An owner or operator shall not permit any person under twelve years of age to operate the personal watercraft unless accompanied in or on the same personal watercraft by a responsible person of at least eighteen years of age. However, commencing January 1, 2003, a person who is twelve years of age or older but less than eighteen years of age shall not operate any personal watercraft unless the person has successfully completed a department-approved watercraft safety course. A person required to have a watercraft safety certificate shall carry and shall exhibit or make available the certificate upon request of an officer of the department. A violation of this subsection is a simple misdemeanor as provided in section 462A.13. However, a person charged with violating this subsection shall not be convicted if the person produces in court, within a reasonable time, a department-approved certificate. The cost of a department certificate, or any duplicate, shall not exceed five dollars.

In order to meet this requirement, any National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) approved boating course with the NASBLA logo will be accepted. A young person 12 – 17 in need of a course may obtain one in the following ways:

1. Home Study Iowa DNR Boating Course which covers both PWC operation and boating in general. This course can be ordered by calling the Iowa DNR Customer Service Center at 515-281-5918 or contact the DNR Web Master at webmaster@dnr.state.ia.us to have a home study boating manual sent to you. All information and the test will be included in the packet. You will send your test back in to be checked. You must send $5.00 in with the test for your certificate. Your certificate will be mailed back to you.
   
   
2. On-line Iowa DNR Boating Course which is a fun and interactive way of taking the course quickly and receiving a temporary card, so that you can hit the water. This course covers the same material found in the home study manual. A permanent card will be sent to the student following the completion of the course. This course can be found at www.boat-ed.com/ia. This option is offered as a quicker more convenient way of obtaining the required certificate. The cost of this option is $15.00 for the course and $5.00 for the certificate which can be paid by credit card on-line.
   
   
   
3. Classroom Iowa Boating Course which may be offered at different times of the year by organizations such as the Coast Guard Auxiliary, Power Squadron and other boating groups. These courses can be found on the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Web Site at www.iowadnr.com.