Back

Missouri Regulatory Guide

The Missouri Highway Patrol oversees and enforces boating regulations, emphasizing safety and compliance. They enforce laws related to boat registrations, safety equipment, and speed limits while also conducting patrols to educate boaters on responsible practices. The patrol's efforts aim to ensure boater safety and protect Missouri's aquatic environments. On this page, we navigate you through everything you need to have in place in order to ensure that your boat rental business is compliant with Missouri’s regulations, along with some other important things to keep in mind.

Boxes you need to tick

These are requirements as defined by law:

Age Requirement

The operator of a boat must be 14 years of age unless accompanied by an adult on board the vessel.

License Requirement

Any person born after January 1, 1984 must successfully pass a Missouri Boater Education class.

Any person born after January 1, 1984 must successfully pass a Missouri Boater Education class/test before operating any motorized vessel on the lakes of the state.

Record Requirement

The owner or operator of a watercraft livery shall cause a record to be kept.

The record must contain the name and address of the person or persons hiring any watercraft which is designed or permitted by the owner to be operated as a watercraft, the identification number of vessels hired, the departure date and time, and the expected time of return. The record shall be preserved for at least six months and shall be available for inspection upon request by any law enforcement officer of this state.

Registration Requirement

The owner of a vessel kept within this state shall cause it to be registered.

The owner of a vessel kept within this state shall cause it to be registered in the office of the director of revenue who shall issue a certificate of title for the same.

Keep in mind when renting out boats

Required

No items found.

Not required

Inspections
List of Passengers
Livery Definition
Permits
Video Documentation

The information provided is intended to be general and informative, and should not be interpreted as regulatory, legal, or insurance advice. It does not constitute professional advice from a licensed insurance agent and does not establish an attorney-client or insurer-insured relationship. This information should not replace the counsel of a qualified legal, regulatory, or insurance professional. Always consult with a qualified professional for legal, regulatory, or insurance advice pertaining to your specific circumstances.

Boat Rental Accident Reporting

It shall be the duty of the operator of a watercraft involved in a collision, accident, or other casualty, so far as the operator can do so without serious danger to the operator's watercraft, crew and passengers, to render to other persons affected by the collision, accident, or other casualty assistance as may be practicable and as may be necessary in order to save them from or minimize any danger caused by the collision, accident, or other casualty, and also to give his or her name, address, and identification of his or her watercraft in writing to any person injured and to the owner of any property damaged in the collision, accident, or other casualty. 

In the case of collision, accident, or other casualty involving a watercraft, the operator thereof, if the collision, accident, or other casualty results in death or injury to a person or damage to property in excess of five hundred dollars, shall file with the water patrol division a full description of the collision, accident, or other casualty, including such information as the patrol may, by regulation, require.

There is no boat accident report form on Missouri Highway Patrol’s website. Contact the Missouri Highway Patrol for information regarding a report.

Report Accident

Federal Regulation

The United States Coast Guard (USCG) regularly provides updates on recentchanges in regulation and have overviews of specific requirements for boatrental companies

Buoy is your one-stop shop for compliance & insurance

Buoy provides boat rental companies with peace of mind while saving time and money. When using Buoy’s insurance solution, we will help you get fully compliant free of charge.

Get peace of mind
White glove support
Download resources