Drive a Boat USA is an official provider of the online California Boater Exam approved by the California Division of Boating and Waterways to obtain your California Boater Card. Boater Cards are required if you operate a motorized vessel on state waterways.
Get your California Boater Card in 3 simple steps
With our California boating safety course, you will be well prepared for the online boat exam with fun and engaging videos and quizzes.
Step 1: Study the boating safety course
Through interactive quizzes and videos, you will gain all the knowledge you need to obtain your California Boater Card.
Step 2: Apply for your Application ID number
Apply for your $10 Application ID number paid to the California state website. You will need to submit it before taking the final exam.
Step 3: Take the official boating safety test
Pass the final exam to obtain your certificate of completion. The exam is open-book and includes unlimited retries!
California Division of Boating and Waterways approved boating course
Drive a Boat USA is an official provider of the California boating safety course approved by the California State Parks Division of Boating and Waterways.
Accessible on all devices
The Drive a Boat USA boating safety course can be studied at your own pace on your preferred device, whether desktop, laptop, mobile phone or tablet.
California Boating Card FAQ
As of January 1st, 2022, all persons 45 years of age or younger are required by law to carry the California Boater Card when operating a motorized vessel. The card must also be obtained by all boaters in California by 2025, regardless of age.
California Harbors and Navigation Code Section 678.11(b) contains the following phase-in schedule based on operator age (effective January 1st of each year):
- 2018: Persons 20 years of age or younger
- 2019: Persons 25 years of age or younger
- 2020: Persons 35 years of age or younger
- 2021: Persons 40 years of age or younger
- 2022: Persons 45 years of age or younger
- 2023: Persons 50 years of age or younger
- 2024: Persons 60 years of age or younger
- 2025: All persons regardless of age
The boating safety course must be studied for a minimum of 3 hours. After studying, you will have unlimited time to complete the final boating exam.
With the exception of a sailboat no more than 30 feet in length or a dinghy used immediately in between moored boat and the shore (or two moored boats), no one under the age of 16 may operate a boat with a motor of over 15 horsepower.
Children 12-15 years old are permitted to operate vessels with more than 15 horsepower or sailboats over 30 feet provided they are supervised on board by an adult over the age of 18 who carries a California Boater Card, as stipulated by California law.
Boat operators aged 16 or 17 who do not have a California Boater Card may operate a vessel if monitored by an adult over the age of 18 who has a California Boater Card. Infringement of these regulations is considered an offence and carries penalties.
A California Boater Card is not mandatory for the following persons to operate a motorboat in Californian waters under state law:
- A person driving a rented watercraft.
- A person operating a watercraft while under the close supervision of an 18-year-old or older California Boater Card holder.
- A resident of a state other than California who is temporarily operating a vessel in California for fewer than 60 days and satisfies his or her state’s boating regulations, if any.
- A resident of a country other than the United States who operates a vessel in California temporarily for fewer than 90 days and satisfies his or her country’s navigation requirements, if any.
- A person who operates a boat in an organized regatta or boat race, or a water ski race.
- A person who holds a valid commercial fishing license.
- A person who holds a valid marine operator’s license, applicable to the waters on which the licensee operates, issued by the United States Coast Guard, or who holds a valid certificate issued under the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978, as amended.
- A person who has successfully completed a boating safety course approved by the Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission Post.
For information on replacing a lost or damaged Boater Card, please visit the California Boater Card website. There will be a $5 fee for a replacement card.
Yes! State, territory, and provincial government agencies will recognize NASBLA-approved boating education cards and Transport Canada-approved Pleasure Craft Operator Cards held by visiting boaters.
The California Boater card fee is separate from the course. You will need to go to the California state site to apply for your Application ID number and pay $10 for the card.