SAVANNAH — The Georgia Department of Natural Resources and the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department Marine Patrol Unit will conduct a boater safety course on May 17.

The course is free and is required for boaters of certain ages to operate certain vessels.

The class will be from 9 a.m.-4 p.m., with a lunch break, at the SCMPD training facility in Savannah Mall (on the second floor next to Dillard’s).

It is limited to 30 participants.

On July 1, a new mandatory education law goes into effect, requiring anyone born after Jan. 1, 1998 to have successfully completed a Georgia DNR-approved boater education course to operate a powerboat in the state.

To register for the course, call the SCMPD Savannah Mall training center at (912) 921-5450. For more information, contact Georgia DNR at (912) 264-7237 or the SCMPD Marine Patrol at (912) 353-1004.

The class will not be offered again until June 21.