Vermont boat rental laws
5 rules for boat and jet ski rental businesses in Vermont, from 4 official sources.
Rental-specific lawVermont's boat livery section only requires a hire record kept six months. Renters born after 1 January 1974 need the boating education certificate to operate a motorboat (no statutory rental exemption; the Department of Public Safety may exempt by rule), and PWC operators must be 16 or older.
Boater education card for renters
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Anyone born after 1 January 1974 needs a certificate of boating education to operate a motorboat, and carries it while operating.
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23 V.S.A. § 3305b — Boating safety education; rules“An individual born after January 1, 1974 shall not operate a motorboat on the public waters of this State without first obtaining a certificate of boating education.”
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Exemptions are limited to Coast Guard-licensed commercial operators, private waters and anyone exempted by Department of Public Safety rules (which also cover transient boaters and people hiring chartered vessels).
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23 V.S.A. § 3305b — Boating safety education; rules“any other individual exempted by rules of the Department of Public Safety.”
Age limits
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No one under 12 may operate a motorboat of more than 6 hp.
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23 V.S.A. § 3305a — Privilege to operate a vessel; minimum age for operation of a motorboat“An individual under 12 years of age shall not operate a motorboat powered by more than six horsepower on the public waters of this State.”
Jet ski (PWC) rentals
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No one under 16 may operate a PWC; everyone operating or riding wears a Coast Guard-approved life jacket; no PWC operation between sunset and sunrise; the lanyard cut-off is attached.
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23 V.S.A. § 3312a — Operation of personal watercraft“An individual less than 16 years of age shall not operate a personal watercraft.”
Records to keep
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A boat livery records the name and address of each person hiring a motorboat, its identification number and the date and time of rental, and keeps the record at least six months.
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23 V.S.A. § 3308 — Boat liveries“The owner of a boat livery shall cause to be kept a record of the name and address of the person or persons hiring any vessel that is designed or permitted by him or her to be operated as a motorboat and the identification number and the date and time of rental. The record shall be preserved for at least six months.”
Not confirmed yet
What we looked for and could not confirm from an official source. Ask the agency before you assume anything here.
The Department of Public Safety rules on boating education (any exemption for renters or chartered vessels) were not reviewed.
No Vermont licence or permit for the rental business itself was found.
The text was read from the Internet Archive's copies of the official statute pages (November 2025 – April 2026); amendments after those dates are not reflected.
Federal rules still apply
On top of Vermont law, the federal rules apply to every boat you rent out:
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Under federal law a boat leased, rented or chartered to someone else for their pleasure is a “recreational vessel” — so the federal recreational boating rules apply to your rentals.
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46 U.S.C. § 2101 — General definitions“"recreational vessel" means a vessel— (A) being manufactured or operated primarily for pleasure; or (B) leased, rented, or chartered to another for the latter's pleasure.”
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Every recreational vessel needs at least one wearable Coast Guard-approved life jacket on board for each person, used as its approval label says; boats 16 ft or longer also need one throwable device.
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33 CFR § 175.15 — Personal flotation devices required“At least one wearable PFD is on board for each person; … No person may use a recreational vessel 16 feet or more in length unless one throwable PFD is onboard”
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A child under 13 aboard a recreational vessel under way must wear a Coast Guard-approved life jacket unless below decks or in an enclosed cabin. Where a state has its own child life jacket law, the state age applies on its waters instead.
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33 CFR § 175.15(c) and § 175.25“No person may operate a recreational vessel under way with any child under 13 years old aboard unless each such child is either— ( 1 ) Wearing an appropriate PFD approved by the Coast Guard; or ( 2 ) Below decks or in an enclosed cabin.”
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If the state has a statute requiring children of a certain age to wear a life jacket, that state requirement applies on the state's waters instead of the federal under-13 rule.
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33 CFR § 175.25 — Enforcement of State requirements for children to wear personal flotation devices“If the applicable State statute establishes any requirement for children of a certain age to wear an appropriate PFD approved by the Coast Guard, then that requirement applies on the waters subject to the State's jurisdiction instead of the requirement provided in § 175.15(c) of this part .”
Official agencies
Who makes and enforces these rules in Vermont.
Questions rental operators ask
Does a renter need a boater education card in Vermont?
Anyone born after 1 January 1974 needs a certificate of boating education to operate a motorboat, and carries it while operating. Source: legislature.vermont.gov, checked October 18, 2026.
How old must a renter be in Vermont?
No one under 12 may operate a motorboat of more than 6 hp. Source: legislature.vermont.gov, checked October 18, 2026.
What are the rules for jet ski rentals in Vermont?
No one under 16 may operate a PWC; everyone operating or riding wears a Coast Guard-approved life jacket; no PWC operation between sunset and sunrise; the lanyard cut-off is attached. Source: legislature.vermont.gov, checked October 18, 2026.
For your renters
Free boating-law page for Vermont on VesselSOS — link it from your booking confirmation.
Vermont boating laws for boatersFree tools for rental operators
Print a safety briefing card, a rental agreement and waiver template or a dock poster. Free, in your browser.
Safety briefing cardRental agreement & waiver templateDock poster All free toolsRun the rental day on one screen.
VesselSOS Fleet checks renters out in 30 seconds and shows every boat and jet ski live until it is back — your customers’ phones are the trackers.
Fleet is a pilot: we are building it with a small group of rental operators for next season. No prices yet.