Licence - pleasure boats and boatmen’s licences
What licences do I need to operate or hire out a pleasure
boat?
If you want to hire out pleasure boats or other craft (such as
sailboards, rowing boats, canoes, motor boats, pedalos etc.) in the
Maidstone Borough, you must be licensed by Maidstone Borough
Council. This includes boats hired out for the customer’s own use,
or boats run by you to carry fare-paying passengers.
The boat or vessel itself must have a Pleasure Boat Licence, and
anyone engaged onboard in the running of passenger-carrying vessels
must have a Boatman’s Licence. Both of these licences are renewable
annually.
Maidstone Borough Council only licenses boats up to 12-person
carrying capacity, and you may only carry the agreed number of
passengers on your vessel. Your vessel must also comply with the
Marine and Coastguard Agency Inland Waters Small Passenger Boat
Code and should have a current
Environment Agency River Medway Registration.
Legal Regulations
The hire of boats and boatmen’s licences are regulated under
the Public Health
Acts Amendment Act 1907.
How do I apply for a Pleasure Boat licence?
You will need to submit documentation with your application
form. This can be done electronically for scans of the original
documents, or the originals can be posted* or brought in to the
Licensing Team in person at Maidstone House, King Street,
Maidstone, Kent, ME15 6JQ.
Please submit:
- a copy of the current inspection report of your vessel as
completed by a qualified marine surveyor,
- a copy of your Public Liability Insurance certificate up to at
least £2,000,000.
You can
apply online for a Pleasure Boat licence. The fee is
£126.00. You will be redirected to an online payment
facility at the end of your application.
You can also
apply to renew your Pleasure Boat licence online. The
annual renewal fee is £126.00.
Alternatively, you can contact us using the details to the right
hand side of the page, and we will post you a form to complete and
return to us with a cheque made payable to Maidstone Borough
Council. We will also post you a form for your annual renewal in
good time before the expiration of your licence.
* We will return your original documents to you in the same
manner in which you sent them to us, i.e., by standard, recorded,
or special delivery etc.
How do I make changes to my licence?
If you are a Pleasure Boat licence-holder and need to make any
changes such as:
- a change to your personal details (for example a change of name
or address),
- inform us of a new inspection report for your vessel,
- inform us of a renewal of your Public Liability Insurance
Certificate.
Please
apply to change your Pleasure Boat Licence online. This is
free.
Likewise, if you are selling on your boat to someone else who
wishes to continue to operate it, please let us know.
Pleasure Boat licences are specific to the boat itself – the
licence expires with the boat. If you obtain a new boat during the
life of your old licence, you will need to apply for a new Pleasure
Boat licence and pay the appropriate fee.
What happens next?
It will take 30 calendar days to process your Pleasure
Boat Licence application. For reasons of public safety it
is important that your licence is fully processed and formally
granted before you begin to operate your business. You must also
display a copy of your licence on your vessel, stating how many
passengers you are licensed to carry.
Please stay in touch with us during the processing period, as
the “clock” may stop if we need any further information from you.
If you do not hear back from us within a reasonable amount of time
after you submit your application, please contact us using the
details at the right of the page to make sure we have received
everything safely.
How do I apply for a Boatman’s Licence?
The grant of a Boatman’s Licence is conditional upon you having
the right training and certification, and you being fit and able to
handle your vessel and assist your passengers safely.
Download the application
form for a boatman’s licence, print and complete.
Alternatively, contact us using the details to the right of this
page, and we will post you all necessary forms. The
application fee is £16.00, and it will take 14 days to process your
application.
You must also include the following original documentation,
without which we cannot process your application:
- a copy of your Boat Master’s Licence Grade III;
- a copy of your current medical certificate.
This form must be completed by your usual medical practitioner;
and
- two recent photographs of yourself.
Please post* or bring in the completed application form and all
relevant documents, with a cheque made payable to Maidstone Borough
Council, to the Licensing Team, Maidstone House, King Street,
Maidstone, Kent, ME15 6JQ.
* We will return your original documents to you in the same
manner in which you sent them to us, i.e., by standard, recorded,
or special delivery etc.
Boatmen’s Licences are renewable annually. The same fee is
applicable. We will post you a form for your annual renewal in good
time before the expiration of your licence.
If my application is refused, can I appeal against the
Council’s decision?
If you are unhappy with our decision to refuse your licence, or
to apply conditions to a licence you already possess, please
contact us in the first instance using the details to the right of
this page.
Afterwards, you may appeal to the Magistrate’s Court from two
days after our decision. You must give 24 hours notice of your
intention to appeal.
What do I do if I want to complain?
Maidstone Borough Council operates a complaints procedure. If
you are unhappy with the service you have received from us,
view the complaints procedure or
make a complaint.
If you are a pleasure boat owner and are concerned about the
behaviour of another licence-holder, please contact us in the first
instance, using the details to the right of this page.
As a member of the public, if you wish to complain about
problems with a pleasure boat owner or boatman such as littering or
pollution, or their conduct on the water etc., please contact us
immediately.
If you are the customer of a pleasure boat owner and have a
complaint, we advise that the first contact is made with the
boatman by you - preferably in the form of a letter (with proof of
delivery). If that does not work, and you are located in the UK,
Consumer Direct will give
you advice. From outside the UK contact the UK European Consumer Centre.