Who needs an Alabama vessel license
Alabama has a true boating license, not just an education card. Anyone who operates a motorized vessel on Alabama waters must be licensed, and that includes personal watercraft.
The license is run by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA). Its Marine Patrol Division oversees boating education and the licensing of all boat operators. The license itself is handled through ALEA driver license offices, which add the vessel class V to your license.
Age rules
| Age | What the law allows |
|---|---|
| Under 12 | May not operate any motorized vessel, including a personal watercraft (PWC). |
| 12 and 13 | May get a license, but may operate only when a licensed person 21 or older is on board and seated where they can take immediate control. |
| 14 and older | May operate alone once licensed. |
ALEA's driver license page calls the license for applicants under 14 a Vessel Learner License. The learner must be with a vessel-licensed person who is 21 or older.
Your license must be in your possession whenever you operate.
How to get the license
Alabama residents apply at an ALEA (Department of Public Safety) driver license examining office in their county. The steps are:
- Fill in the application at the driver license examining office.
- Answer the medical questions.
- Pass the written or oral exam, or show proof that you are exempt.
- Have the V class added to your license at an ALEA driver license exam office.
Young applicants must bring proof of age and identity. ALEA lists a certified birth certificate, the original Social Security card and a certified statement from the school superintendent with the student's name, date of birth and address.
Ways to skip the exam
You do not have to take the exam if you show one of these when you apply:
- A completion certificate from a Marine Patrol-approved course, such as the Boat Alabama classroom course or a state-approved online course.
- A certificate from a U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary or U.S. Power Squadron boating course.
- A valid U.S. Coast Guard motorboat operator's license.
People born before April 28, 1954, are also exempt from the exam. That date marks everyone who was 40 or older when the age exemption was set in 1994.
An approved course is a structured way to learn the material. Courses cover the Navigation Rules, required equipment, lights, buoys and emergencies, which are the national topics in the second part of this practice test.
Visitors from other states
Since October 1, 2024, nonresidents may operate on Alabama waters only if they hold a valid boater safety or vessel operator certification from their home state or country. If they do not have one, they can get a Nonresident Alabama Boater Safety Certification under the same terms as residents.
Life jackets and equipment
Every boat must carry one wearable Coast Guard-approved life jacket for each person on board or being towed. Boats 16 feet or longer also need a throwable device. Life jackets must be in good condition, the right size and readily accessible.
Alabama adds rules about who must wear one:
- Children under 8 must wear a properly secured life jacket at all times on any boat, except inside an enclosed cabin.
- Everyone on a personal watercraft must wear one.
- Everyone being towed behind a boat or PWC must wear one.
- Everyone on a boat within 800 feet below a hydroelectric dam or a navigational lock and dam must wear one.
Navigation lights are required from sunset to sunrise and in fog or heavy rain. Flashing blue lights are only for law enforcement boats.
Personal watercraft and towing
PWC operators follow the same age and license rules as other boat operators: no one under 12, licensed 12- and 13-year-olds only with a licensed person 21 or older, and licensed operators 14 and older alone.
- A PWC must have a lanyard engine cut-off switch unless it has a self-circling feature.
- A PWC that tows someone must have mirrors on both sides, not mounted on the steering. An observer does not replace the mirrors.
Towing skiers and tubers from a boat
A boat towing a skier must have an observer at least 12 years old, in addition to the operator, who watches the skier and tells the operator what is happening. Instead of an observer, a boat may use a wide-angle mirror that gives at least a 170-degree view and meets the size rule.
Do not run above plane speed when people or gear block your view. Everyone being towed must wear a life jacket.
Alcohol, accidents and safe operation
Boating under the influence
Operating a vessel with a blood alcohol level of 0.08 percent or more is illegal in Alabama, and so is operating while impaired by alcohol, drugs or any other substance. If you refuse a breath test or other approved test, your vessel license is automatically suspended.
Rules on the water
- Keep at least 100 feet from a diver's flag.
- Do not make a hazardous wake when passing other boats or entering or leaving a harbor or marina.
- Obey all marked speed zones.
- Get a permit at least 15 days before a regatta, race, parade, tournament or exhibition.
Alabama treats some habits as careless operation: riding on a bow without handrails, sitting on the gunwale while moving above idle speed, and making a hazardous wake in a crowded area.
Accidents
If an accident causes a death, an injury or damage above the state threshold, the operator must send a report to the ALEA Marine Patrol Division within 24 hours, on a form from Marine Patrol or a county sheriff's office.
Key terms
The 16 words and rules to know for this test. Read the list or study them as flashcards: flip each card, then mark it "Know it" or "Still learning".
- ALEA
- The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Its Marine Patrol Division oversees boating education and licensing of boat operators.
- Vessel class V
- The class added to your Alabama driver license at an ALEA office, which makes it a boating license.
- Minimum operating age
- In Alabama, no one under 12 may operate any motorized vessel, including a personal watercraft.
- Vessel Learner License
- ALEA's license for applicants under 14. A 12 or 13 year old may operate only with a vessel-licensed person 21 or older on board.
- Operating alone
- Licensed Alabama operators aged 14 and older may run a boat or PWC by themselves.
- Exam exemption
- A Marine Patrol-approved course certificate, a Coast Guard Auxiliary or Power Squadron course, or a Coast Guard operator's license lets you skip the exam.
- April 28, 1954
- People born before this date are exempt from the Alabama boating exam.
- Nonresident certification
- Since October 1, 2024, visitors need a boater certification from home or a Nonresident Alabama Boater Safety Certification.
- Children's life jacket rule
- Children under 8 must wear a secured life jacket at all times on any boat, except inside an enclosed cabin.
- Below-dam life jacket rule
- Everyone on a boat within 800 feet below a hydroelectric dam or a lock and dam must wear a life jacket.
- Lanyard cut-off switch
- Required on a personal watercraft unless it has a self-circling feature. It stops the engine if the rider falls off.
- Skier observer
- A person at least 12 years old, besides the operator, who watches a towed skier. A 170-degree wide-angle mirror can be used instead.
- Alabama BUI limit
- Operating with a blood alcohol level of 0.08 percent or more is illegal. Refusing a test automatically suspends your vessel license.
- Diver's flag distance
- Stay at least 100 feet away from a diver's flag on Alabama waters.
- Careless operation
- Habits such as riding on a bow without handrails, sitting on the gunwale above idle speed, or making a hazardous wake in a crowded area.
- Accident report
- After a death, injury or damage above the threshold, report to the ALEA Marine Patrol Division within 24 hours.