Boat insurance in Colorado

The state counts 71,617 registered recreational boats, per the U.S. Coast Guard's 2024 report. Time on the water here comes with genuine danger. During 2024, officials recorded 44 accidents, with 21 people killed, 18 hurt, and $83,849 in damage to property.

Boat registration in Colorado is handled by Colorado Parks and Wildlife. That agency also oversees boating safety and the fight against aquatic nuisance species. Those nuisance species are plants and animals, like invasive mussels, that hitch rides on boats and move between lakes.

Nothing in state law says you must insure your boat. Even so, marinas and lenders often insist on coverage. When a boat is financed or sits in a marina slip, get their written requirements before picking a policy.

Colorado does set other requirements that an insurer might raise when you apply:

• Registration: Boats with motors or sails on Colorado public waters must go through registration with Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Boats visiting from other states get up to 60 days of use.
• No boat titles: Colorado keeps a registration system but never issues a title document for a boat. Trailers, on the other hand, do get titled.
• Age to drive: As of June 1, 2024, anyone under 18 cannot run a motorboat or jet ski without being at least 14 and carrying a safety certificate that Colorado Parks and Wildlife has approved.
• Rentals: Nobody under 16 can be rented a motorboat. The one exception covers 14- and 15-year-olds who satisfy the safety certificate rules.
• Inspections: Boats that arrive on trailers or have motors need an inspection by state-certified staff before entering the water.
• Accident reports: Tell Colorado Parks and Wildlife about any accident within five days when someone dies, disappears, or needs care beyond first aid. The same rule kicks in when damage to property tops $2,000.

A registration lasts from January 1 through December 31, and what you pay depends on how long your boat is. What residents pay each year:

On top of that, motorboats and sailboats need an Aquatic Nuisance Species Stamp before they launch. Residents pay $25 a year, and nonresidents pay $50.

Running a motorboat or sailboat while your blood alcohol sits at 0.08 percent or above is a misdemeanor under Colorado law. A first offense brings anywhere from 5 days up to 6 months behind bars, a fine of $100 to $1,000, as much as two years of probation, and a mandatory three-month boating ban.

Colorado falls in Progressive's medium-cost group of states. In that group, the average Progressive boat policy cost $413 a year in 2024 to 2025. Our yearly price estimates for boats that stay in Colorado are our own guesses, and none of them are actual quotes.

One policy covers your boat, and you pay for it by the year. To see a range that fits your own boat, try the three-step price tool on our home page. You can read about how we build these numbers in how we work it out. For an actual price rather than an estimate, call us with your boat, its value, and where you store it.