DE · State boating guide

Delaware
boating laws

Last verified October 28, 2026

At a glance

Boater card: Required for specified operators; anyone born on or after January 1, 1978 who operates a vessel required to be registered (motorboats and PWC) on Delaware waters; licensed USCG captains are exempt
Operating age: PWC: 16 and older on their own; 14 and 15 only with a boating safety certificate and under the direct supervision of an adult (statute: parent or guardian) on board. No state minimum age is set for other motorboats, but anyone born on or after January 1, 1978 needs the certificate.
Life-jacket age rule: Children 12 and under must wear a life jacket while underway, unless below deck or in an enclosed cabin, or while the boat is anchored or moored.
BUI / BAC limit: 0.08 BAC
Registration fee: $20.00–$360.00; Published categories; see fees and exceptions below.
Registration term: 1 year / 3 years

The short answer

Do I need a boating license in Delaware?

Delaware Certificate of Boating Safety Education is required for anyone born on or after January 1, 1978 who operates a vessel required to be registered (motorboats and PWC) on Delaware waters; licensed USCG captains are exempt.

Confirm with Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), Division of Fish and Wildlife, Office of Boating Safety and Education ↗

Delaware requires anyone born on or after January 1, 1978 to complete an approved boating safety course before operating a boat that must be registered. Every motorboat, including electric-powered boats, principally used in Delaware must be registered with DNREC for one or three calendar years. Children 12 and under must wear a life jacket, everyone on a personal watercraft must wear one, and the legal limit is 0.08 BAC.

Before you operate

Boater education & operating age

Delaware boater education requirements
Requirement	Details
Education required	Yes — see who needs a card below
Who needs a card	anyone born on or after January 1, 1978 who operates a vessel required to be registered (motorboats and PWC) on Delaware waters; licensed USCG captains are exempt
Card or certificate	Delaware Certificate of Boating Safety Education
Minimum operating age	PWC: 16 and older on their own; 14 and 15 only with a boating safety certificate and under the direct supervision of an adult (statute: parent or guardian) on board. No state minimum age is set for other motorboats, but anyone born on or after January 1, 1978 needs the certificate.
Out-of-state cards	A NASBLA-approved boating safety education certificate issued by any state is accepted (Del. Code tit. 23, section 2221(b)).

Find an officially approved course

Your boat’s paperwork

Boat registration & fees

Every motorboat, including electric-powered boats, whose state of principal use is Delaware. Non-resident boats used or kept in Delaware waters more than 60 days must register. Registrations run by calendar year for one or three years. Unregistered boats using DNREC tidal boat ramps need a $35 boat ramp certificate.

Class A (less than 16 feet), 1 year$20.00
Class A (less than 16 feet), 3 years$60.00
Class 1 (16 to less than 26 feet), 1 year$40.00
Class 1 (16 to less than 26 feet), 3 years$120.00
Class 2 (26 to less than 40 feet), 1 year$60.00
Class 2 (26 to less than 40 feet), 3 years$180.00
Class 3 (40 to less than 65 feet), 1 year$100.00
Class 3 (40 to less than 65 feet), 3 years$300.00
Class 4 (65 feet and over), 1 year$120.00
Class 4 (65 feet and over), 3 years$360.00

Registration fee data and sources

Delaware registration fees · USD
Boat / fee category	Fee	Term	Source
Class A (less than 16 feet), 1 year	$20.00	1 year	Official source: Class A (less than 16 feet), 1 year ↗
Class A (less than 16 feet), 3 years	$60.00	3 years	Official source: Class A (less than 16 feet), 3 years ↗
Class 1 (16 to less than 26 feet), 1 year	$40.00	1 year	Official source: Class 1 (16 to less than 26 feet), 1 year ↗
Class 1 (16 to less than 26 feet), 3 years	$120.00	3 years	Official source: Class 1 (16 to less than 26 feet), 3 years ↗
Class 2 (26 to less than 40 feet), 1 year	$60.00	1 year	Official source: Class 2 (26 to less than 40 feet), 1 year ↗
Class 2 (26 to less than 40 feet), 3 years	$180.00	3 years	Official source: Class 2 (26 to less than 40 feet), 3 years ↗
Class 3 (40 to less than 65 feet), 1 year	$100.00	1 year	Official source: Class 3 (40 to less than 65 feet), 1 year ↗
Class 3 (40 to less than 65 feet), 3 years	$300.00	3 years	Official source: Class 3 (40 to less than 65 feet), 3 years ↗
Class 4 (65 feet and over), 1 year	$120.00	1 year	Official source: Class 4 (65 feet and over), 1 year ↗
Class 4 (65 feet and over), 3 years	$360.00	3 years	Official source: Class 4 (65 feet and over), 3 years ↗

Published registration fees in USD. Bar lengths compare the listed amounts; terms and official sources appear in the data table below.

Registration details from the agency

Personal watercraft (Jet Ski) rules

Everyone on a PWC, operator and passengers, must wear a life jacket at all times.
If the PWC has a lanyard engine cut-off, it must be attached to the operator.
No PWC operation between sunset and sunrise unless the craft has the required navigation lights.
Headway speed within 100 feet of docks, piers, shore, swimmers and anchored boats; 300 feet in parts of the Inland Bays near towns and along the ocean.
No jumping the wake of another vessel within 100 feet of it, and no following within 100 feet of a water skier.
A PWC towing a skier must carry a competent observer facing the person towed, and be designed to carry the operator, observer and skier.

Towing & watersports

Anyone being towed behind a vessel must wear a life jacket.
A PWC towing a water skier, aquaboard or similar device must carry a competent observer in addition to the operator, facing the person towed, and must be designed to carry the operator, observer and the person towed.

Life jacket rules

Carry a USCG-approved life jacket for each person on board.
Children 12 and under must wear a life jacket while underway, unless below deck or in an enclosed cabin, or while the boat is anchored or moored.
Everyone on a PWC must wear a life jacket.
Anyone being towed must wear a life jacket.
Since January 2026, operators of boats under 26 feet must use an engine cut-off switch link where one is installed.

Boating under the influence

Published limit: 0.08 BAC. Read the linked official guidance for the full rule and any age-specific provisions.

At a glance

Boater education applies to anyone born on or after January 1, 1978.
Out-of-state NASBLA-approved boating cards are accepted.
Electric-powered boats must be registered too.
Registration starts at $20 a year, or $60 for three years, for boats under 16 feet.
Unregistered boats using state tidal ramps need a $35 boat ramp certificate.

Plan your day