• 99 questions

New Mexico Boating License Practice Test: State Law Questions

New Mexico's Boat Act and boating rules, state law only, with the 80 percent pass mark the rule sets.

New Mexico's internet course exam is drawn at random from a database of at least how many questions?

Pick an answer, then press Check answer. Then you see Correct or Not quite, with the reason. Keys: A to D pick, Enter checks.

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Exam mode: 25 questions, no time limit, 20 right to pass (80%).

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Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with the New Mexico State Parks Division. Bank checked October 13, 2026.

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All 99 questions

Boater education card and exam 15

  • A boater moves to New Mexico with another state's boater education card. For how long may it be used in place of a New Mexico card? 18.17.4.8(C) NMAC
  • A covered operator bought a motorboat in New Mexico 20 days ago and has no card yet. What makes operating it lawful? 18.17.4.8(A)(4) NMAC
  • A New Mexico boating safety course ends with an examination of at least how many questions? 18.17.4.7(C) NMAC
  • A person has just passed a boating safety course in New Mexico. For how long may the course certificate stand in for the card? 18.17.4.8(B) NMAC
  • A visitor who is not a New Mexico resident operates a motorboat there. What stands in for a New Mexico card? 18.17.4.8(A)(3) NMAC
  • How many of the examination's questions, at a minimum, are specifically about New Mexico boating laws? 18.17.4.7(C) NMAC
  • Is a sailboat with no engine a "motorboat" for New Mexico's boater education rule? 18.17.4.7(K) NMAC; NMSA 1978, 66-12-3(B)
  • New Mexico's boater education rule applies to motorboat operators born from which date on? 18.17.4.8(A) NMAC; NMSA 1978, 66-12-18.1
  • New Mexico's internet course exam is drawn at random from a database of at least how many questions? 18.17.4.7(E) NMAC
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Boater education card and exam, continued

  • Under the Boat Act, a safe boating education course must be approved by a national association and certified by whom? NMSA 1978, 66-12-18.1(A)(1); 66-12-3(I)
  • What is New Mexico's "equivalency exam"? 18.17.4.7(I) NMAC
  • What must a covered operator have onboard a motorboat in New Mexico? 18.17.4.8(A) NMAC
  • What passing score does New Mexico's rule set for the boating safety course test? 18.17.4.9 NMAC
  • When may a person ask the division for a replacement New Mexico boater education card? 18.17.4.12(A) NMAC
  • Which sail craft is left out of New Mexico's definition of motorboat? NMSA 1978, 66-12-3(B)

Ages and rented boats 7

  • A covered operator rents a motorboat in New Mexico for a weekend and has no card. What takes its place? NMSA 1978, 66-12-18.1(A)(3)
  • A New Mexico boat rental facility may not let a hired vessel leave unless it has what? 18.17.2.10(B) NMAC
  • For how long at most do a rental agent's instructions stand in for the boater education card in New Mexico? NMSA 1978, 66-12-18.1(A)(3)
  • In New Mexico, a child under what age may operate a motorboat only with an adult supervising onboard? 18.17.2.11(H) NMAC
  • What must a New Mexico motorboat rental business record about each person authorized to operate the boat? NMSA 1978, 66-12-18.1(B)(2)
  • What must each renter and authorized operator do with New Mexico's dockside safety checklist before operating a rental motorboat? 18.17.4.13(C)(1) NMAC
  • Where is the issued copy of the dockside safety checklist kept while a rental motorboat is operated in New Mexico? 18.17.4.13(C)(2) NMAC

Personal flotation devices 8

  • A New Mexico vessel carries passengers for hire. How many extra children's size flotation devices must it carry? 18.17.2.9(A)(3) NMAC
  • An adult paddles a kayak on a New Mexico lake. What does the rule say about a flotation device? 18.17.2.9(A)(4) NMAC
  • Besides a wearable device for each person, what flotation must most vessels carry in New Mexico? 18.17.2.9(A)(1) NMAC
  • In New Mexico, a child of what age must wear a personal flotation device while a recreational vessel is underway? NMSA 1978, 66-12-7.1
  • What does New Mexico's rule ask of a person floating on an inner tube or air mattress? 18.17.2.9(A)(5) NMAC
  • When is a 10-year-old on a New Mexico boat underway excused from wearing the flotation device? NMSA 1978, 66-12-7.1
  • Which craft needs no throwable device in New Mexico? 18.17.2.9(A)(1) NMAC
  • Who else must wear a flotation device in New Mexico, whatever the craft? 18.17.2.9(A)(4) NMAC

Personal watercraft 4

  • How does New Mexico's boating rule define a personal watercraft? 18.17.2.7(J) NMAC
  • How many seats must a personal watercraft have before it may pull a water skier in New Mexico? 18.17.2.13(B)(2) NMAC
  • What does New Mexico's rule ask a person riding a personal watercraft to do about a flotation device? 18.17.2.9(A)(4) NMAC
  • Who must be on a personal watercraft that pulls a skier in New Mexico, besides the operator? 18.17.2.13(B)(2) NMAC

Water skiing and towing 7

  • A New Mexico boat tows a skier with nobody aboard but the operator. What does the Boat Act require instead of an observer? NMSA 1978, 66-12-14(A)
  • During which hours is water skiing forbidden in New Mexico? NMSA 1978, 66-12-14(B)
  • How large must New Mexico's skier warning flag be? 18.17.2.13(B)(1) NMAC
  • Water skiing is prohibited within what distance of a launching ramp, swimmer or fisherman in New Mexico? 18.17.2.13(A)(1) NMAC
  • What color is the warning flag a New Mexico tow boat raises when its skier falls? 18.17.2.13(B)(1) NMAC
  • When is the skier warning flag raised in New Mexico? 18.17.2.13(B)(1) NMAC
  • Which device may a person towed by a watercraft use to become airborne over New Mexico waters? 18.17.2.11(I) NMAC

No-wake distances, seating and docks 16

  • A New Mexico vessel has no capacity plate. How is the most people it may carry worked out? 18.17.2.11(D) NMAC
  • After a boat is launched at a New Mexico ramp, what must happen to the towing vehicle? 18.17.2.14(C) NMAC
  • For how long may an anchored vessel be left vacant in New Mexico without the superintendent's permission, away from a marina or buoy line? 18.17.2.14(B)(2) NMAC
  • How close to a marina, boat ramp or courtesy dock may a vessel be moored or anchored in New Mexico? 18.17.2.14(B)(1) NMAC
  • How does New Mexico's boating rule define "wake"? 18.17.2.7(Q) NMAC
  • How long may a vessel be left moored at a courtesy dock in New Mexico? 18.17.2.14(B)(3) NMAC
  • What distance must New Mexico vessels keep from swimmers, diver flags and others not in the same activity? 18.17.2.15(G) NMAC
  • What does New Mexico's rule say about letting legs hang overboard? 18.17.2.11(A)(3) NMAC
  • What does New Mexico's rule say about the elevated fishing seats of a vessel? 18.17.2.11(A)(5) NMAC
  • What exception does New Mexico's no-wake rule make in adverse weather? 18.17.2.11(C)(3) NMAC
  • What must New Mexico boaters do when flags or lights signal a small craft weather warning? 18.17.2.14(A)(2) NMAC
  • When may a passenger ride on the bow or gunwales of a New Mexico vessel that is underway? 18.17.2.11(A)(1), (2) NMAC
  • When may New Mexico officers terminate a vessel's voyage? 18.17.2.18 NMAC
  • Where is trolling or drift fishing prohibited in New Mexico? 18.17.2.11(B) NMAC
  • Where may passengers not ride on a pontoon boat underway in New Mexico? 18.17.2.11(A)(4) NMAC
  • Within what distance of launch ramps, docks, swimmers and fishermen must a New Mexico vessel hold a no-wake speed? 18.17.2.11(C)(3) NMAC

Boating while intoxicated 12

  • A New Mexico boater tested at an officer's direction wants a second test by a person of his own choosing. Who pays for it? NMSA 1978, 66-13-10(B), (E)
  • At what alcohol concentration does New Mexico's offense become aggravated boating while under the influence? NMSA 1978, 66-13-3(D)(1)
  • At what alcohol concentration is a New Mexico boat operator presumed not to be under the influence? NMSA 1978, 66-13-11(B)(1)
  • Does New Mexico law reach a person on water skis or in a canoe while intoxicated? NMSA 1978, 66-12-11(B)
  • How long does that offender have to prove the boating safety course was completed? NMSA 1978, 66-13-3(E)
  • Is a houseboat that is moored and not moving a "motorboat" under New Mexico's Boating While Intoxicated Act? NMSA 1978, 66-13-2(C)
  • What alcohol concentration in the blood or breath makes it unlawful to operate a motorboat in New Mexico? NMSA 1978, 66-13-3(C)
  • What does "operate" mean in New Mexico's Boating While Intoxicated Act? NMSA 1978, 66-13-2(D)
  • What is a person deemed to consent to by operating a motorboat in New Mexico? NMSA 1978, 66-13-8(A)
  • What must a court order after a first conviction for boating while intoxicated in New Mexico? NMSA 1978, 66-13-3(E)
  • What must a New Mexico officer tell an arrested boater about refusing the chemical test? NMSA 1978, 66-13-8(B)
  • Within how long after the alleged boating is a chemical test given for New Mexico's rebuttable presumption to apply? NMSA 1978, 66-13-11(E)

Accidents and reports 6

  • Above what amount of property damage must a New Mexico boating accident be reported? NMSA 1978, 66-12-12(B)
  • Besides the written report, to whom must a New Mexico boating accident be reported immediately? 18.17.2.12(A)(1) NMAC
  • How soon must a boating accident report be filed with the State Parks Division in New Mexico? NMSA 1978, 66-12-12(B); 18.17.2.12(A)(2) NMAC
  • May a New Mexico boating accident report be used as evidence in a trial arising from the accident? NMSA 1978, 66-12-12(C)
  • What kind of injury makes a New Mexico boating accident reportable under the rule? 18.17.2.12(A)(2) NMAC
  • What must the operator in a New Mexico boating accident give in writing to an injured person? NMSA 1978, 66-12-12(A)(2)

Required equipment and lights 13

  • During which hours must a power driven vessel show its lights under New Mexico's rule? 18.17.2.9(F)(1) NMAC
  • From how far must the whistle on a New Mexico vessel under 26 feet be heard? 18.17.2.9(C)(1) NMAC
  • How large must the bailing bucket aboard a New Mexico vessel be? NMSA 1978, 66-12-7(A)(3)
  • How long must the stout rope aboard a New Mexico vessel be? NMSA 1978, 66-12-7(A)(4)
  • How old may a disposable fire extinguisher be on a New Mexico vessel? 18.17.2.9(B)(3) NMAC
  • What kind of water closet may a vessel have on New Mexico waters? 18.17.2.9(E) NMAC
  • What light does a vessel under oar or paddle keep ready at night in New Mexico? 18.17.2.9(F)(3) NMAC
  • What sound equipment must a 30-foot vessel carry in New Mexico? 18.17.2.9(C)(2) NMAC
  • When may a privately owned vessel carry a siren in New Mexico? NMSA 1978, 66-12-7(D)
  • When must a line or link to the emergency cut off switch be on the operator of a motorized vessel under 26 feet in New Mexico? 18.17.2.11(J) NMAC
  • Which boaters need no bailing bucket, bilge pump or rope under New Mexico's rule? 18.17.2.9(G) NMAC
  • Which item does New Mexico's Boat Act ask every vessel to have aboard, besides flotation? NMSA 1978, 66-12-7(A)(2)
  • Which vessel is excepted from New Mexico's emergency cut off switch rule? 18.17.2.11(J) NMAC

Registration and titles 11

  • A boat numbered in another state is kept in New Mexico. After how many consecutive days does the numbering exemption end? NMSA 1978, 66-12-8(A)
  • A New Mexico motorboat is destroyed. Within how many days must the owner notify the division? NMSA 1978, 66-12-5(F)
  • A person buys a used motorboat in New Mexico. When must the application for a new certificate of number be filed? NMSA 1978, 66-12-5(B)
  • For how long does a registration number stay assigned to a New Mexico motorboat? NMSA 1978, 66-12-5(I)
  • How are the letter and number groups of a New Mexico registration number separated? 18.17.2.8(B) NMAC
  • How tall must a New Mexico motorboat's registration number be? NMSA 1978, 66-12-5(A)
  • In New Mexico's Boat Act, a "boat" that a resident must title is a motorboat of at least what length? NMSA 1978, 66-12-3(J); 66-12-4(B)
  • What may New Mexico division officers check when they inspect a vessel at random? 18.17.2.17 NMAC
  • When does a New Mexico certificate of number expire? NMSA 1978, 66-12-5(E)
  • Where does the validation sticker go on a New Mexico motorboat? 18.17.2.8(B) NMAC
  • Where must the certificate of number be whenever a New Mexico motorboat is in operation? NMSA 1978, 66-12-5(A)

How this list was compiled: Written only from New Mexico's own law, read on 2026-10-13: the Boat Act, NMSA 1978, sections 66-12-1 to 66-12-23, and the Boating While Intoxicated Act, sections 66-13-1 to 66-13-13, in the chapter 66 file the New Mexico Compilation Commission publishes at https://nmonesource.com/nmos/nmsa/en/item/4422/index.do (file dated September 15, 2026); and two rules on the State Records Center and Archives' site: 18.17.2 NMAC, Boating Operation and Safety (in force January 1, 2025), https://www.srca.nm.gov/parts/title18/18.017.0002.html, and 18.17.4 NMAC, Boating Safety Education, https://www.srca.nm.gov/parts/title18/18.017.0004.html. Each question names its section; a statute link opens chapter 66 and the reader searches it for the section number, a rule link opens the rule. The exam facts are the rule's own: a course examination of at least 50 questions with a minimum of 10 on New Mexico boating laws (18.17.4.7(C) NMAC) and a passing score of at least 80 percent (18.17.4.9 NMAC). The State Parks Division's boating education page, https://www.emnrd.nm.gov/spd/activities/boating-2/boating-education/, read the same day, describes the same card and its exemptions. Licence: Own work. Questions, answer choices and explanations were written for this site from the statute and rule 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 New Mexico boating license practice test built from state law alone: the Boat Act, the Boating While Intoxicated Act and the State Parks boating rules, cited under each answer. Meeting, crossing and buoy rules sit in the federal bank. Read October 2026.

Read the full guide

150 feet, a worn flotation device and 48 hours

New Mexico's rule holds a vessel to no-wake speed within 150 feet of ramps, docks, swimmers and anglers, and keeps water skiing the same distance off (18.17.2.11 and 18.17.2.13 NMAC). Paddlers in kayaks and canoes wear their flotation device, and so does everyone boating on a river (18.17.2.9). Every vessel carries an oar or paddle (NMSA 66-12-7). The Act also asks for a bailing bucket and a rope as long as the boat; the rule excuses paddlers, rafters and other human-powered craft (18.17.2.9). An accident report is due within 48 hours (66-12-12).

Questions and answers

Who needs a boater education card in New Mexico?

A motorboat or sailboat operator born on or after January 1, 1989 (18.17.4.8 NMAC, under NMSA 66-12-18.1). A course certificate stands in for 45 days, and a renter may rely on the rental agent's safety instructions instead.

How many questions are on the New Mexico boating exam, and what score passes?

The rule asks for at least 50 questions, with a minimum of 10 on New Mexico boating laws, and a passing score of at least 80 percent (18.17.4.7 and 18.17.4.9 NMAC). The 25-question practice exam here is this site's own length.

How old do you have to be to drive a boat in New Mexico?

No person under 13 may operate a motorboat unless an adult supervises onboard (18.17.2.11 NMAC). The card rule goes by birth date, not age: it reaches every operator born on or after January 1, 1989.

What is the alcohol limit for boating in New Mexico?

Eight one hundredths in the blood or breath (NMSA 66-13-3). Sixteen one hundredths makes the offense aggravated, and a first conviction brings a court order to attend a boating safety course.

Is this the New Mexico State Parks boating test?

No. New Mexico State Parks did not write or review these questions, and this is not a government website. Each answer names the statute or rule it rests on. An approved course covers navigation and boat handling as well.

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