The Whitman County Sheriff’s Office is hosting a two-day Boater Education course for recreational boating at the Pioneer Center here in Pullman. The course will cover boat safety and state laws.

The course will be instructed by Deputy John Giudice and will be 6-9:30 p.m. on Sept. 10 and 11. It is required to attend both classes to receive the Washington State Boater Education Card.

The card is required by Washington law to operate water vessels that have an engine over 15 horsepower. People born after Jan. 1, 1955 or those over 12 years of age are required to have a card to operate a boat, according to the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission website.

There is also a 75-question exam that applicants must pass to receive the card. The course itself is free but the card is $10 and never expires.

The course is open to all Washington and Idaho residents, despite Idaho not requiring the card yet. Cardholders are also able to use the card if they are visiting other states, Giudice said. Oregon and Canada do require all operators of powered watercraft vessels to have a boater card.

Giudice said the course is nationally sanctioned so residents that move to another state can use the card as proof of completion and receive a new card for their state of residency.