Do You Need a Boating License in Tennessee?

It depends on when you were born. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) says any Tennessee resident born after January 1, 1989 needs its Boating Safety Education Certificate to operate a vessel with more than 8.5 horsepower. If you were born on or before that date, you do not.

Tennessee calls it a certificate, not a license. It is a wallet card that proves you passed TWRA's boating safety exam. This page covers who needs one, how to get it, what changes for visitors and renters, and what it means on Watts Bar Lake.

Who needs a boating safety certificate in Tennessee?

An operator born after January 1, 1989 who is running a vessel with more than 8.5 horsepower. Here is how TWRA's boating education page and its boating handbook lay it out.

Three details matter.

• The birth date decides it. The rule goes by the person, not the boat. Check it for every person who will take the helm.
• A supervising adult changes things. TWRA's boating education page says the certificate is not required when an adult, 18 or older and born before January 1, 1989, is on board to take immediate control of the vessel. For an operator younger than 12, TWRA's handbook says a supervisor born after that date must hold the TWRA certificate.
• The card goes with you. TWRA says boaters must have the card on their person while operating a vessel in Tennessee. TWRA highly recommends the physical card and says the certification also shows in its TWRA on the Go app.

Which boats does the rule cover?

Motorized vessels with more than 8.5 horsepower. TWRA's handbook says operators of vessels with engines of 8.5 horsepower or less, and operators of sailboats under sail alone, are not required to have the certificate.

• Pontoons, runabouts, fishing boats and cruisers. If the motor is over 8.5 horsepower, the rule applies to whoever is driving.
• Personal watercraft. TWRA's handbook says there are age and education requirements for personal watercraft operators and points to the same rules. It also says nobody younger than 16 may rent one.
• Kayaks and canoes. No engine, so the certificate rule does not reach them. Life jackets are another matter. TWRA says all boats, including canoes and kayaks, must carry one wearable personal flotation device for each person on board.

How do you get the Tennessee boating safety certificate?

Buy an exam permit, take an approved course online or in a classroom, and pass the test. TWRA's boating education pages give the steps.

1. Buy the exam permit first. TWRA calls it the Boating Safety Exam Permit (Type 600). It is sold at GoOutdoorsTennessee.com and anywhere that sells TWRA licenses. Check the mailing address on your account, because that is where the card goes.
2. Pick online or classroom. TWRA's online boater education page says people 12 and over can complete boater education completely online with no in-person requirement. The page lists the approved online courses and marks which ones charge a fee. TWRA's in-person page says the classroom route takes a minimum of four hours of classroom participation, and students must attend the entire class and pass a written test. Classes are listed on the GoOutdoorsTennessee event calendar.
3. Keep proof with you. After the online course, TWRA says you can print your certificate. After you pass the exam, TWRA says the wallet card arrives in the mail within a few weeks. One catch: TWRA says the exam permit by itself does not count as proof of completion.

TWRA's in-person page says you must be 12 or older to become a certified boater education graduate. A lost card can be replaced through a TWRA license agent or GoOutdoorsTennessee, per TWRA.

Costs change, so check the current permit and course fees with TWRA.

What if you are visiting, moving here or renting a boat?

The rule follows where you live, and rentals have a rule of their own.

• Visiting from another state. TWRA says a non-resident born after January 1, 1989 who is visiting Tennessee and operating a boat with more than 8.5 horsepower needs a boating education certificate approved by NASBLA. TWRA says it will accept any NASBLA-approved boating safety certificate.
• Moving to Tennessee. Ask TWRA before you count on a card from your old state. TWRA's handbook says Tennessee residents must carry the certificate issued by TWRA, and that only the TWRA-issued certificate is accepted as meeting the requirements of Tennessee law.
• Renting a boat. TWRA says a state law requires that people who rent motorized watercraft be given an orientation for that kind of vessel. The renter signs a check sheet, and the rental business keeps it on file for at least 30 days. TWRA lists exemptions, including anyone born on or before January 1, 1989, Tennessee residents who hold the TWRA-issued card, and visitors who hold a NASBLA-approved certification. Ask the rental business what to bring.

What else do you need to boat in Tennessee?

A registered boat, life jackets, a clear head and, if you fish, a fishing license.

• Registration. TWRA says Tennessee law requires all mechanically powered vessels and all sailboats principally used in Tennessee to be registered. How to move your boat to Watts Bar Lake covers that step.
• Life jackets. TWRA says you must have one wearable device of the right size on board for each person. TWRA also says children 12 and younger must wear one on the open deck of a recreational boat, except when it is anchored, moored or aground.
• A clear head. TWRA's handbook says Tennessee law prohibits anyone from boating under the influence.
• A fishing license, if you fish. The boating certificate does not cover fishing. TWRA handles fishing licenses too.

What does this mean at Tennessee National?

Nothing different. The certificate is a state rule, and it works the same on Watts Bar Lake as on any other Tennessee water.

Tennessee National is a private, gated lake and golf community on Watts Bar Lake in Loudon, Tennessee. It has a full-service marina with 140+ boat slips. Life on the water here includes pontoon cruises, kayaks and sunset runs.

A few practical points:

• The certificate comes from TWRA. It does not come from the community or the marina. Sort it out for every driver before the boat goes in the water.
• A slip is a separate question. Ask the marina about a slip for the boat you have in mind. Start at boat slips. The longer list of questions is in the marina checklist.
• Renting. Whether boats can be rented at the marina or nearby on Watts Bar Lake is a question for the marina.
• You may not need a boat at all. Do you need a boat to live at Tennessee National? covers life here without one.

The honest part

The card is the easy part. It is a course and a test. It is not time at the helm.

Watts Bar Lake has more than 39,000 acres of water and 722 miles of shoreline. A new boater needs slow, careful hours on a lake that size, card or no card. If the rule does not apply to you, the course can still be worth the time. TWRA says people who do not need the certification may save on boat insurance by getting one. Ask your agent.

One more thing. TWRA's handbook says of itself that it is not a legal document, and this page is not one either. Everything here comes from TWRA's boating education pages, its Boating in Tennessee page and its boating handbook. Rules and fees change. Before you rely on any of it, read TWRA's current pages at tn.gov/twra or ask TWRA.

Facts about Tennessee National come from the community. Lake facts come from TVA. Rules, taxes, loans and insurance change, so confirm anything that affects a purchase with the right office or professional before you buy.