Do you need a boating license in Arizona?
Arizona's boating law is in Title 5, Chapter 3 of the Arizona Revised Statutes. It covers registration, equipment, operation, personal watercraft and boating under the influence. It does not require adults to pass a boating exam or carry a boater education card.
The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) still encourages every boater to take a course. AZGFD lists three formats:
- Classroom courses taught in person
- Home study courses, with a free packet you can request
- Online courses from approved providers
AZGFD does not offer hands-on power boat training. It does offer hands-on paddlesports classes.
Court-ordered courses
A judge may order you to complete a boating safety course after a boating ticket. Pick an approved course, finish it, and send your certificate of completion to the court yourself. AZGFD does not tell the court that you finished.
A good course teaches the national Navigation Rules, required equipment, buoys and markers, what to do in an emergency, and the state laws in this guide. It is a good way to learn how to share busy lakes like Lake Havasu, Lake Pleasant and Saguaro Lake safely.
Registration and numbering
In Arizona, all motorboats must be registered, whatever their size or type of motor. This includes canoes with a motor, even an electric trolling motor. AZGFD handles registration and renewals.
| Rule | What Arizona requires |
|---|---|
| Who registers | Every motorboat, including canoes with motors |
| First registration | Valid for 12 months |
| Renewals | Staggered, based on the last two digits of the AZ number |
| Number | Each side of the forward half, block letters at least 3 inches high, reading left to right |
| Decals | 3 inches in front of the AZ on both sides |
| Visiting boats | Up to 90 days with home state or Coast Guard numbering |
A boat from another state may use its home registration for up to 90 days. If it stays in use in Arizona longer, the owner must register it in Arizona.
Life jackets and equipment
Arizona follows the Coast Guard rule that every boat must carry one wearable, Coast Guard approved life jacket in good condition for each person on board. A.R.S. 5-331 adds rules about who must wear one.
- Children 12 and younger must wear a properly fitting life jacket whenever the boat is underway.
- Anyone being towed on skis, a tube or a similar device must wear a wearable life jacket.
- Everyone on a personal watercraft must wear a wearable life jacket.
AZGFD also says vessels 16 feet or longer, except canoes and kayaks, must carry one throwable device. Inflatable life jackets are not approved for people under 16 or for PWC riding or towed sports.
Check the fit: a snug life jacket stays in place when lifted at the shoulders.
- Zip the front closed.
- Fasten the chest buckles.
- Pull the side straps snug.
- Lift test: when someone pulls up at the shoulders, the jacket stays below the chin.
Age limits and safe operation
Arizona has no general minimum age to run a boat, but A.R.S. 5-341 limits young operators. A person under 12 may not operate a watercraft with a motor of more than 8 horsepower unless an adult is on board. The only exception is an emergency. Adults may not let a child break this rule.
Riding positions
Above wakeless speed, no one may ride on the gunwales, transom or decked-over bow of a motorboat. This does not apply to boats built for passengers in those spots, or while you anchor, moor or cast off. Passengers on the bow must never block the operator's view.
Careless operation
It is illegal to operate a watercraft in a careless, reckless or negligent way. The same rule applies to people on water skis, surfboards and similar devices. Keep your speed reasonable for the conditions, and slow down so your wake does not swamp other boats or put people in danger.
Personal watercraft
Arizona defines a personal watercraft (PWC) as a vessel under 16 feet that uses a water jet pump and that you ride on, sitting, standing or kneeling, rather than inside.
- Everyone on board must wear a wearable life jacket.
- If the maker installed a lanyard cut-off switch, attach the lanyard to your body, clothing or life jacket.
- The throttle must spring back to idle, or another engine cut-off must work, if the maker installed one.
- Do not carry more people or gear than the maker allows.
Arizona lists acts that, when two or more happen at the same time, are evidence of reckless PWC operation. They include riding closer than 60 feet to another watercraft (unless both are at flat wake or very slow speed), blocking another operator's view, jumping a motorboat's wake within 60 feet, and swerving sharply near another boat. Owners and renters may not let anyone break these rules.
Alcohol and drugs
Operating under the influence (OUI) is a crime in Arizona. A.R.S. 5-395 makes it unlawful to operate or be in actual physical control of a motorized watercraft that is underway while impaired, or with an alcohol concentration of 0.08 or more within two hours of operating. For a commercial watercraft, the limit is 0.04.
Officers can ask for a breath or blood test, and a refusal can be used as evidence. Sun, wind, noise and boat motion make alcohol affect you faster on the water. Pick a sober operator before you leave the dock.
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".
- Title 5, Chapter 3
- The part of the Arizona Revised Statutes holding the state's boating law, covering registration, equipment, operation, PWC and boating under the influence.
- No boater card required
- Arizona does not make adults pass a boating exam or carry a boater education card, though courses are encouraged.
- AZGFD
- The Arizona Game and Fish Department, which handles boat registration and offers classroom, home study and online safety courses.
- Court-ordered course
- A judge may order a safety course after a boating ticket. You must send the completion certificate to the court yourself.
- Motorboat registration
- Every motorboat in Arizona must be registered, including a canoe with an electric trolling motor. A first registration lasts 12 months.
- Registration number
- Shown on each side of the forward half in block letters at least 3 inches high, with decals 3 inches in front of the AZ.
- Visiting boats
- A boat from another state may use its home or Coast Guard numbering in Arizona for up to 90 days.
- Child life jacket rule
- Children 12 and younger must wear a properly fitting life jacket whenever the boat is underway.
- Underway
- A boat that is not anchored, tied up or aground. A drifting boat still counts as underway.
- Throwable device
- Vessels 16 feet or longer, except canoes and kayaks, must carry one in addition to wearable life jackets.
- Under-12 operator limit
- A child under 12 may not run a boat with a motor over 8 horsepower unless an adult is on board, except in an emergency.
- Personal watercraft
- In Arizona, a vessel under 16 feet with a water jet pump that you ride on rather than inside. Everyone aboard wears a life jacket.
- Lanyard cut-off switch
- If the maker installed one on a PWC, attach the lanyard to your body, clothing or life jacket.
- Reckless PWC operation
- Shown by two or more acts at once, such as riding within 60 feet of another craft or jumping a wake within 60 feet.
- Operating under the influence
- A crime under A.R.S. 5-395: running an underway motorized watercraft while impaired, or at 0.08 or more within two hours.
- Commercial watercraft limit
- Operators of commercial watercraft in Arizona face a lower alcohol concentration limit of 0.04.