---
type: "Bill"
title: "Requirements To Operate A Motorboat"
description: "Current law requires an operator of a motorboat in the state to be at least 16 years of age but allows an individual who is at least 14 years of age and who has completed a motorboat safety course to operate a motorboat in the state. The act increases this age requirement to require all individuals under 18 years of age to take a boating safety course and to have a certificate of completion from that course in the individual's possession or in an accessible place in order to operate a motorboat. The act provides an exception to the age requirement for the operation of motorboats on bodies of water located on private property."
jurisdiction: "us/states/co"
legislature: "Colorado General Assembly"
session: "2023A"
identifier: "SB 23-069"
citation: "Colorado SB 23-069 (2023A)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Barbara McLachlan", "Matt Soper", "Nick Hinrichsen", "Perry Will"]
version_count: 10
action_count: 18
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2023-01-27T07:00:00+00:00"
last_action: "2023-05-04T06:00:00+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/d9e0004b-4a9c-4efb-bd52-1b74f5dd3a68"
source_url: "https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/sb23-069"
source_hash: "661051713f559108f202feec099b53bb72b58c2ebb60e4d9f0e4b6f6bf78f7e9"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-co"]
---

# Colorado SB 23-069 (2023A) — Requirements To Operate A Motorboat

Current law requires an operator of a motorboat in the state to be at least 16 years of age but allows an individual who is at least 14 years of age and who has completed a motorboat safety course to operate a motorboat in the state. The act increases this age requirement to require all individuals under 18 years of age to take a boating safety course and to have a certificate of completion from that course in the individual's possession or in an accessible place in order to operate a motorboat. The act provides an exception to the age requirement for the operation of motorboats on bodies of water located on private property.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Committee Amendment** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/2023a_sb069_h_thl_001.pdf)
2. **Engrossed (03/23/2023)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2023A/bills/2023a_069_eng.pdf)
3. **Final Act (04/27/2023)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2023A/bills/2023a_069_enr.pdf)
4. **Introduced (01/27/2023)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2023A/bills/2023a_069_01.pdf)
5. **PA1 (02/14/2023)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2023A/bills/2023a_069_s_tra_01.pdf)
6. **PA2 (03/07/2023)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2023A/bills/2023a_069_s_fin_01.pdf)
7. **Reengrossed (03/27/2023)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2023A/bills/2023a_069_ren.pdf)
8. **Rerevised (04/18/2023)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2023A/bills/2023a_069_rer.pdf)
9. **Revised (04/17/2023)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2023A/bills/2023a_069_rev.pdf)
10. **Signed Act (05/04/2023)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/2023a_069_signed.pdf)

## Votes

- BILL — **54–8** (pass) · lower
- BILL — **25–7** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Barbara McLachlan — primary (person)
- Matt Soper — primary (person)
- Nick Hinrichsen — primary (person)
- Perry Will — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2023-05-04T06:00:00+00:00** Governor Signed `executive-signature`
- **2023-04-27T06:00:00+00:00** Sent to the Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2023-04-27T06:00:00+00:00** Signed by the Speaker of the House
- **2023-04-26T06:00:00+00:00** Signed by the President of the Senate
- **2023-04-18T06:00:00+00:00** House Third Reading Passed - No Amendments `passage, reading-3`
- **2023-04-17T06:00:00+00:00** House Second Reading Special Order - Passed - No Amendments
- **2023-04-14T06:00:00+00:00** House Second Reading Laid Over Daily - No Amendments
- **2023-04-11T06:00:00+00:00** House Committee on Transportation, Housing & Local Government Refer Unamended to House Committee of the Whole `committee-passage, referral-committee`
- **2023-03-29T06:00:00+00:00** Introduced In House - Assigned to Transportation, Housing & Local Government `introduction`
- **2023-03-27T06:00:00+00:00** Senate Third Reading Passed - No Amendments `passage, reading-3`
- **2023-03-24T06:00:00+00:00** Senate Third Reading Laid Over Daily - No Amendments
- **2023-03-23T06:00:00+00:00** Senate Second Reading Passed with Amendments - Committee `reading-2`
- **2023-03-21T06:00:00+00:00** Senate Second Reading Laid Over Daily - No Amendments
- **2023-03-17T06:00:00+00:00** Senate Committee on Appropriations Refer Unamended to Senate Committee of the Whole `committee-passage, referral-committee`
- **2023-03-07T07:00:00+00:00** Senate Committee on Finance Refer Amended to Appropriations `referral-committee`
- **2023-02-23T07:00:00+00:00** Senate Committee on Finance Witness Testimony and/or Committee Discussion Only
- **2023-02-13T07:00:00+00:00** Senate Committee on Transportation & Energy Refer Amended to Finance `referral-committee`
- **2023-01-27T07:00:00+00:00** Introduced In Senate - Assigned to Transportation & Energy `introduction`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/d9e0004b-4a9c-4efb-bd52-1b74f5dd3a68`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Colorado legislature records).