A day on the water has its own set of laws, and the ones people forget are the ones that get enforced: boating under the influence carries the same kind of penalties as a DUI, kids have to wear a life jacket, and many states require a boater-education card before you can start the motor. Below is where each state stands. Tap any state for the dated, officially-sourced detail. For the bigger picture, see laws you didn't know you were breaking.
Boating under the influence (BUI) is illegal in every state
Operating a boat while intoxicated is a crime in all 50 states, and it's enforced on the water the same way a DUI is on the road — with the same kind of arrests, fines and license consequences. Most states use the 0.08% blood-alcohol limit that matches driving; a few differ — Utah is stricter at 0.05% and North Dakota's per-se limit is 0.10%. Federal law also prohibits operating any vessel while impaired. Tap your state for its exact limit and penalty:
Life jackets: who has to wear one
Every state requires U.S. Coast Guard–approved life jackets aboard for each person, and every state requires children under a set age to wear one while the boat is underway. The age cutoff varies — commonly under 13, but as young as under 7 in some states — so it's worth checking wherever you launch. Tap your state for the specific age and rule:
Do you need a boater-education card?
A boater-education card is a one-time certificate — not an annual license — and most states now require it to operate a motorized vessel if you were born after a certain date. Five states have no statewide card requirement at all. "Card required" means there's an education requirement tied to age or birth year; "No statewide card" means the state doesn't mandate one.
Know it before you launch
This is a snapshot. LawLert pins the live boating rules to exactly where you are and alerts you when one changes or when you cross into a state where they differ. Browse all state laws.
FAQ
What's the legal alcohol limit for boating?
Every state makes it illegal to operate a boat while intoxicated, and most set the same 0.08% blood-alcohol limit as driving. A few differ — Utah is stricter at 0.05%, and North Dakota's per-se limit is 0.10%. Federal law also prohibits operating any vessel while impaired. Your state's page shows the exact limit and penalty.
Do children have to wear a life jacket on a boat?
Yes. All states require U.S. Coast Guard–approved life jackets aboard, and every state requires children under a certain age to wear one while the boat is underway. The age cutoff varies by state (commonly under 13, but as young as under 7 in some), so check the state you're boating in.
Do I need a boating license or education card?
Most states require a boater-education card to operate a motorized vessel if you were born after a certain date — it's a one-time certificate, not an annual license. Five states (Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, South Dakota, Wyoming) have no statewide card requirement. Each state's page shows its rule.
How current is this?
Each state links to its detail page, which shows the official source (state boating agency or statute) and the date LawLert verified it. This hub is generated live from that same data.