Folks search for a Tennessee boating license, but the official name is a boater education card, the TWRA Boating Safety Certificate, which is the same thing everybody means and Google calls it a license too. I went down this rabbit hole while getting ready for Doreen, and this is what TWRA actually says in plain English. I'm not a lawyer though, so if your situation is weird I'd ask TWRA.
The main rule is that if you were born after January 1, 1989 and you're running a boat with more than 8.5 horsepower in Tennessee, you need a TWRA Boating Safety Certificate on you, and most of the rest is details.
Who needs it
TWRA says any Tennessee resident born after January 1, 1989 has to pass a Boating Safety Exam, and when you pass you get a TWRA wallet card that you need to have on you while you're operating. If you're visiting from out of state and were born after that date, TWRA accepts any NASBLA-approved boating safety certificate. NASBLA is the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators, and most state courses are NASBLA-approved.
TWRA's FAQ puts the horsepower cutoff at vessels with more than 8.5 horsepower, so a little trolling motor boat might come in under it, while my Honda BF350 is way over.
Who doesn't
If you were born on or before January 1, 1989 it isn't required, though TWRA says you can still take it. It also isn't required when there's an adult on board who's 18 or older, born before January 1, 1989, and able to take immediate control of the boat.
Getting the card
TWRA offers instructor-led classes and exams on the GoOutdoorsTennessee event calendar and also references an online course, and after you pass the wallet card shows up in the mail in a few weeks. TWRA's FAQ says your certification can show up in the TWRA On the Go app under your TWRA ID if the certification date is attached to your account, though the exam permit by itself doesn't count, so if it isn't on your account carry the physical card. If you lose it, you log in to GoOutdoorsTennessee, update your info and buy a Boater Certification Card replacement, and any license agent can sell you one too.
TWRA gives two reasons to get it even if you don't have to, which are that it lets you boat in other states that require education and it might save you some money on boat insurance. For me the bigger thing is that the course covers the rules of the road and lights and who gives way to who, which is stuff anybody should know before driving a 25-foot boat on a river with barges, so I'm treating the card as the bare minimum.
Crossing into Kentucky
This matters if you boat Lake Barkley or Kentucky Lake since both cross the state line. Kentucky Fish and Wildlife requires boater education for operators ages 12 to 17 running a motorboat or personal watercraft over 10 horsepower, and Kentucky accepts NASBLA-approved cards, which means a Tennessee card works up there. You follow the rules for whichever state's water you're on.
Rentals have their own rule
Tennessee also has a rule for rentals, and Fort Campbell MWR explains it on its Gear to Go page, where a 2019 law requires marinas and rental outfits to give a motorboat orientation before renting out a motorboat. For Gear to Go that means watching four short videos at rentalboatsafety.com, passing a quick assessment and bringing a checklist. MWR lists exemptions like having a TWRA card from a monitored NASBLA exam, an out-of-state NASBLA card, a Coast Guard operator license or being born on or before January 1, 1989, but I'd check with your rental place for their exact process. There's more in Fort Campbell things to do on the water.
The other rules that go with it
The card is just one piece. Kids 12 and under have to wear a Coast Guard approved life jacket on an open deck while underway per the TWRA boating handbook, and TWRA notes inflatable life jackets aren't approved for kids under 16. Everybody else on board needs a wearable life jacket in the right size and in good shape. The City of Clarksville's Blueway page puts boating under the influence pretty simply as dangerous and illegal in Tennessee, and motorized boats need to be registered, which TWRA's handbook covers too.
So for us that means the boater card or proof on the app, registration on board, life jackets for everybody including kid sizes when the kids come, and a throwable cushion or ring. I've also been reading the lock-through guide and how to launch a boat and brushing up on boat terms. Doreen is on the build page, and the river around here is in Boating on the Cumberland.
FAQ
Do you need a boating license in Tennessee?
Tennessee requires a TWRA Boating Safety Certificate, which is what most people mean by a boating license, for anyone born after January 1, 1989, who operates a boat with more than 8.5 horsepower. You must have it on you while operating.
Is there an age requirement to drive a boat in Tennessee?
TWRA's rule is based on birth date and horsepower. Anyone born after January 1, 1989, needs the boater education certificate to operate a vessel over 8.5 hp, unless a qualifying adult is aboard.
Does Tennessee accept other states' boater cards?
Yes. TWRA accepts NASBLA-approved boating safety certificates from out-of-state visitors born after January 1, 1989.
Is a Tennessee boater card valid in Kentucky?
Kentucky Fish and Wildlife accepts NASBLA-approved certificates. Kentucky's rule covers operators ages 12 to 17 on boats over 10 horsepower.
