Boat hire rules in Western Australia
12 rules for hire businesses in Western Australia, from 5 official sources — on top of the rules that apply everywhere in Australia.
Rules in Western Australia
Briefing and checklist before each hire
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No RST is needed if hirers stay within a well-defined area that you can see the whole time, and you: tell each hirer where they may go, have rescue boats or other safety measures ready to respond quickly, and give a safety briefing on local hazards and on how the hired craft handles and what its limits are.
Show the official wording
“The area of the hire and drive operation is entirely within a well-defined area and within the line of sight of the hire & drive vessel owner, and the owner ensures: a) the area of operation is communicated to the driver; b) appropriate safety measures such as rescue vessels are in place to respond in a timely manner to incidents; c) an appropriate safety briefing is given, covering factors such as local navigational hazards, and specific handling characteristics and limitations of the vessel being hired”
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On inland waters (river, lake, dam) no RST is needed even if you cannot always see the hirer, as long as the area is well defined and you: tell hirers where they may go, have rescue boats or other safety measures ready, give the safety briefing, and provide communication devices with a plan for how hirers call for help.
Show the official wording
“The area of the hire and drive operation is entirely within a well-defined area in an inland waterway (e.g. river, lake, dam etc) but not always within the line of sight of the owner”
Does the hirer need a licence?
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DTMI strongly recommends that anyone driving a hire boat or jet ski with an engine over 4.5 kW (6 hp) holds a Recreational Skipper's Ticket (RST), even though the craft is a domestic commercial vessel. DTMI words this as a strong recommendation, not a legal requirement, and lists three situations where it says an RST is not necessary (below).
Show the official wording
“The Department of Transport strongly recommends that a driver of a hire and drive vessel with engine power greater than 4.5kW (6HP) hold an RST, even if it is a domestic commercial vessel.”
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DTMI says hirers do not need an RST if the hire craft is part of a tour led by a suitably experienced and competent guide.
Show the official wording
“The vessel is part of a tour led by a suitably experienced and competent guide.”
Jet skis (PWC)
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If you hire jet skis to people without an RST under the line-of-sight exception, each jet ski must have both a kill-switch lanyard and a remote cut-out switch that works over the whole hire area.
Show the official wording
“if the vessel is a PWC, it has both a kill switch lanyard and a remotely-operated cut-out switch which is effective over the entire area of operation.”
Survey and commercial vessel rules
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DTMI treats hire-and-drive boats as Class 4 domestic commercial vessels and sends operators to AMSA for the rules and standards on them.
Show the official wording
“For information on Class 4 domestic commercial Hire and Drive vessel regulations and standards, please go to the AMSA website or contact AMSA Connect.”
Local rules and by-laws
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Older (grandfathered, pre-July 2013) hire-and-drive power dinghies are only approved for use up to 2 nautical miles from the coast.
Show the official wording
“Grandfathered Hire-and-drive vessels power dinghies are only approved for operations up to 2 nautical miles from the coast.”
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Older sealed-deck hire boats 5.5 metres and over may only operate within 2 nautical miles of Rottnest Island and in set waters between Rockingham, Garden Island and Rottnest. DTMI publishes similar area limits for the Dampier Archipelago, Shark Bay, the Muiron Islands (Exmouth) and Thevenard Island.
Show the official wording
“Grandfathered Hire-and-drive vessels 5.5 metres and over are restricted to operations within 2 nautical miles of Rottnest Island and also in waters bounded by:”
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Jet skis are banned everywhere in the Swan Estuary Marine Park and on all waters upstream of the Windan Bridge in East Perth.
Show the official wording
“You cannot use a PWC anywhere in the Swan Estuary Marine Park. All waters upstream of the Windan Bridge in East Perth are closed to PWC.”
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Freestyling on a jet ski (doughnuts, sharp turns, hops) is banned on the Swan and Canning Rivers except in the gazetted freestyle area downstream of the Narrows Bridge.
Show the official wording
“Freestyling is prohibited in the Swan and Canning Rivers except in the gazetted freestyle area downstream of the Narrows Bridge.”
Reporting accidents
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If a commercial vessel is involved in an incident that causes death or injury, or damage affecting a vessel's seaworthiness or safe navigation, you must report it to AMSA as soon as possible and also to DTMI within 72 hours.
Show the official wording
“Commercial vessel incidents must be reported to: Australian Maritime Safety Authority as soon as possible, and DTMI within 72 hours.”
Other rules
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DTMI counts boats, kayaks, jet skis, e-foils and party pontoons that an accommodation provider lends to guests or tenants as hire-and-drive vessels, the same as a hire business's fleet.
Show the official wording
“It includes a vessel an accommodation provider makes available for guests or tenants to use. Hire & drive vessels can be any type of vessel, such as a houseboat, party pontoon, dinghy, electric hydrofoil, motorised surfboard, PWC, catamaran, canoe or kayak.”
The national rules still apply
Everything on the Australia page applies here too: 31 rules · checked 18 October 2026
All national rules for AustraliaIn an emergency
Triple Zero (000) or VHF channel 16. VesselSOS is not a rescue service — teach your hirers to call for help the official way.
VHF channel 16
WA Water Police and volunteer Marine Rescue WA groups
Not confirmed yet
What we looked for and could not confirm from an official source. Ask the authority before you assume anything here.
Whether the W.A. Marine (Hire and Drive Vessels) Regulations 1983 still bind operators. They remain listed as current on legislation.wa.gov.au (owner licence, 'HIRE' marking, accident reports, no under-17 drivers on hire craft capable of more than 12 knots unless aged 14+ and with someone 21+), but DTMI now sends operators to AMSA for Class 4 hire-and-drive rules.
The vessel lengths in DTMI's table of offshore limits (3 and 5 nautical miles) for grandfathered Class 4 hire-and-drive vessels under 7.5 m. The lengths did not show on the page we read.
Whether WA's recreational lifejacket, beacon and flare rules beyond 400 m from shore also apply to hire boats and paddle craft operated as domestic commercial vessels.
Rottnest Island Authority and Swan Canning Riverpark (DBCA) permits or rules for commercial hire from their beaches and jetties (not checked).
Official bodies
Who makes and enforces these rules.
- Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure (DTMI) – Maritime, Western AustraliaRecreational Skipper's Tickets, hire-and-drive guidance, PWC zones, marine incident reportstransport.wa.gov.au ↗
- Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA)national regulator for Class 4 domestic commercial hire-and-drive vesselsamsa.gov.au ↗
Questions operators ask
Does a hirer need a boat licence in Western Australia?
DTMI strongly recommends that anyone driving a hire boat or jet ski with an engine over 4.5 kW (6 hp) holds a Recreational Skipper's Ticket (RST), even though the craft is a domestic commercial vessel. DTMI words this as a strong recommendation, not a legal requirement, and lists three situations where it says an RST is not necessary (below). Source: transport.wa.gov.au, checked 18 October 2026.
Do I have to brief hirers before a hire in Western Australia?
No RST is needed if hirers stay within a well-defined area that you can see the whole time, and you: tell each hirer where they may go, have rescue boats or other safety measures ready to respond quickly, and give a safety briefing on local hazards and on how the hired craft handles and what its limits are. Source: transport.wa.gov.au, checked 18 October 2026.
What are the rules for jet ski hire in Western Australia?
If you hire jet skis to people without an RST under the line-of-sight exception, each jet ski must have both a kill-switch lanyard and a remote cut-out switch that works over the whole hire area. Source: transport.wa.gov.au, checked 18 October 2026.
Is a hire boat a commercial vessel in Western Australia?
DTMI treats hire-and-drive boats as Class 4 domestic commercial vessels and sends operators to AMSA for the rules and standards on them. Source: transport.wa.gov.au, checked 18 October 2026.
For your hirers
Free safety pages on VesselSOS for the people who take your craft out — link them from your booking confirmation.
Boating rules in Western Australia (for your hirers) Boat licence rules by stateJet ski licence by stateLifejacket rules by stateHow to call for help at seaTrip planFree tools for hire operators
Print a safety briefing card, a hire agreement template or a dock poster. Free, in your browser.
Safety briefing cardHire agreement & waiver templateDock poster All free toolsRun the hire day on one screen.
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