Boat insurance in Iowa

Good news if you boat in Iowa: cover here tends to cost less than in most states. Progressive puts Iowa in its low-cost group, and in 2024 to 2025 the typical yearly boat policy there cost $307.

In 2024, the U.S. Coast Guard put the number of registered recreational boats at 220,207. That same year, Iowa saw 22 boating accidents, six deaths, 15 injuries, and $116,899 in property damage.

Share your boat's details, its value, and where you store it, and we will come back with your price. Call us today.

No Iowa law forces you to carry boat insurance. But two groups can still make you carry it, according to Progressive:

• Marinas can require liability cover before they let you keep your boat there.
• Lenders can require physical damage cover while you still owe money on the boat. This pays to fix or replace your own boat.

When a boat is financed, the lender holds a claim on it until the loan is paid off. That claim is known as a lien. Iowa makes you title any boat 17 feet or longer, plus any boat that has a lien. Canoes, kayaks, and inflatables do not need one. The title fee is $13.50.

If a marina or lender asks for proof of cover, call us and we'll get you a price today.

These yearly prices are our own estimates for boats kept in Iowa; they are not real quotes. Your actual price depends on the boat you have and the way you use it.

In three steps, our price range tool gives you a range for your boat. A separate page explains how we work out these numbers.

Boat registration in Iowa goes through the Department of Natural Resources, handled at the recorder's office in your home county. You renew registration every three years.

A new motor boat or sailboat measuring 16 feet to just under 26 feet costs $41.65 to register for all three years. Register later in the cycle and you pay less. A personal watercraft, like a jet ski, costs $50.65.

Buying a boat in Iowa, even from a private seller, means you owe a 6% state sales tax, on top of any local option tax, paid to the county recorder's office.

Kids younger than 12 cannot operate a boat whose motor is over 10 horsepower unless an experienced adult of 18 or older is on board with them.

Drivers aged 12 to 17 who run a motorboat with more than 10 horsepower, or a personal watercraft, must either have passed a boater course the Iowa DNR has approved or have an experienced adult with them on the boat.

Operating a motorboat or sailboat while your alcohol level is .08 or higher is against the law in Iowa. Get caught a first time and you face a serious misdemeanor, with a minimum of 48 hours behind bars in the county jail.

Iowa also makes you drain all water when leaving a boat access. While towing, drain plugs, bailers, and valves must stay removed or open.