Montana boat rental laws

Boater education card for renters

• Over 10 hp: age 12 or younger only with a person 18+ aboard; ages 13–14 need a Montana motorboat operator’s safety certificate or approved course, or a person 18+ aboard. Owners or persons in charge may not knowingly permit otherwise.

  Law Business and renter Source: MCA 23-2-523(10), (11) · mca.legmt.gov ↗ Checked October 18, 2026

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  MCA 23-2-523 — Prohibited operation and mooring — enforcement (MCA 2025)“A person 13 or 14 years of age may not operate a vessel or personal watercraft powered by a motor rated at more than 10 horsepower without possessing a valid Montana motorboat operator's safety certificate”

Age limits

• No one may rent a motorboat or personal watercraft powered by more than 10 hp to a person under 18.

  Law The rental business Source: MCA 23-2-523(12) · mca.legmt.gov ↗ Checked October 18, 2026

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  MCA 23-2-523 — Prohibited operation and mooring — enforcement (MCA 2025)“(12) A person may not rent a motorboat or a personal watercraft powered by a motor rated at more than 10 horsepower to a person under 18 years of age.”

Jet ski (PWC) rentals

• Everyone operating or riding a PWC wears a USCG-approved life jacket, the cut-off lanyard is attached, and no-wake speed applies within 200 feet of a dock, swimmer, swimming raft, non-motorized boat or anchored vessel (launching and docking excepted).

  Law The renter Source: MCA 23-2-531(1)–(3) · mca.legmt.gov ↗ Checked October 18, 2026

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  MCA 23-2-531 — Personal watercraft operation (MCA 2025)“(1) unless a person operating or riding on the vessel is wearing a United States coast guard approved type of personal flotation device;”

Safety equipment

• The livery owner, agent or employee may not let any motorboat or vessel leave the premises unless it carries the equipment required by MCA 23-2-521 and its rules, provided by owner or renter.

  Law The rental business Source: MCA 23-2-503(2) · mca.legmt.gov ↗ Checked October 18, 2026

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  MCA 23-2-503 — Boat liveries (MCA 2025)“to depart from the owner's premises unless it has been provided, either by owner or renter, with the equipment required pursuant to 23-2-521 and any rules made pursuant to that section.”

Records to keep

• The owner of a boat livery keeps a record of each hirer’s name and address, the vessel’s identification number, the departure date and time and the expected return, for at least 6 months.

  Law The rental business Source: MCA 23-2-503(1) · mca.legmt.gov ↗ Checked October 18, 2026

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  MCA 23-2-503 — Boat liveries (MCA 2025)“(1) 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 … The record must be preserved for at least 6 months.”

Not confirmed yet

What we looked for and could not confirm from an official source. Ask the agency before you assume anything here.

• No state licence for rental businesses, pre-rental instruction rule, adult boater-education requirement or insurance requirement was found in MCA Title 23, ch. 2, part 5.

• FWP administrative rules (ARM 12.11) and FWP rental guidance were not reviewed.

Federal rules still apply

On top of Montana law, the federal rules apply to every boat you rent out:

• 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.

  Law Business and renter Source: § 2101(34) · govinfo.gov ↗ Checked October 18, 2026

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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.”

• 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.

  Law Business and renter Source: § 175.15(a)–(b) · ecfr.gov ↗ Checked October 18, 2026

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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”

• 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.

  Law The renter Source: § 175.15(c) · ecfr.gov ↗ Checked October 18, 2026

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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.”

• 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.

  Law The renter Source: § 175.25(b) · ecfr.gov ↗ Checked October 18, 2026

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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 .”

All federal rules and every state →

Official agencies

Who makes and enforces these rules in Montana.

• Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP)Boating rules, education program, enforcementfwp.mt.gov ↗
• Montana Legislature — Montana Code Annotated 2025, Title 23, ch. 2, part 5 (Boats)Official statute textmca.legmt.gov ↗