The Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resource Division is reminding boat operators age 16 and older that the law now requires people to carry identification when operating a boat or personal watercraft.

A clear readable copy of a driver's license or other identification showing the person's photograph and date of birth is acceptable for identification.

“The purpose of this law is to allow conservation rangers to identify boat operators,” says WRD chief of law enforcement Col. Walt Taylor. “If a boat operator has a clear, legible copy of their ID, it is acceptable. Last summer, conservation rangers educated boaters that they need identification on board, but they will strictly enforce the ID requirement this year.”

Any document issued by a governmental agency containing a description of the person and/or the person's photograph as well as the person's date of birth qualifies as identification. The types of identification that are acceptable include a driver's license, a personal identification card issued by the Department of Public Safety, a passport, or a military identification card. A clear copy of any of these forms of identification is acceptable for boat operators. Birth certificates and traffic citations are not acceptable as proper forms of identification.