Maryland Jet Ski Laws: Age, Safety Gear, and BUI Rules

Maryland jet ski laws set a minimum operator age of 16, require a boating safety certificate for anyone born on or after July 1, 1972, and demand a Coast Guard-approved life jacket on every rider at all times. You can only operate during daylight, you must stay at or below six knots within 100 feet of shore or another vessel, and you owe a 5% excise tax when you title the craft. Penalties run from an $85 prepayable fine for a certificate violation up to $5,000 and prison time for renting a jet ski to someone under 16.

Who Can Operate a Jet Ski

You must be at least 16 to operate a personal watercraft in Maryland. No one may rent, lease, or give permission for a rider under 16, no matter how experienced they are or who is supervising.¹ A rental business that puts a minor under 16 on a jet ski faces a mandatory court appearance and up to $5,000 in fines or five years of imprisonment.²

Anyone born on or after July 1, 1972 must also carry a Boating Safety Education Certificate while operating any motorized vessel on Maryland waters.³ The certificate is permanent. You earn it by passing an approved safety course covering navigation rules, emergency procedures, and Maryland-specific regulations. Several online providers offer the course free or for under $60.

Operating without a valid certificate is a misdemeanor. A first offense carries a fine of up to $25 and a second offense within two years can reach $500.⁴ The prepayable amount on the citation itself is $85, and most riders settle it without a court hearing.²

Required Safety Gear

Every person on the craft must wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket the entire time the jet ski is on the water. Type I, II, III, and V personal flotation devices qualify. Inflatable life jackets are generally not suitable, because most USCG-approved inflatable models carry labeling that excludes high-impact activities like riding a personal watercraft.

The jet ski itself must carry three additional items:

An engine cut-off lanyard, clipped to your wrist, clothing, or life jacket, that kills the motor if you fall off. This keeps a riderless craft from circling back into you or nearby swimmers.
A portable, marine-rated fire extinguisher, accessible on board.
A whistle, horn, or other device capable of producing an audible signal.

Natural Resources Police can inspect your equipment at any time on the water, and missing gear draws a citation.

When and Where You Can Ride

Jet ski operation is confined to daylight hours. You cannot be on the water between sunset and sunrise, and you should also stay off during periods of reduced visibility such as heavy fog.⁵

On all Maryland waters except the Atlantic Ocean, you must keep your speed at six knots or below whenever you are within 100 feet of another vessel, pier, bridge structure, shoreline, person in the water, or another jet ski.⁶ Six knots is roughly walking speed and is often called “minimum wake.” You also cannot operate faster than idle speed in water less than 18 inches deep.

In Maryland’s ocean waters, the buffer widens. You must stay at least 300 feet from surf fishermen and swimmers, and hold to six knots or slower within 100 feet of vessels, wharves, jetties, shoreline, or piers.⁶

Several maneuvers are prohibited on top of the general speed rules. You cannot jump or attempt to jump the wake of another vessel within 100 feet of that vessel.⁵ Marinas, minimum-wake zones, and environmentally sensitive areas carry their own posted limits. Weaving through congested traffic, spraying other boaters, and any operation that endangers life or property are all treated as negligent operation.

The prepayable fine for exceeding minimum wake within 100 feet of the shoreline is $85, and the maximum penalty on conviction for a first offense can reach $500.²

Deep Creek Lake Timing Rules

Deep Creek Lake has restrictions that catch visitors off guard. Jet skis and hovercrafts are banned from the lake between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. on the Saturday through Monday of Memorial Day weekend, and on every Saturday, Sunday, and state holiday from July 1 through Labor Day.⁶ Those are the busiest hours on the water, so plan around them if you are heading to Garrett County.

Towing a Skier or Tuber

To tow someone on skis, a tube, or any similar device behind a jet ski, the craft must carry at least three people: the operator, a rear-facing observer at least 12 years old, and the person being towed. The jet ski must also be manufacturer-rated for three or more passengers. A wide-angle rearview mirror does not substitute for a live observer on a personal watercraft, even though mirrors are allowed on some larger boats.

Boating Under the Influence

Maryland treats operating a jet ski while impaired the same way it treats drunk driving. A blood alcohol concentration of 0.08% or higher creates a legal presumption that you were operating under the influence.⁷

Operating under the influence is a misdemeanor. A first offense brings up to $1,000 in fines and up to one year in jail. A second offense reaches $2,000 and two years. A third or subsequent offense reaches $3,000 and three years. A lesser charge of operating while impaired by alcohol, meaning a BAC below 0.08% but still noticeably affected, carries up to $500 and two months in jail for a first offense, and up to $1,000 and one year for a second.⁷ Impairment by drugs or a combination of drugs and alcohol carries the same penalties as the impaired-by-alcohol charge.

A prior DUI conviction on the road counts as a prior offense for BUI sentencing, and the reverse is also true. The statute explicitly links the two.

Registration, Title, and Excise Tax

Every jet ski operated on Maryland waters needs a state title and current registration. You register through the Department of Natural Resources using Form DNR B-240. You will need proof of ownership (a Manufacturer’s Statement of Origin for a new craft, or the previous owner’s title for a used one), a bill of sale showing both parties’ names and addresses, the date of sale, a description of the vessel, and the purchase price, plus the 12-character Hull Identification Number stamped by the manufacturer.⁸

As of October 1, 2025, registration costs $70 for a two-year period, regardless of size or engine power. The title fee is $20. If you finance the purchase, a $15 lien-recording fee applies.⁹

Maryland also imposes a 5% vessel excise tax on the purchase price of any craft used primarily in state waters, with a minimum of $5 and a maximum of $16,000.¹⁰⁹ You must pay within 30 days of when your Maryland tax liability begins. Miss that deadline and you owe a 10% penalty on the tax amount plus 1.5% interest per month.

After approval you receive a registration card, a vessel number, and validation decals. The vessel number goes on each side of the bow in block letters at least three inches tall, in a color that contrasts sharply with the hull, with the decals within three inches of the number.¹¹

Reporting an Accident

If you are involved in a boating accident, Maryland law requires a report to the Natural Resources Police. Timing depends on severity.¹¹

Within 48 hours if the accident causes a death, a disappearance, or an injury requiring medical treatment beyond first aid.
Within 10 days if the accident causes more than $2,000 in property damage or a total loss of the vessel, but no one is seriously injured.

Running aground and hitting a fixed or floating object both count as reportable accidents. The operator carries the reporting duty, and failing to report brings additional penalties.

What Counts as a Personal Watercraft

Maryland defines a personal watercraft as a Class A vessel under 16 feet that uses an inboard engine powering a water jet pump, is designed so the rider sits or stands on the outside rather than inside a hull, and has no open cargo area that would hold water.¹² Jet skis, WaveRunners, and Sea-Doos all fit. Maryland also treats propeller-driven craft under 16 feet that look and handle like a jet ski as personal watercraft, so switching propulsion types does not sidestep these rules.

1
Library of Maryland Regulations. COMAR 08.18.02.05 – Restrictions
2
District Court of Maryland. DNR Fine Schedule
3
Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Boating Safety Education Requirement
4
Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Natural Resources 8-712.2 – Boating Safety Education
5
Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Personal Water Craft
6
Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Personal Watercraft Safety Brochure
7
Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Natural Resources 8-738 – Operating Vessel While Under the Influence of or Impaired by Alcohol or Drugs
8
Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Application for Certificate of Title and Registration
9
Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Boat Registration
10
Library of Maryland Regulations. COMAR 08.04.10.02 – Taxable Value of Vessels
11
Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Maryland State Requirements for Recreational Vessels
12
Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Natural Resources 8-701 – Definitions