Boat insurance in Virginia

No Virginia statute makes boat insurance mandatory. The national state boating law survey also shows no liability mandate for people boating in Virginia. Liability coverage is what pays when you injure someone or damage their property while operating your boat.

Marinas work differently. Before renting you a slip, some marinas want to see proof of liability coverage, so check with yours about what they ask for.

Jet ski rental businesses have extra obligations. Counties and cities can impose their own coverage rules on these operations. Any business renting jet skis by the hour also has to keep a staff-operated motorboat of at least 50 hp on hand to keep an eye on riders.

If your marina wants proof of coverage, call us and we'll help you get the paperwork.

Insurers that sell liability coverage for private pleasure boats in Virginia have to present uninsured-watercraft coverage to you in writing. Adding it is up to you.

Because Virginia is a coastal storm state, boats stored on the coast often carry a separate named-storm deductible. Your deductible is the share of a claim you pay out of pocket before the insurer covers the remainder. A named-storm deductible is its own, frequently bigger, amount that kicks in when the damage comes from a hurricane or another named storm. Our hurricane plan worksheet was written for Florida, but the steps for getting your boat and papers ready work for Virginia coastal storms too.

Virginia falls into Progressive's medium-cost group of states, and the average yearly Progressive boat policy there ran $413 in 2024 to 2025. Depending on your boat, you could pay less or more.

These ballpark figures are ours, for boats stored in Virginia, and they should not be read as formal quotes.

If you are curious about the math behind these numbers, our page on how we work it out explains the process. If you want a price based on your specific boat, call us.

Owning a boat in Virginia involves more than insurance. Registration and titles go through the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources.

• Registration: $37 if your boat is under 16 feet, $55 if it is 40 feet or longer, with each registration lasting three years
• Title: needed for any boat that has a motor, even an electric one, plus sailboats longer than 18 feet
• Sales tax: 2% of what you paid for the boat and motor, capped at $2,000

Boating under the influence is treated as a serious crime in this state. It counts as a Class 1 misdemeanor carrying penalties as steep as a $2,500 fine, a year behind bars, or both, and the legal limit is a blood alcohol level of 0.08.