Starting July 1, 2025, some young adults and youth who operate watercraft in Minnesota will need to possess a valid watercraft operator’s permit – a boating license – as required by a 2023 state statute.
This July deadline will not apply to every motorboat or personal watercraft operator in Minnesota. For the July 1, 2025, deadline, people who must possess the valid permit are those 12 years old up to those born after June 30, 2004. So anyone who turns 21 after June 30, 2025 and younger will need the permit. Minnesotans older than that will not need the permit, yet.
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