Ohio Watercraft Safety

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – Boating is a summertime recreation that many Ohioans enjoy.

Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Parks and Watercraft Lieutenant Tim Boyd talked about boating safety and shared some of the requirements that Ohio boaters are expected to meet.

“Anyone who is operating a vessel more than ten horsepower that was born on or after January 1st, 1982 is required to have an Ohio boating education license, or boating education course, boating education license in order to operate that vessel. Anyone that’s not operating a vessel over ten horsepower is not required to have a license in the state of Ohio. And in order to obtain the license you can go to an online course, you can do an in person course with one of our natural resource officers or certified OBEC instructor,” Boyd said.

Ohio Watercraft can range from tiny kayaks and sailboats that are hand and wind powered to large yachts that navigate the larger waterways but all are required to be registered by the state.

“All vessels in the state of Ohio are required to have a boating registration. That includes Kayaks and canoes. The only exception to that is stand up paddleboards. In regards to canoes and kayaks you can get an alternative registration decal, which will take the place of the two regular registration decals that go on the side of a normal vessel. There is a slight decrease in the fee for that but that is another option for hand powered vessels,” Boyd said.

Boyd stressed that all vessels must have a lifejacket per occupant and that alcohol consumption is prohibited on state waterways. For more information about boating registration, requirements and safety instructions you can reach out to the Ohio Division of Parks and Watercraft.