Nevada Captain's License Requirements (2026)

What a “Nevada 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 Long Beach, CA.

Local route clue

Most Lake Mead operators start with OUPV Inland unless the vessel is inspected or carries more than six passengers.

Which Rules of the Road apply on Nevada water#

Nevada has no water of its own to speak of and that is the whole of the answer. Lake Tahoe is half California's, Lake Mead and Lake Mohave are Colorado River impoundments shared with Arizona, and no 33 CFR Part 80 line is drawn in any of them — they are inland water under 83.03(q), plain Inland Rules, with no Western Rivers or Great Lakes provisions anywhere in the state. What that leaves an operator to resolve is not the rulebook but the vessel: Tahoe and Mead carry the largest passenger boats in the interior West, and the moment a boat is inspected or carries more than six passengers for hire the question stops being OUPV at all and becomes a Master endorsement with a tonnage limit on it. Log gross tonnage and inspection status alongside the dates, because that pair — not the lake — decides which credential the service supports, and REC Long Beach will read it that way.

33 CFR Part 80 draws no demarcation line in Nevada. 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.

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 Nevada charter captains need?#

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

Credentials charter captains pursue in Nevada

• 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 25 GT — small-vessel inspected master, common for harbour tour boats and inland sightseeing.
• Master 50 GT — mid-tier inspected-vessel master — typical for charter sport-fish operations under 50 gross tons.