Boating & Paddling
Four Great Lakes, 11,000 inland lakes, and one question that decides almost every rule: does your boat have a motor? These guides cover the 2026 season — and the official Handbook of Michigan Boating Laws is always the final word.
Start here
The plain-English guide to Michigan's water: the one question that decides every rule, the two-birthday certificate law, registration, life jackets, and the beach knowledge every family needs. 2026 season.
Read the orientation →Read this before the beach
The flag system, the pier rule, and Flip-Float-Follow — the short list of knowledge that keeps families safe on the Great Lakes, written for a parent on a beach towel.
Read the safety postcard →The safety certificate
Michigan's two-birthday boater education law, the youth horsepower ladder, the under-14 jet ski bar, and how the lifetime certificate works.
Read the guide →Registration & titles
What registers, what's exempt, the trolling-motor trapdoor, titles, and the 30% fee increase pending in the Legislature — Michigan boat registration decoded.
Read the guide →Life jackets & equipment
Michigan's life jacket law in plain English — who carries, who wears, what the types mean — plus the equipment checklist and the alcohol rules afloat.
Read the guide →Paddling
Paddlecraft skip almost all the apparatus — no registration, no certificate — so the rules that remain are about water, cold, and judgment. Here they are.
Read the guide →Where to boat & paddle
Michigan's 1,300-plus public launches, the Great Lakes harbor network, and the local lake ordinances that are this hub's version of 'check your water.'
Read the guide →What changed this year
Boating law barely moves year to year — the 2026 story is the pending registration fee bill, the beach-safety buildout, and the seasonal rhythms worth knowing.
Read the guide →Michigan Porch explains; the DNR and the Secretary of State decide. Rules and the official handbook at Michigan.gov/Boating, registration at the Secretary of State, and live beach conditions at weather.gov/greatlakes. See also Fishing, Camping, Hunting, and ORV & Trails.
