Attempting to make the state's waters safer, proposals before legislators would require more Minnesotans to take a boater safety course before they could operate motorized boats and personal watercraft.
Currently, young people ages 12 to 17 must pass an online boater safety exam through the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Companion bills taken up by the Senate and House this session would increase the age requirement to anyone born on or after July 1, 1987. (The proposal is in the House omnibus package.) Boating and lake association advocates, conservationists and law enforcement support the legislation and say the timing is right to bring operating watercraft in line with other regulations.
Already the state with the most watercraft per capita, Minnesota registered 831,000 boats in 2021, an increase of about 10,000 from 2020. Of the top five states by registration, Minnesota is the only one whose boater education rules don't apply to adults.
