, 1993 No course requirement
Under 13 on a PWC or motorboat over 15 horsepower Not allowed to operate alone, adult must be on board
Renting a boat or PWC Same rules as an owner

Age rules and supervision

Texas sets 13 as the minimum age to run a PWC or a motorboat over 15 horsepower on public water without supervision. A person that age must also have completed the course, or be supervised by someone at least 18 who can lawfully operate the vessel and is on board while under way, per TPWD.

Children under 13 cannot operate a PWC at all unless an adult at least 18 years old, who is legally allowed to operate a PWC, is on board with them, per the TPWD Boater Education FAQ. For a deeper look at age and Jet Skis, see our guide to the Texas Jet Ski age rules.

Two practical points for families:

  • The supervising adult has to be on board the vessel. Watching from the dock or from another boat does not count.
  • A teen who has the card and meets the age minimum can operate on their own. A teen without the card needs the adult on board.

What the card is and what you must carry

People subject to the law must have a photo ID and the boater education certification card issued by the department in their possession while operating, per the TPWD FAQ. Keep both in a waterproof pouch with your registration documents.

The boater identification card issued after a course or equivalency exam does not expire, per Texas Parks and Wildlife Code § 31.109(d). You take the course once.

What the card is and what you must carry

After finishing a TPWD-certified online course you receive a temporary certificate valid for 60 days. The permanent certificate appears in the TPWD system in about two weeks, per TPWD’s online course page. Use the temporary certificate on the water in the meantime.

How to get your Texas boater education certificate

  1. Confirm you need it. Use the table above. Check your birth date against September 1, 1993.
  2. Pick a TPWD-certified course. TPWD lists six certified online English-language courses and one certified Spanish-language course on its internet courses page. Only a certified course counts for Texas. Confirm certification on that page before you pay.
  3. Complete the lessons. Courses cover navigation rules, equipment, PWC operation, emergencies and Texas law. Work through them in sessions that fit your schedule.
  4. Pass the exam. The course is completed when you score at least 70% on the exam prescribed by the department, per 31 Tex. Admin. Code § 51.81.
  5. Pay the fees. You pay the provider’s fee plus the $10 state fee (details below).
  6. Print the temporary certificate and carry it with a photo ID until the permanent card is available.

The common mistake is buying a generic national course that is not on the TPWD list. A course can be well made and still not count in Texas. Check the list first.

How much does a Texas boating license cost?

TPWD says fees start at $10 for a basic course and vary by in-person versus online format, per its FAQ. In practice you pay two parts: the provider’s fee and the $10 state fee.

TPWD’s list of six English-language online courses shows provider fees of $29.99, $54.95, $39.95, $1.00, $49.95 and $74.95, each plus the $10 state fee. The Spanish-language course is $54.95 plus the $10 state fee. Active or retired military, firefighters and police officers can get a listed rate of $19.99 plus the $10 state fee, or $29.99 total. All of these come from TPWD’s internet courses page, which is the page to check for the figures in force when you sign up, since providers set and change their fees.

So a realistic total for most boaters is the provider fee plus $10. Because the card never expires, it is a one-time cost.

The 15-day deferral

If you have just bought or borrowed a boat and need time to finish the course, a one-time 15-day boater education deferral costs $10 and is sold wherever licenses are sold, per TPWD. It is listed as Item 850 on the TPWD fee chart. It buys time. It does not replace the course.

The exam: what to expect

The pass mark for the course exam is 70%. A different route, the equivalency exam, needs 80%, and anyone who fails it must wait at least 24 hours before retaking it, per 31 Tex. Admin. Code § 51.81© and (d). The equivalency exam lets an experienced boater test out without taking the full course.

What the questions cover in practice:

  • Right of way and navigation rules
  • Required equipment, including life jackets
  • Alcohol and boating law
  • PWC rules and safe operation
  • Emergency steps such as a fall overboard or a capsized vessel

Study the equipment and PWC sections closely. They are also the rules a game warden checks.

Exemptions and other credentials

You do not need the Texas course if you hold one of the following, per 31 Tex. Admin. Code § 51.81:

  • Proof of completing the requirements for a vessel operator’s license issued by the U.S. Coast Guard
  • A valid Canadian Pleasure Craft Operator’s Card in your name
  • Active or reserve U.S. Armed Forces service qualified as an officer of the deck underway, boat coxswain, boat officer, watercraft operator or marine deck officer
  • Membership in the U.S. Merchant Marine
  • Showing, testing or demonstrating boats as part of the work covered by Parks and Wildlife Code § 31.041(d), only while doing that

The Coast Guard route is covered in the statute at § 31.109(b)(2). If you are working toward a captain’s credential, our Zoom class page lists captain’s license training and testing among the programs we run.

There is no federal boating license. We explain what that means in No Federal Boating License: each state sets its own education rule, and Texas sets the one above for Texas waters.

Personal watercraft rules that come with the card

The card gets you on the water. These rules keep you there. All the operating rules for motorboats apply to PWCs, and on top of that, per TPWD’s PWC regulations, it is unlawful to:

  • Operate a PWC between sunset and sunrise
  • Operate within 50 feet of another PWC, motorboat, vessel, platform, person, object or shore except at headway speed without creating a swell or wake
  • Jump the wake of another vessel recklessly or unnecessarily close

Each PWC occupant must wear a USCG-approved wearable life jacket. If the PWC has a cut-off or kill switch, it must be attached to the operator or the operator’s clothing. Inflatable life jackets are not approved for PWC use, per TPWD. For more, read our Texas PWC laws guide.

Life jackets and alcohol on any boat

State law requires a wearable life jacket (Types I, II or III) for each person aboard. A Type IV throwable device is required on boats 16 feet and longer. Children under 13 must wear a life jacket on a vessel under 26 feet while under way, per TPWD.

Operating a boat at 0.08% blood alcohol concentration or above is illegal. A first conviction can bring a fine up to $2,000 and up to 180 days in jail. A second can bring up to $4,000 and one year. A third can bring up to $10,000 and 10 years, per TPWD.

TPWD game wardens can stop and inspect vessels on Texas waters, and boaters must allow boarding if an officer asks, per the boater safety manual.

What if you are stopped without the card?

Boater education is also required for certain violations of the Texas Water Safety Act, per the TPWD FAQ. If you are charged with a Class C misdemeanor for not having a required document, a court may defer the case and give you 90 days to complete a boater education course or a Coast Guard operator’s licensing course, per § 31.109(f). Do not count on that. Finish the course before you head out.

If you have a question about a specific citation or an accident claim, speak with a Texas attorney. Missing education can come up in an accident claim, as one Texas law firm notes.

Our view on boater education

We teach boating safety for a living, and the pattern is consistent: the boaters who get into trouble are rarely those who lack a card. They are the ones who never practiced what the course covers.

Our classes are taught by State Certified Instructors and USCG-Licensed Captains. We offer online courses, live Zoom classes and in-person classes, so the format can follow your schedule. For boaters who want more than the minimum, we run on-water training, local boating knowledge sessions, practical navigation and chart reading, and advanced education.

Treat the card as the start. Take the course seriously, learn the PWC rules before the first rental, and keep the card with your ID.

Richard

Learn with us

We run state-approved boating safety education across the country: online computer-based courses, a Zoom Online 1-Day Class at $75, and gift certificates for boaters in your family. Boating in more than one state? Our boater card guide explains how certification works from state to state, and our overview of boating safety education covers what a course teaches.

FAQ

How much is a Texas boating license?

There is no license fee. You pay a course provider’s fee plus a $10 state fee. TPWD’s listed online providers range from $1.00 to $74.95, so the total runs from about $11 to about $85, and the card never expires.

Do I need a Texas boating license if I rent a Jet Ski?

Yes, if you were born on or after September 1, 1993. Renters are not exempt, so complete a TPWD-certified course before you ride. Carry the certificate and a photo ID.

Is my out-of-state boater card valid in Texas?

Texas lists specific accepted credentials: a USCG operator’s license, or a Canadian Pleasure Craft Operator’s Card. For any other state’s card, ask TPWD directly before you operate, since the law names certified Texas courses.

What is the passing score on the boater exam?

The course exam requires at least 70%. The equivalency exam requires 80%, with a wait of at least 24 hours before a retake.

Can a 12-year-old drive a boat in Texas?

Not alone. Under 13, a child may operate a motorboat over 15 horsepower only with a qualifying adult at least 18 on board, and may not operate a PWC unless such an adult is on board.

Sources