Boats-for-hire inspection requirements

Navigation guide for commercial vessels

Subpart 1: Inspections required -- Boats, as defined by part 5225.6100, subpart 2, are required to have an annual safety inspection and boat-hull inspection to carry passengers for hire. It is the boat owner's or lessee's responsibility to schedule and obtain the annual safety inspection or boat-hull inspection as required in this part.

Subp. 1a: Safety inspection -- An annual safety inspection by the Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) is required of any boat carrying passengers for hire. The owner or lessee of the boat shall affix a sticker provided by DLI in a conspicuous place that is visible to other watercraft that indicates the boat was inspected.

Subp. 1b: Dry dock inspection -- A boat's hull shall be inspected in dry dock, separate from the annual safety inspection, by the Department of Labor and Industry or by a certified marine surveyor. The dry dock inspection shall be a comprehensive inspection according to part 5225.6050, subpart 2. Boats with wooden hulls shall have an annual dry dock inspection. Boats with metal or composite hulls shall be subject to a dry dock inspection once every three years. The boat owner is responsible for obtaining an inspection of the boat hull required under this subpart, including its cost. Dry dock inspections conducted by the Department of Labor and Industry constitute a separate fee and shall be at the rates given in part 5225.8600, subpart 7.

Subp. 1c: Coast Guard exemption -- A boat with a safety inspection conducted by the United States Coast Guard and authorized to carry passengers on waters under the jurisdiction of the United States Coast Guard is exempt from the annual safety inspection required under this part. A comprehensive boat inspection by the United States Coast Guard within the specified timeframes exempts that boat from both the safety inspection and dry dock inspection requirements of this part. The boat owner shall provide the department written documentation or evidence that the boat passed the requisite inspections.

Subp. 2: Inspections optional -- Boats that are less than 21 feet in length may be inspected by the department at the owner's request, if the owner pays for the inspection. Boats less than 21 feet must meet the safety equipment requirements established by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

Subp. 3: Inspection standards -- The division shall conduct the inspection based on the Code of Federal Regulations, title 46, as applicable to fresh water and inland waters, and the
requirements in parts 5225.6000 to 5225.8600.