BOATING CERTIFICATION AND REGISTRATION – CONNECTICUT

The following is excerpted from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) webpage “Boating Certification and Registration”

WHO MUST HAVE CERTIFICATION?: Recreational boaters using Connecticut’s waterways are required to have either a Safe Boating Certificate (SBC) or a Certificate of Personal Watercraft Operation (CPWO) to operate a boat in Connecticut. The Safe Boating Certificate permits the person to operate any recreational vessel registered in the state, EXCEPT for “jet-skis”.   The Certificate of Personal Watercraft Operation permits the person to operate any recreational vessel registered in the state. There is no minimum age for getting either certificate. When operating a vessel, you must have your certificate on board at all times. No person under 16 years of age who were issued a CPWO after March 9, 2004, may operate a personal watercraft without the onboard supervision of a person who is at least 18 years of age with a CPWO>

HOW TO GET A CERTIFICATE: To get a Safe Boating Certificate, you must successfully complete a DEEP approved basic boating course OR receive a score of eighty percent (80%) or better on an equivalency examination administered by the DEEP.   To get a Certificate of Personal Watercraft Operation, you must meet the requirements for a Safe Boating Certificate AND complete an approved Personal Watercraft Course. Applications are available at town/city clerk offices, DEEP Processing offices, online at DEEP website or by calling DEEP Boating Division.

BOATING CLASSES

Schedules and contact numbers for Safe Boating Classes and Personal Watercraft Classes are listed on the DEEP webpage "Safe Boating, Personal Watercraft and Canoe and Kayak Safety Class Schedules"

BOAT REGISTRATION

In Connecticut, all boats with motors regardless of length, and all sailboats powered by sail alone, 19 1/2 feet or longer in length, must be registered before launching. Boats must be registered with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Proof of ownership must be submitted when you register the boat. Once the application is processed, an identification number will be assigned to the boat and you will be issued a certificate of number/registration, along with two validation decals. The registration will be valid until April 30 of the following year. Connecticut vessel numbers stay with the boat as long as it is registered in the state. Jet-skis are treated as motor boats and must be registered.

TO FIND PROVIDERS IN CONNECTICUT’S COMMUNITY RESOURCES DATABASE:

• For Certification, Search by program name: Certificate of Personal Watercraft Operation/Safe Boating Certificate
• For Registration, Search by service name: Boat Registration

SOURCE:Connecticut Department of Energy and  Environmental Protection, Boating Certification and Registration, Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles
PREPARED BY: 211/kq
CONTENT LAST REVIEWED: January2012