Whether you are a salty, old sea captain of a fishing boat or a 12-year-old in a 50-year-old motorboat, there is a new law that every boat operator needs to know about.
All Massachusetts Boaters Will Eventually Need Boating Safety Certificate
Beginning this Wednesday, April 1, 2026, a new Massachusetts law requires many boaters to complete a safety course before operating a vessel.
Starting Wednesday, anyone operating a motorboat or personal watercraft must have a valid boating safety certificate. The requirement applies immediately to those born after January 1, 1989, though the state says penalties won’t be enforced until September 1, 2026. Boaters born on or before that date have until April 1, 2028, to comply.
New Boating Law Created After Tragedy
The law, often referred to as the Hanson-Milone Act, was created following a fatal boating accident involving a young operator. Since then, there has been a push to improve safety awareness across Massachusetts waterways.
New Bedford Assistant Harbormaster Paul Fonseca says the goal isn’t to overregulate boating, but to make it safer. The 2-day in person course being offered by New Bedford is absolutely free…