Indiana Captain's License Requirements (2026)

What a “Indiana captain's license” actually means#

It isn't a state license — it's the same federal USCG Merchant Mariner Credential with an OUPV or Master endorsement, used nationwide.

Credential issuer

USCG National Maritime Center.

Nearest exam route

REC Toledo, OH.

Local route clue

Six-passenger operators on the Great Lakes around Lake Michigan (Michigan City) need the Great Lakes and Inland OUPV route (or a qualifying Near-Coastal endorsement), then compare Master 50/100 for larger inspected boats.

Which Rules of the Road apply on Indiana water#

Indiana holds the country's shortest Great Lakes coastline and one of its longest river borders, and the credential rules treat the short one as the expensive one. Michigan City's lakefront is Great Lakes water — inland by the 33 CFR 83.03(q) definition, not by any Part 80 line — and 46 CFR 11.467(b) writes the Great Lakes out of a plain inland OUPV endorsement, so those few miles of shore require the wider Great Lakes and inland route while the Ohio and the Wabash, hundreds of miles of them, do not. Downstate the applicable deviations change as well: the rivers are Western Rivers under 83.03(n), where 83.24(j) alters the towing lights, and the lake is where 83.23(e) instead allows an all-round white light in place of the second masthead light and sternlight. Patoka Lake and Lake Monroe are reservoirs and their status is an OCMI question. One state, two endorsements, and REC Toledo for both.

33 CFR Part 80 draws no demarcation line in Indiana. Its 106 sections cover the Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific coasts, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, the Pacific islands and Alaska; a state with no coast has no section, which is itself the answer.

Great Lakes water (Lake Michigan) needs no Part 80 line: 33 CFR 83.03(q) defines inland waters to include the waters of the Great Lakes on the United States side of the International Boundary. Under 46 CFR 11.467(b) a plain inland OUPV endorsement covers all inland waters except the Great Lakes.

Western Rivers (the Ohio and Wabash Rivers) are defined at 33 CFR 83.03(n) and carry Inland Rules provisions the rest of inland water does not: 83.09(a)(ii), 83.14(d), 83.15(b) and the towing-light exception at 83.24(j).

This decides which rulebook you steer by, not where your credential may operate: the route limit is the 46 CFR Part 7 Boundary Line, and the two lines are not drawn in the same place. How the two lines differ · International Rules · Inland Rules

33 CFR Part 80 and the Part 83 definitions above read from eCFR on 12 Aug 2026. Any specific water is a determination for the cognizant Coast Guard Officer in Charge, Marine Inspection.

Which credential do Indiana charter captains need?#

Not sure the trip needs a credential at all? The captain's-license trigger guide.

Credentials charter captains pursue in Indiana

• OUPV Great Lakes & Inland (Six-Pack) — authorizes six-passenger work on the Great Lakes and inland waters after 12 months of service, including at least 3 months operating vessels on Great Lakes waters.
• OUPV Inland (Six-Pack) — operates uninspected <=6-passenger charter boats on inland waters other than the Great Lakes — bays, sounds, inland lakes, and rivers.
• Master 50 GT — mid-tier inspected-vessel master — typical for charter sport-fish operations under 50 gross tons.