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GEORGIA BOATING LAW

You must have a Georgia Certificate of Boat Registration and a validation decal to legally operate your boat or personal watercraft on public waters in Georgia. The only exceptions are:

• Sailboats under 12 feet in length

• Canoes, kayaks, rowboats and rubber rafts that have no mechanical propulsion (i.e., are paddled, poled, oared or windblown)

• Boats operated exclusively on private ponds or lakes

• A boat less than 16 feet in length which is either non-motorized or powered by a motor of 30 horsepower or less, only if they are accompanied by a competent adult.

Children 12 or 13 years of age:

• May legally operate a non-motorized boat less than 16 feet in length without limitations.
• May legally operate a boat less than 16 feet in length powered by a motor of 30 horsepower or less only if they:
  • Have passed a boating safety course approved by the Georgia DNR, or
  • Are accompanied by a competent adult, or
  • Are under direct supervision of a competent adult

Children 14 or 15 years of age:

• May legally operate a non-motorized boat less than 16 feet in length without limitations
• May legally operate any other boat only if they:
  • Have passed a boating safety course approved by the Department of Natural Resources
  • Are accompanied by a competent adult
  • Are under direct supervision of a competent adult

It is illegal for the owner or person in control of a motorboat to allow someone who does not meet the age or boating education requirements to operate the vessel.   

Boats bearing valid registration from another state need not be registered in Georgia unless they are used in Georgia for more than 60 consecutive days.

A recreational boat, owned by a U. S. citizen, may (at the option of the owner) apply for a U. S. Coast Guards "Certificate of Documentation" if it weighs 5 or more net tons. Call the USCGs Documentation Center at 1-800-799-8362 for more information.