Boat Insurance for Maryland
Maryland boat insurance for boaters who know the water.
From the Chesapeake Bay off Annapolis to Deep Creek Lake in Garrett County, Roamly works with carriers who understand how Marylanders actually boat.
Maryland at a Glance
Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
Insurance requirement | Not required by state law for private recreational boats. Lenders and marinas often require coverage. |
Boater education | Required for anyone born on or after July 1, 1972 who operates a motorized boat. The certificate never needs renewal, and PWC operators must be at least 16. |
Boating under the influence | Boating under the influence (0.08 BAC or higher) can bring up to a $1,000 fine and a year in jail for a first offense, and a conviction counts as a prior if you're later charged with drunk driving. |
Registration | Motorized boats are titled and registered with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. As of October 2026, registration is a flat $70 for two years and a title is $20, after Maryland's first fee increase since 1983. |
Requirements and regulations may change. Verify with the Maryland Insurance Administration and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources for the most current information.
What you need to know about Boat Insurance in Maryland
Maryland doesn't require boat insurance, but it requires a boating safety certificate for anyone born in mid-1972 or later, charges a 5% vessel excise tax when you title a boat, and raised its registration fees in 2025. Here's what actually shapes your policy.
Maryland's Boat Insurance Rules
No Maryland law requires insurance on a private recreational boat or personal watercraft. You can still be held responsible for damage or injuries you cause on the water, and marinas and lenders set their own coverage rules. We'll help you figure out what makes sense for how you boat.
Agreed Value for Your Boat
Your center console with a repower, upgraded electronics, and a new T-top isn't a stock boat. Roamly works with carriers who may value the work you've put in, not some database guess.
Electronics and Gear Coverage
Chartplotters, radar, VHF radios, crabbing gear, and fishing tackle add up fast. Roamly works with carriers who may offer coverage options for marine electronics and the personal gear you bring aboard.
Coverage Lenders and Marinas Ask For
If you finance your boat, your lender will likely require coverage for the boat itself, and many marinas ask for proof of liability coverage before you can rent a slip on the Bay or store your boat for the winter. Roamly works with carriers who may help you meet those requirements, and we'll help you get the paperwork in order.
Protection Beyond Basics
Type | Details |
|---|---|
Mechanical Breakdown Coverage | Engines fail at the worst times — like halfway across the Chesapeake Bay with an afternoon thunderstorm building. Through Roamly's carrier partners, coverage may be available to help with sudden mechanical breakdowns beyond warranty. |
Guest Medical Coverage | Summer weekends on Deep Creek Lake mean friends and family aboard. Roamly works with carriers who may offer medical payments options for guests hurt on your boat. |
Docking Mishaps | Crowded Annapolis harbors and tidal currents at the dock lead to bumps and scrapes. Through Roamly's carrier partners, coverage may be available for damage from docking mishaps. |
Protect the Gear You Bring Aboard
A day crabbing on the Chesapeake Bay or a weekend on Deep Creek Lake means a lot of gear on board — rods and reels, crab lines, tubes, coolers, and electronics at the helm. Many basic policies limit coverage for personal property, so check yours before your next trip. Roamly works with carriers who may offer coverage options for marine electronics and personal effects like fishing and water sports equipment, which may help you replace what's lost or damaged.
What Maryland Actually Requires
Maryland doesn't require insurance on a private recreational boat. What the state does require: a boating safety certificate for anyone born on or after July 1, 1972; titling and registration with the Department of Natural Resources; a life jacket on every child under 13 aboard a boat under 21 feet while underway; and no PWC operation between sunset and sunrise. Accidents involving a death, a disappearance, an injury, $2,000 or more in damage, or the complete loss of a boat must be reported — within 48 hours for a death, disappearance, or injury needing more than first aid, and within 10 days otherwise. Going without coverage may be legal, but one collision can mean damage to another boat, a dock, or someone you hurt — and liability alone doesn't pay to fix or replace your own boat. We'll help you figure out what makes sense for your situation.
Real Value for Upgraded Boats
You set up your boat the way you wanted it: a repower, upgraded electronics, a T-top, and a better trailer. Book value doesn't account for the upgrades you've added. Roamly works with carriers who offer Agreed Value coverage options — we'll help document your boat so it may be insured for an agreed amount that reflects your upgrades, which may help if you ever need to file a claim.
LEGAL DISCLAIMERS
Roamly is a licensed insurance agency. Insurance policies referenced are offered through Roamly and underwritten by third-party carriers including Progressive, National General, Foremost, Liberty Mutual, American Modern, Ahoy Insurance, and Spinnaker Insurance Company, among others. Not all products or coverages are available in every state. Coverage terms, conditions, limits, deductibles, exclusions, and availability vary by state, carrier, and policy. This page is provided for general information and is not a contract of insurance. See the actual policy for a full description of coverages, terms, and conditions. Maryland law references current as of October 2026 — confirm current requirements with the Maryland Insurance Administration and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
Why Roamly?
True replacement value
Your boat isn't just worth the Blue Book numbers. We'll find you a policy that insures it for what it's actually worth – including your upgraded electronics.
Real-world coverage
From shallow water prop strikes to dock collisions, we cover the stuff that actually happens to recreational boaters.
Insurance by boaters, for boaters
Our marine specialists actually spend their weekends on the water. They speak your language because they boat too.
No. Maryland law doesn't require insurance on a private recreational boat or personal watercraft. If you finance your boat or keep it at a marina, your lender or marina will likely require coverage. Even without a mandate, you can be held responsible for damage or injuries you cause on the water. Requirements may change — verify with the Maryland Insurance Administration.
If you were born on or after July 1, 1972, yes — you need a certificate of boating safety education to operate a motorized boat, and it never needs renewal. Operators under 16 need their own certificate or a qualified adult aboard. Out-of-state residents visiting for 60 days or less in a boat registered in their home state are exempt if they're 16 or older or hold a valid certificate, and PWC operators and renters must be at least 16.
It depends on your boat's type, size, value, and horsepower, where you keep and use it, your boating experience, and the coverage you pick. Whether you keep it on the Bay or on a lake, how you store it over the winter, and adding physical damage coverage or coverage for electronics and gear will change the price. Get a personalized quote to find out your rate.
Roamly is a brokerage — we work with carriers who may offer coverage options for marine electronics like chartplotters and radar, plus personal effects like fishing gear and water sports equipment. Limits and eligibility depend on the carrier, so it's worth asking before you buy. Coverage terms, conditions, and availability vary by state and policy.
Roamly works with carriers who offer Agreed Value coverage options. We may help document your boat and its upgrades up front so it can be insured for an agreed amount, not a depreciated book value. If it's totaled, the agreed value — less any deductible — is what the policy is built around. Coverage terms, conditions, and availability vary by state and policy.
Maryland doesn't require either one. Liability pays for damage you cause to other people and their property — another boat, a dock, or someone hurt in a collision. "Full coverage" usually means adding physical damage coverage, which helps pay to repair or replace your own boat after a collision, theft, vandalism, or storm damage. If you're financing, your lender will likely require it.
Operating a boat at 0.08 BAC or higher counts as under the influence, and a first offense can bring a fine of up to $1,000, up to a year in jail, or both. The lesser offense of operating while impaired carries up to $500 and two months. A court may also bar you from operating a boat, and a boating conviction counts as a prior if you're later charged with drunk driving. If a violation is on your record, Roamly works with carriers that may still be able to help you find coverage. Coverage terms, conditions, and availability vary by state and policy.
It can. Maryland bans the use of credit in homeowners insurance and limits it in auto insurance, but those rules don't cover boat policies, so it's worth asking each carrier how it rates. Your boating experience, your boat, and where you keep it are also major rating factors, and how much each one counts varies by carrier.
Yes. Instead of regular sales tax, Maryland charges a 5% vessel excise tax when you title a boat, based on the purchase price or fair market value. As of July 1, 2026, the tax is capped at $16,100, and the cap rises by $100 every July 1.
Still have questions?
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Maryland Boat Insurance Quotes in Minutes
Maryland boat insurance for boaters who know the water.
* Roamly is an insurance agency, not a carrier. Coverage, limits, and availability vary by carrier and by state, and are subject to underwriting approval.
Roamly Insurance Group, LLC ("Roamly") is a licensed general agent for affiliated and non-affiliated insurance companies. Roamly is licensed as an agency in all states in which products are offered. Roamly license numbers. Availability and qualification for coverage, terms, rates, and discounts may vary by jurisdiction. We do not in any way imply that the materials on the site or products are available in jurisdictions in which we are not licensed to do business or that we are soliciting business in any such jurisdiction. Coverage under your insurance policy is subject to the terms and conditions of that policy and is ultimately the decision of the buyer.
Policies provided by Roamly are underwritten by Spinnaker Insurance Company, Progressive Insurance Company, Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, Foremost Insurance Company, National General Insurance, and others.
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