Virginia Boating Safety
Education Requirement
Virginia Boating Safety Education Requirement
 Boating safety education compliance requirement
established in 2007
 Phased-in through 2016
 Applies to operators of:
• All boats with motors of 10hp and greater
• Personal Watercraft (PWC)
2003 – 2012 Incident Statistics
 10 Year Boat Incident Summary
Year
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
Number of
Incidents
125
150
134
136
146
95
136
105
120
95
Number of
Injuries
85
98
89
92
107
65
91
79
97
62
Number of
Fatalities
21
20
14
23
13
17
25
15
21
14
Amount of
Property Damage
$1,054,410.00
$1,209,015.00
$1,857,792.00
$1,151,958.00
$1,001,170.00
$387,668.00
$907,900.00
$1,898,499.00
$1,226,360.00
$476,584.00
Who . . . Specifically
 Motorboats with a motor of
10 horsepower or greater
 Sailboats do not have to meet the
requirement unless the sailboat has a
motor that is 10hp or greater
(whether or not the engine is running)
 Personal watercraft (PWC)
 Canoes, kayaks, rowboats, or other
manually propelled boats do not have
to meet the requirement
PWC Definition
 Motorboats less than 16 feet in
length, powered by jet pumps vice
propellers, where the persons stand,
kneel, or sit on, rather than inside
the boat.
 Commonly known as
• Ski-Doo® (Bombardier)
• Waverunner® (Yamaha)
• JET SKI® (Kawasaki)
 Age Restriction:
• No person under the age of 14 may operate a PWC.
• Operators 14 and 15 MUST show proof of completing an approved and accepted
boating safety course
• The challenge exam or other provisions of the Education Compliance Requirement
do not meet the requirements of the age restriction law.
Why Does Virginia Need This Law?
 Over 250,000 registered motorboats
• Includes about 30,000 personal watercraft
 Help manage risk
involved in boating
 Over 700 recreational
boating accidents with
nearly 100 fatalities
(2007 – 2011)
Virginia Boating Safety Education Requirement
Completion Schedule
 Motorboat Operators shall meet requirements by:
• 45 years old or younger
• 50 years old or younger
• All motorboat operators
1July14
1July15
1July16
 PWC* Operators shall meet requirements by :
• 14 or 15 years old if they have successfully completed an
approved boating education safety course
• All PWC operators
1July12
*PWC: Motorboats less than 16 feet in length, powered by
jet pumps vice propellers, where the persons
stand, kneel, or sit on, rather than inside the boat.
Exceptions to Education Requirements
 Pass an equivalency/challenge exam
 Possess or possessed a license to operate a vessel issued by the USCG
 Possess a marine certificate or a Canadian Pleasure Craft Operator's Card issued by
the Canadian government
 Possess a temporary operator's certificate as indicated on new boat registration
 Possess a rental or lease agreement and training documentation
 Operate a motorboat with onboard direct supervision by compliant person
 Operate a boat not registered in Virginia, temporarily using the waters of Virginia
for a period not to exceed 90 days, and meets any applicable boating safety
education requirements of the state of residency
 Assumed operation of motorboat due to illness or physical
impairment of initial operator, and returning motorboat to
shore in order to provide assistance or care for the operator
 Was once registered as a commercial fisherman pursuant to the
Code of Virginia or under the onboard direct supervision of the
commercial fisherman while operating the commercial fisherman‘s
boat.
Where Do Requirements Apply?
 All public waters of the Commonwealth
•
•
•
•
•
River systems (both fresh and tidal water)
Virginia portion of the Chesapeake Bay
Waters up to 3 miles off the Virginia coast
Virginia portion of any lake shared with an adjoining state
Most of the lakes wholly located in Virginia
o Some lakes in Virginia are not public (e.g. Lake Caroline and Lake
Monticello) and the requirements do not apply on those lakes.
o Check with private lake authorities
 The law does not apply to
private lakes and ponds on
personal property.
How To Meet The Requirements
Complete an approved boating safety course accepted
by Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries
•
•
•
•
DGIF’s Boat Virginia (currently offered at no cost)
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary offered classroom courses
Internet-based courses
Boat US Boat Education section for information about
classroom and approved distance learning options.
How To Meet The Requirements cont.
Proctored Equivalency Exam
• For the experienced and knowledgeable boater
• Tests knowledge of information included in an
approved course
• Referred to as a "challenge" exam
• More extensive than test provided at the end of a
classroom course.
Proof Of Compliance
Present card or certificate indicating you passed
an approved course, or equivalency exam.
• Lifetime Virginia Boating Safety Education Card
available for $10.00
Non-Resident Requirement
If operating a boat registered in Virginia, you
must comply with Virginia's boating safety
education requirement.
If operating a boat registered in another state,
but temporarily Virginia waters for a period of 90
days or less, you must meet the boating safety
education requirements of your state.
Previous Training
 You must provide your course completion card or
certificate. If you cannot find your course completion
card, the Department may have a record of your
course completion
• If there is not a record of your class completion
and you cannot find your card or certificate,
then you will have to take a course or pass
the challenge exam.
Lost Certificate Replacement
 If the course was a classroom course provided by the Department
of Game and Inland Fisheries, your name should be in the
Department's student database and we can replace the card.
• Request must be in writing
• Fax request to 804-367-0262 or mail to:
Boating Safety Education, Replacement Card
P.O. Box 11104, Richmond, VA 23230.
 If the course was provided by the Coast
Guard Auxiliary or the U.S. Power Squadrons,
contact them to see if their records will allow
the issuance of a replacement document.
 Internet course students should check with
original course provider.
Minimum Age Requirement
 Personal watercraft
• Minimum operator age is 16
• except those 14 or 15 year olds who have
completed and passed a course.
 Motorboat
• No minimum operator age*
• No minimum age requirement to attend a NASBLA
approved boating safety course.
the
* Youngsters can operate a boat under onboard
direct supervision of a person who meets
boating safety education requirement.
Penalty
 Violation of any provision of this law may
result in a civil penalty of $100
Temporary Operation Certificate
A Temporary Operators Certificate (TOC)
allows a first time boat owner to operate their
new boat for 90 days
• Allows time for the registered owner to take a
boating safety education course.
• If you are not yet required to take a boating safety
course, the expiration of the TOC does not apply
to you (refer to the phase-in schedule of the
boating safety course)