Some Minnesota boaters will need safety training, permit starting July 1

Boaters age 12 to 21 will soon need to get a permit before they can legally operate a motorized watercraft in Minnesota.

The state Legislature passed the new safety requirements in 2023, as a response to a pandemic-fueled increase in people owning and operating boats on Minnesota lakes and rivers. 

The law also aims to educate people about the environmental impacts of boating, including preventing the spread of aquatic invasive species and shoreline erosion. 

Despite having more registered boats per capita than almost every other U.S. state, Minnesota was one of just a few states that only required youth, not adults, to have a watercraft operator’s license.

“We’re excited about it, because it provides more education for safety on the water,” said Joe Shneider, president of the Minnesota Coalition of Lake Associations.

Minnesota already requires training for operating snowmobiles and off-highway vehicles, said Adam Block, boating law administrator with the state Department of Natural Resources.

“The time was right to start including watercraft, just given the sheer nature of the amount of traffic we’re seeing on our waterways,” he said.

Starting July 1, the new law applies to anyone age 12 or older and born after June 30, 2004, who wants to operate a boat or personal watercraft with a motor greater than 25 horsepower.

The new requirements will be phased in over three years, and will gradually apply to older age groups. By the time the law takes full effect in 2028, everyone born after June 30, 1987, will be required to get an operator’s permit.

To get a permit, boaters will need to successfully complete an online course, pass an exam and pay a one-time fee of $34.95.

The requirements are similar to what other states have adopted, said Jesse McArdell, senior manager of Midwest government relations for the National Marine Manufacturers Association, which represents more than 1,300 boat, trailer and accessory manufacturers. It was one of several boat industry groups that supported passage of the law.

McArdell noted that Minnesota has more than 800,000 registered boats — nearly one boat for every six people.

“We know that we have a lot of users here and that it’s a big boating state,” he said. “So we wanted to ensure we were able to get a boater safety education program in place that would be holistic, that would cover a broad range of different boat types.”

That includes teaching people not only how to boat safely, but also how to conduct themselves with “a high level of etiquette on the water,” McArdell said.

The online test is a national standard training test, with some Minnesota-specific content. It covers the rules of the water, what buoys and navigation lights mean, who needs to wear a life jacket and other safety issues, Block said. 

It also includes questions about conflicts with other water users, invasive species prevention and potential environmental damages caused by boats.

Renting boats, which has become increasingly popular on Minnesota lakes and rivers, has different rules. The law requires anyone renting a boat to be 18 and older, and to have a valid permit.

People born before 1987 won’t ever need to get a permit, unless they’re going to rent a boat or serve as an “accompanying operator” for someone without a permit, Block said.

The new law actually lowers the age that kids with a permit can operate a personal watercraft on their own from 14 to 12. However, anyone younger than 12 can’t operate a boat or personal watercraft with a motor over 75 horsepower.

Violating the law could result in a citation and about $130 fine. However, Block said the DNR plans to give people time to comply.

“We are starting off with an educational approach to remind people that, ‘Hey, you need to get the training, because we want our waterways safer,’” he said.

However, Shneider of the Minnesota Coalition of Lake Associations, said he’s not in favor of a lenient approach.

“If they’re not going to give out tickets, then it doesn’t have any teeth,” he said. 

Still, Block said he’s optimistic that the law will lead to safer lakes and rivers. When Minnesota adopted youth safety boating requirements decades ago, it led to fewer problems among that age group, he said.

“We’re coming into the game a little later than a lot of states,” Block said. “But just looking at the data across the nation, I think that we expect our fatalities, our crashes, our incidents, even just our sheer complaints on the water to go down for sure with more people obtaining this training.”

Passage of the new law was driven by some environmental groups and lake associations, who wanted to see stricter regulations on wakesurfing boats. The high-powered boats create a large wave behind them that surfers can ride, but can also damage shorelines and cause conflicts with other lake users.

Jeff Forester, executive director of the nonprofit Minnesota Lakes and Rivers Advocates, said the size and speed of boats have changed dramatically in recent decades.

“I learned to drive a 16-foot Alumacraft with a 25-horsepower motor,” he said. “Now, the boats are so much bigger, so much more powerful, so much faster, that without training, it’s just bad. Things can happen a lot more quickly.”

Rolling out the new law in phases, starting with the next generation of boaters, makes sense, Forester said. 

“They’ll carry it with them as they get older, and that’ll be useful,” he said. “This really isn’t about penalizing people. It’s about education and behavior change, and that takes time.”

Some lake associations are offering residents incentives, such as gift certificates and other prizes, to make sure family members understand the new rules and take the training, Shneider said. 

“We want this to happen,” he said. “We know the education will provide value and hopefully, a safer boater environment.”