Tennessee · TWRA-approved
Who Needs a Boating License in Tennessee?
Know the rules. Get certified. Make every day on the water count.
- TWRA-approved
- NASBLA-certified
- 100% online, age 12+
- Unlimited exam retakes
If you were born after January 1, 1989, Tennessee law requires you to carry a TWRA-issued Boating Safety Education Certificate whenever you operate a vessel powered by more than 8.5 horsepower. That includes bass boats, pontoons, ski boats and every personal watercraft. If you were born on or before that date, no certificate is required. The course is online, open to anyone 12 and older, and there is no in-person test.
40
questions
80%
to pass
~3 hrs
to finish
Never
expires
Do you need a certificate?
Born in 1989? The cutoff is January 1, 1989. Born January 2, 1989 or later means yes.
| Were you born… | Do you need the certificate? |
|---|---|
| After January 1, 1989 | Yes, to operate anything over 8.5 hp |
| On or before January 1, 1989 | No |
| Outside Tennessee, after Jan 1, 1989 | Yes — a NASBLA-approved card from your home state is accepted |
Age rules on Tennessee water
- 01
Under 12
Adult 18+ aboard and able to take control; no PWC operation.
- 02
12–15
Course open at 12; certified boat operation, with PWC age restrictions.
- 03
16+
Born after Jan 1, 1989? Carry your certificate; no supervision needed.
- 04
Born on/before Jan 1 1989
No certificate required.
- Under 12: may operate a boat over 8.5 hp only when an adult 18 or older who can take immediate control is on board. Cannot operate a personal watercraft.
- 12 to 15: may take the course and operate once certified. PWC operation opens at 12 and 13 on January 1, 2027 (weekdays except holidays, or any day under direct adult supervision) under Public Chapter 584.
- 16 and older, born after Jan 1, 1989: certificate required, no supervision needed.
Your next day on the water starts here.
Join the Tennessee boaters who certified with ABF this season
The supervision exemption
You can legally operate without a certificate if an adult 18 or older who was born on or before January 1, 1989 (or who holds a valid certificate) is on board and able to take immediate control of the boat. This covers a parent running a teenager through a season before they certify. It does not cover a group of friends all born after 1989.
What the certificate covers
The Tennessee certificate is NASBLA-approved and does not expire. It satisfies the requirement for motorboats, pontoons and personal watercraft on all Tennessee waters, including TVA and Corps of Engineers lakes. Visiting another state? Most states honor a NASBLA card; check the destination state's rule for visitors.
Carrying proof
You must have your certificate with you while operating. Print your temporary certificate the moment you pass. We report your completion to TWRA, and TWRA mails your permanent Boating Safety Certification of Completion wallet card. Tennessee also requires a one-time $10 Boating Safety Exam Permit, bought from TWRA on GoOutdoorsTennessee.com or at any hunting-and-fishing license agent; buy it after you pass, and make sure your address there is current because that is where the card is mailed. Your record also appears in the TWRA On the Go app, and any TWRA license agent can replace a lost card for $5.
Rules the course will teach you (and the exam will ask)
- Children 12 and under must wear a life jacket on the open deck of a moving vessel.
- Personal watercraft may operate only between sunrise and sunset, and may not jump another boat's wake within 100 feet of it.
- Stay at idle speed within 300 feet of a commercial dock.
- Towing a skier requires either a wide-angle mirror or an observer at least 12 years old, and only between sunrise and sunset.
- Wakeboarding and wakesurfing are illegal within 200 feet of a shoreline, dock, pier or boathouse, and on any lake under 50 acres.
- 0.08% BAC is boating under the influence, same as the road.
- Report any accident with injury, death or more than $2,000 in damage to TWRA.
Frequently asked questions
It depends on your birth date, not your age. Anyone born after January 1, 1989 needs the certificate, which means the requirement now reaches boaters in their late thirties and will keep moving up each year.
One thing: the $10 Boating Safety Exam Permit, sold on GoOutdoorsTennessee.com and by every hunting-and-fishing license agent. It applies to every course provider, including the free one. Buy it after you pass our course; TWRA uses it to open your record and mail your card.
Yes. Tennessee doesn't issue a "license"; the legal document is the TWRA Boating Safety Education Certificate. People search for both names.
No. Once issued it is valid for life.
Yes. The TWRA approves fully online courses for anyone 12 and older, with no classroom or in-person exam.
If you were born after January 1, 1989 you need a NASBLA-approved boater education card from your home state. Tennessee accepts it.
No. The requirement applies only to vessels powered by more than 8.5 horsepower.
Get your Tennessee certificate today.
TWRA-approved, fully online, finish in one sitting.