Tex. Parks and Wildlife Code § 31.110
This is the official text of Tex. Parks and Wildlife Code § 31.110, part of Texas’s Parks and Wildlife Code — governs state parks, hunting, and fishing.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
§ 31.110. EXEMPTION FROM BOATER EDUCATION COURSE REQUIREMENT; DEFERRAL PROGRAM.
Official statutory text
(a) A person is not required to comply with Section 31.109 if the person:
(1) holds a master's, mate's, or operator's license issued by the United States Coast Guard;
(2) is supervised by a person who is at least 18 years of age and who is otherwise exempt from the requirements of Section 31.109 or possesses a boater identification card as required by Section 31.109;
(3) is not a resident of this state and has proof that the person has successfully completed a boater education course or equivalency examination in another state that is approved by the department;
(4) is exempt by rule of the commission as a customer of a business engaged in renting, showing, demonstrating, or testing boats; or
(5) is exempt by rule of the commission.
(b) For purposes of this section, to be considered to be supervising the operator of a watercraft, the person must be on board the watercraft when under way.
(c) The commission by rule shall establish a boater education deferral program. The deferral program must be available at no cost to boat dealers, manufacturers, and distributors.
(d) Money received by the department in connection with a boater education deferral program established by the commission under Subsection (c) shall be deposited in the state treasury to the credit of the game, fish, and water safety account established under Section 11.032 and may be used only for the administration of the boater education program established under Section 31.108.
(1) holds a master's, mate's, or operator's license issued by the United States Coast Guard;
(2) is supervised by a person who is at least 18 years of age and who is otherwise exempt from the requirements of Section 31.109 or possesses a boater identification card as required by Section 31.109;
(3) is not a resident of this state and has proof that the person has successfully completed a boater education course or equivalency examination in another state that is approved by the department;
(4) is exempt by rule of the commission as a customer of a business engaged in renting, showing, demonstrating, or testing boats; or
(5) is exempt by rule of the commission.
(b) For purposes of this section, to be considered to be supervising the operator of a watercraft, the person must be on board the watercraft when under way.
(c) The commission by rule shall establish a boater education deferral program. The deferral program must be available at no cost to boat dealers, manufacturers, and distributors.
(d) Money received by the department in connection with a boater education deferral program established by the commission under Subsection (c) shall be deposited in the state treasury to the credit of the game, fish, and water safety account established under Section 11.032 and may be used only for the administration of the boater education program established under Section 31.108.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Need a lawyer in Texas?
Find a Texas lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.