A Maryland boater is convicted of 2 boating violations on operation or safety equipment. Within what period does that bring a required boating safety course?Answer: Within a 2-year period. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-740
A Maryland boater signs an affidavit of having read and understood the Department's safety materials. What may be issued?Answer: A 30-day temporary certificate of boating safety education. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-712.2(c)
A Maryland operator who needs the certificate is stopped for another reason. What must the operator do with it?Answer: Show it on the demand of a Natural Resources police officer or other law enforcement officer. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-712.2(a)(2)
A Maryland public school offers the boating safety course. What is the most the statute lets the course be required to run?Answer: 6 classes, or a total of 8 hours. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-712.2(b)
A numbered vessel is out for pleasure on Maryland waters. How many people aboard must hold the certificate or be exempt, under section 8-712.2(a)(4)?Answer: At least 1. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-712.2(a)(4)
Show all 113 questions (108 more)
Certificate of boating safety education, continued
A resident of another state, aged 20, visits Maryland in a boat numbered at home. For how long is the visitor exempt from the certificate rule?Answer: 60 days or less. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-712.2(a)(3)
A visitor arrives in Maryland in a vessel from a country other than the United States. For how long does the certificate exemption last?Answer: 90 days or less. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-712.2(a)(3)
Besides passing the Department's course, how can a person earn Maryland's certificate of boating safety education?Answer: By passing a boating safety equivalency examination. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-712.2(c)
The Department has a record of a lost Maryland certificate. What does replacing it cost the holder?Answer: Nothing; it is replaced without charge. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-712.2(c)
For whom must the Maryland course be available at the earliest practicable age?Answer: Children in boating communities. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-712.2(b)
How many times may Maryland's 30-day temporary certificate be renewed?Answer: Once, for 1 additional 30-day period. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-712.2(c)
Maryland's boating safety education requirement in section 8-712.2 turns on a birth date. Which one?Answer: July 1, 1972. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-712.2(a)(1)
On which water does Maryland's certificate rule not apply at all?Answer: A body of water located on private property. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-712.2(a)(3)
Section 8-712.2(b) lists the Department's duties for boating safety education. What kind of test must it administer when appropriate?Answer: A verbal test. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-712.2(b)
Section 8-712.2(c)(3) says when the Department's boating safety education credential runs out. When?Answer: For the lifetime of the person it was issued to. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-712.2(c)
Section 8-712.2(f) limits how the boating safety education requirement is policed on the water. How?Answer: Only as a secondary action, after detaining the operator for another suspected violation. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-712.2(f)
What does Maryland provide, on request, to a person who plans to take the equivalency examination?Answer: Boating safety education materials, without charge. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-712.2(c)
Where must Maryland's Department make sure a course of boating safety education is available?Answer: Within each county. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-712.2(b)
Which of these is sufficient in place of the Department's own certificate, under section 8-712.2(c)(5)?Answer: A license issued by the U.S. Coast Guard. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-712.2(c)
Which operator is exempt from Maryland's certificate rule under section 8-712.2(a)(3)?Answer: A person operating a vessel in connection with commercial purposes. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-712.2(a)(3)
Which single conviction brings a required boating safety course in Maryland, with no second violation needed?Answer: Negligent operation. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-740
Who may revoke a Maryland certificate of boating safety education once it is issued?Answer: Neither the Department nor a court of law. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-712.2(c)
Operators under 16 and rentals 8
A 14-year-old with no certificate steers a 15-foot numbered boat in Maryland. Which supervisor aboard meets section 8-712.2(a)(5)(ii)?Answer: A person 18 or older who has a certificate of boating safety education. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-712.2(a)(5)
At what vessel length does section 8-712.2(a)(5) begin to ask that the supervisor of an operator under 16 be 18 or older?Answer: 11 feet. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-712.2(a)(5)
Below what age does section 8-712.2(a)(5) set its own rules for operating a numbered vessel in Maryland?Answer: Under 16. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-712.2(a)(5)
How old must the operator of a Maryland vessel that is towing a water skier be?Answer: At least 12. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-725
What does seaworthy condition mean for a rental vessel in section 8-712.3?Answer: Able to withstand the ordinary stress of wind, waves and other weather it might normally meet. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-712.3
What must a Maryland livery vessel owner, or the agent or employee renting the vessel, possess?Answer: A boating safety certificate approved by the Department. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-712.3
Which supervisor of an operator under 16 is named in section 8-712.2(a)(5)(iii) with no certificate mentioned?Answer: A person aboard who was born before July 1, 1972. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-712.2(a)(5)
Who is a livery vessel owner in section 8-712.3?Answer: A person in the business of renting a vessel under 16 feet for less than 24 hours. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-712.3
Life jackets for children 10
Below what age does Maryland ask for extra features on a child's flotation device?Answer: Under 4 years. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-743
Section 8-743 defines the vessels its child life jacket rule covers. Which vessel is left out of the definition?Answer: One carrying passengers for hire under an individual licensed by the U.S. Coast Guard. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-743
Section 8-743 requires a child to wear a flotation device on vessels of what length?Answer: Under 21 feet. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-743
Section 8-743(c) excuses a youngster from the wearing rule in one part of the boat. Which part?Answer: Below deck or in an enclosed cabin. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-743
What does section 8-743 ask for so that a child under 4 can be reached readily from the vessel?Answer: A web handle. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-743
When does Maryland's child flotation device rule not apply to a vessel?Answer: When the vessel is moored or anchored. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-743
Which feature does section 8-743 name to hold a child under 4 securely within the device?Answer: A strap secured between the child's legs. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-743
Which feature does section 8-743 name to keep a child under 4 afloat?Answer: An inflatable headrest or high collar. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-743
Which of these must be true of the device a child wears under section 8-743?Answer: It is securely and properly attached to the child. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-743
Who is a child for the purposes of Maryland's flotation device section 8-743?Answer: An individual under the age of 13 years. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-743
Speed limits and reckless operation 13
Besides reckless operation on open water, what does section 8-738.2 forbid?Answer: Coming into a wharf or bathing shore recklessly or so as to endanger a person or property. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-738.2
COMAR 08.18.01.03 gives idle speed a meaning in knots and steerage. Which is it?Answer: The slowest boat speed needed to maintain steerage, not over 3 knots. Source: COMAR 08.18.01.03
How many vessels make a marine gathering under Maryland's section 8-725.8?Answer: At least 100. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-725.8
In an area posted 6 knots, what else does the Maryland definition forbid besides exceeding the speed?Answer: Towing an individual on a ski, aquaplane or similar device. Source: COMAR 08.18.01.03
Maryland's 6 knot speed limit equals how many statute miles per hour in the regulation?Answer: 6.9. Source: COMAR 08.18.01.03
Near which of these may Maryland's Department set a speed zone by public notice when public safety is at risk?Answer: A construction project on or adjacent to State waters. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-725.9
The Secretary sets a new speed zone by public notice. How far ahead must the notice appear on the Department's website?Answer: At least 24 hours before it takes effect. Source: COMAR 08.18.01.04
What does boat speed mean in Maryland's boating regulations?Answer: Speed through the water. Source: COMAR 08.18.01.03
What is the top boat speed in a Maryland minimum wake zone?Answer: 3 knots. Source: COMAR 08.18.01.03
What must the sponsor of a marine gathering obtain in Maryland?Answer: A written permit from the Department. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-725.8
Which dates make up the boating season in Maryland's boating regulations?Answer: April 15 to October 15. Source: COMAR 08.18.01.03
Which of these is not a marine gathering under section 8-725.8?Answer: Vessels docked or moored at a marina. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-725.8
Whose computation of sunrise and sunset do Maryland's boating regulations use?Answer: The U.S. Naval Observatory's. Source: COMAR 08.18.01.03
Water skiing and towing 11
A Maryland boat towing a skier passes another vessel. How much room must its operator leave?Answer: At least 100 feet. Source: COMAR 08.18.01.06
Besides a personal flotation device, what may a person being towed behind a Maryland vessel wear instead?Answer: A barefoot wet suit or a trick skiing wet suit. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-725
Between which times may no person be towed on water skis behind a vessel in Maryland?Answer: Between sunset and sunrise. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-725
For which kind of skiing does Maryland allow a towline of 100 feet?Answer: Barefoot skiing. Source: COMAR 08.18.01.06
From where may a skier begin a run under Maryland's towing regulation?Answer: From shore, a boat deck or a wharf. Source: COMAR 08.18.01.06
How far must a Maryland motorboat towing a skier keep from the shore, a pier or people in the water?Answer: At least 100 feet. Source: COMAR 08.18.01.06
Section 8-725(b) puts a second person in the towing boat to watch the skier. What is that watcher's minimum age?Answer: At least 12. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-725
What is parasailing in the State Boat Act's definitions?Answer: A parachute or other device that makes a person airborne when towed by a vessel. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-701
What is the longest towline Maryland allows for ordinary water skiing?Answer: 75 feet. Source: COMAR 08.18.01.06
What is wake surfing in Maryland's boating regulations?Answer: Free riding on a board behind an artificially ballasted boat at slow speeds. Source: COMAR 08.18.01.03
Who is outside Maryland's towing section 8-725 altogether?Answer: A performer engaged in a professional exhibition. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-725
Personal watercraft 16
A Maryland personal watercraft runs near another vessel. Inside what distance is it held to 6 knots?Answer: 100 feet. Source: COMAR 08.18.02.05
A Maryland personal watercraft tows a water skier. What capacity must the craft have?Answer: Three persons: the driver, a rear facing observer and the skier. Source: COMAR 08.18.02.05
COMAR 08.18.02.03 leaves some personal watercraft out of the chapter that governs them. Which?Answer: Those used solely for emergency rescue operations and related training. Source: COMAR 08.18.02.03
COMAR 08.18.02.05E closes the water to personal watercraft in two situations. Which?Answer: Between sunset and sunrise, or within an area of restricted visibility. Source: COMAR 08.18.02.05
COMAR 08.18.02.05G singles out the specialty prop craft. Which fitting must it carry?Answer: A lanyard-type engine cutoff switch. Source: COMAR 08.18.02.05
COMAR 08.18.02.05P sets a shallow-water depth below which a personal watercraft may only idle. What depth?Answer: 18 inches. Source: COMAR 08.18.02.05
How old must the operator of a personal watercraft be in Maryland today?Answer: 16 years old or older. Source: COMAR 08.18.02.05
In the Maryland waters of the Atlantic Ocean, how far must a personal watercraft stay from people in the water or surf fishermen?Answer: 300 feet. Source: COMAR 08.18.02.05
On Maryland waters other than the ocean, what is the top speed for a personal watercraft within 100 feet of a shore, pier or people in the water?Answer: 6 knots. Source: COMAR 08.18.02.05
What does restricted visibility mean in Maryland's personal watercraft chapter?Answer: Visibility restricted by fog, mist, falling snow, heavy rainstorms or similar causes. Source: COMAR 08.18.02.04
What is a Class A vessel in Maryland's personal watercraft chapter?Answer: A motorboat less than 16 feet in length. Source: COMAR 08.18.02.04
Where must the Department's regulation sticker go on a Maryland personal watercraft?Answer: On the upper half of the vessel, where the operator can read it. Source: COMAR 08.18.02.05
Which act does Maryland's regulation list as negligent operation of a personal watercraft?Answer: Following within 100 feet of a water skier. Source: COMAR 08.18.02.05
Which craft is not a personal watercraft under the State Boat Act's definition?Answer: One designed for a person sitting, standing or kneeling in the vessel's hull. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-701
Which types of flotation device does Maryland accept on each person aboard a personal watercraft?Answer: Type I, Type II, Type III or Type V. Source: COMAR 08.18.02.05
With what must every personal watercraft in Maryland be equipped under regulation .05F?Answer: A self-circling device or a lanyard-type engine cutoff switch. Source: COMAR 08.18.02.05
Accidents, reports and police vessels 15
A boater renders help in good faith to a vessel in distress on Maryland waters, without objection. When is that person still liable for civil damage?Answer: Only if the act or omission amounts to gross negligence. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-724
A law enforcement vessel approaches with a flashing blue light in Maryland. What must another operator do, unless directed otherwise?Answer: Yield the right-of-way, stop, and stay there until it has passed. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-727
A Maryland boating collision injures another person. Where must the operator stop the vessel?Answer: As close as possible to the scene. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-724
A Maryland vessel shows an alternately flashing red and yellow light during a public safety activity. What privilege does the light give it?Answer: None; it is an identification signal only. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-727.1
A vessel numbered in Maryland has a reportable accident on waters outside the State. How long do the operator or owner have to report to the Department?Answer: 30 days. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-724
Besides damage of $2,000 or more, which loss makes a Maryland accident reportable?Answer: Complete loss of the vessel. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-724
How may a required Maryland boating accident report be used in court?Answer: It may not be referred to, subpoenaed or admitted as evidence. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-724
The person at the helm cannot write up a casualty for the Department. On whom does section 8-724(c) then put the duty?Answer: The vessel owner. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-724
Section 8-724(c) gives a longer deadline when a reportable casualty involves no death, disappearance or treatment beyond first aid. What is it?Answer: 10 days. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-724
Section 8-724(c) names a dollar figure at which a casualty with no injury still goes to the Department. What is the figure?Answer: $2,000 or more. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-724
Someone needs medical treatment beyond first aid after a casualty on the Chesapeake Bay. What deadline does section 8-724(c) set for the description?Answer: Within 48 hours. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-724
Trash is thrown into Maryland waters from a vessel. Who is liable under section 8-726?Answer: The operator, or the owner if present. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-726
What may a Natural Resources police officer do to any vessel subject to the State Boat Act?Answer: Stop, board or inspect it. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-727
Which of these is not a public safety activity under section 8-727.1?Answer: Routine towing. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-727.1
Who may display a flashing blue light on a vessel in Maryland?Answer: A police officer on a law enforcement agency's vessel. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-727
Noise, lights and labels 6
A Maryland vessel carries how many paying or guest passengers before it must have a ship-to-shore communication device?Answer: 25 or more. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-740.1
Section 8-725.5 opens with a group it leaves out of the sound limits. Who?Answer: Persons who regularly harvest seafood for sale, while actually harvesting. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-725.5
Section 8-725.5(b) sets a noise ceiling for vessels on Maryland waters. What is it?Answer: 90dB(a). Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-725.5
Vessels manufactured after which date must have a muffler or noise-suppressing system on Maryland waters?Answer: January 1, 1990. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-725.5
Where must the carbon monoxide warning labels of section 8-740.2 be placed?Answer: In conspicuous places near both the transom and the helm. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-740.2
Which gasoline-powered vessels need carbon monoxide warning labels in Maryland?Answer: Those made after July 31, 2007, with accommodation spaces, swim platforms or aft lounging areas. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-740.2
Numbering and definitions 12
A numbered Maryland vessel is sold. What happens to its certificate?Answer: It expires at the time of the sale. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-712
A vessel from another country uses Maryland waters temporarily. For how long is it outside the numbering rule?Answer: Less than 90 days. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-712
On what day of the year does a renewed Maryland certificate of number expire?Answer: December 31. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-712
Section 8-701 defines a motorboat. Does a Maryland sailboat that carries an auxiliary engine fit the definition?Answer: Yes; the machinery need not be the principal source of propulsion. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-701
Section 8-712(a) lists craft that need no boat number. Which of these is on the list?Answer: A vessel propelled only by sail. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-712
Section 8-712(a) says what triggers the duty to carry a boat number. What is the trigger?Answer: Any vessel equipped with propulsion machinery of any type. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-712
Section 8-712(c) caps the life of the numbering paper issued for a motorboat. What is the cap?Answer: 2 years. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-712
When is a vessel in use under the State Boat Act's definition?Answer: Whenever it is upon the water, whether moving, anchored or tied up. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-701
When must a Maryland certificate of boat number be available for inspection?Answer: When the vessel is in use. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-712
Where is Maryland's nonmotorized vessel decal displayed?Answer: On the exterior of the vessel. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-712.4
Where must the boat number be painted on or attached to a Maryland vessel?Answer: On each side of the forward half of the hull or superstructure. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-712
Which craft does Maryland's definition of vessel include by name?Answer: An ice boat. Source: Md. Nat. Res. 8-701
How this list was compiled: Written only from the Maryland State Boat Act, Natural Resources Article, Title 8, Subtitle 7 (sections 8-701, 8-712, 8-712.2, 8-712.3, 8-712.4, 8-724, 8-725, 8-725.5, 8-725.8, 8-725.9, 8-726, 8-727, 8-727.1, 8-738.2, 8-740, 8-740.1, 8-740.2 and 8-743), read on the General Assembly's site, https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/Statutes, and from the Code of Maryland Regulations, Title 08, Subtitle 18, chapter 01 (regulations .03, .04, .05 and .06) and chapter 02 on personal watercraft (regulations .01, .03, .04 and .05), read in the Library of Maryland Regulations, https://regs.maryland.gov/us/md/exec/comar/08.18, all on 2026-10-02. Each question names its section or regulation and links to it. That an examination exists is section 8-712.2: the certificate of boating safety education goes to a person who passes the Department's course or a boating safety equivalency examination. Neither the statute nor the regulations read give a number of questions or a pass mark, so none is stored here. Licence: Own work. Questions, answer choices and explanations were written for this site from the statute and regulation text; nothing is copied from a boater handbook, a boating course, a course provider's study guide or another practice test.
How it works
An unofficial Maryland boaters safety course study guide in question form, covering state law alone: the State Boat Act and the boating regulations, each answer with its section. The course itself also teaches navigation rules and handling. Read October 2026.
Read the full guide
July 1, 1972, age 16 and 100 feet
Section 8-712.2 asks anyone born on or after July 1, 1972, for the certificate of boating safety education on a numbered pleasure vessel. Children under 13 wear a life jacket on vessels under 21 feet (8-743). A personal watercraft takes an operator of 16 and holds to 6 knots within 100 feet of shore (COMAR 08.18.02.05).
Maryland boaters education study guide: what the statute says
The certificate follows the Department's course or an equivalency examination, is valid for life and cannot be revoked. A 30-day temporary certificate follows a signed affidavit. The law gives no question count or pass mark.
Maryland counts in knots: 6 knots is 6.9 miles per hour, and a minimum wake zone's limit is 3 knots.
Questions and answers
Who needs a boating safety certificate in Maryland?
Anyone born on or after July 1, 1972, who operates a numbered vessel for pleasure. Section 8-712.2 exempts commercial operation, short visits in a boat numbered elsewhere and waters on private property, and accepts a Coast Guard license instead.
How many questions are on the Maryland boating safety course exam, and what is the pass mark?
Neither number is in the State Boat Act or the regulations read for this page. The law names the Department's course and an equivalency examination. A practice exam here runs 25 questions by this site's choice, with no pass line.
How old do you have to be to drive a boat in Maryland?
Section 8-712.2 lists three ways for an operator under 16: holding the certificate, supervision aboard by a certificate holder (18 or older on vessels of 11 feet or more), or supervision aboard by a person born before July 1, 1972.
Does a Maryland boating certificate expire?
No. Section 8-712.2 makes it valid for the holder's lifetime, and neither the Department nor a court may revoke it. A lost one is replaced without charge when the Department has a record of it.
Is this study guide from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources?
No. This is an unofficial page, not a government website, and the Department has reviewed none of it. Each answer cites the State Boat Act or the Code of Maryland Regulations so you can open the text yourself.