RS 851.36 - Boating safety education required
A. Except as provided in Subsection B of this Section, no person born after January 1, 1984, shall operate a motorboat powered by a motor in excess of ten horsepower unless he has successfully completed a boating safety class approved by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA). A person who has completed an approved boating safety class shall be in possession of evidence of such completion when operating such a boat.
B.(1) A motorboat may be operated if any person on board or participating in any boating activity from the motorboat is over the age of eighteen and, if required to have completed a boating safety course under the provisions of Subsection A of this Section, has completed the required boating safety course.
(2) A person who is licensed by the United States Coast Guard as a captain to operate a vessel shall be exempt from the provisions of Subsection A of this Section.
C. A violation of this Section shall be a class one violation subject to penalties and enforcement procedures as set forth in R.S. 56:31, except that any minor charged with violating the provisions of this Section who successfully completes a NASBLA-approved boating safety class shall have the penalty waived by the court and the court shall order the violation expunged.
Acts 2003, No. 921, §1, eff. July 1, 2003; Acts 2006, No. 281, §1; Acts 2009, No. 513, §3, eff. July 1, 2010; Acts 2011, No. 123, §1, eff. June 24, 2011.