How to Become a Certified Official
Officiating is a great way to stay in the game, support local hockey, and earn money on your own schedule. Here's the whole path to your first game — nothing hidden.
- 1
Register with USA Hockey
Registration is an annual step for every official — new and returning alike. Create or renew your USA Hockey membership and register as an official for the season. Everything else follows from here.
Register at membership.usahockey.com → - 2
Complete your training in the Learning Center
Once you're registered, everything else lives in the USA Hockey Officiating Learning Center — the self-paced online modules, your seminar, the open-book exam, and SafeSport training — all on your own schedule.
See the officiating requirements → - 3
Get your card & crest
When your requirements are complete, USA Hockey mails your official's card and crest for the season. That's your green light — you're a registered official.
- 4
Start working games
Carded and ready? Reach out and we'll get you on the schedule at rinks across West Michigan — no matter how much experience you have.
Adults (18 and older)
Your Learning Center requirements include USA Hockey's SafeSport training and a background screening. Build in a little extra time for these before your first assignment.
How old do I have to be?
USA Hockey sets a minimum age for officials. If your child is just starting out, see the young officials guide.
When & what it costs
There's a registration fee (current amount on USA Hockey's site), and registration generally opens in early summer. Get registered before the season starts so you're ready for assignments.
What you'll need on the ice
A hockey officials jersey, black pants (no team logos), a black helmet with a visor, hockey skates, and a referee whistle. You don't need everything on day one — we'll help you get going.
USA Hockey resources
Fees, dates, and exact requirements are set by USA Hockey and can change year to year. These official pages have the current details:
- Officials home — the hub for everything officiating
- Become a Game Official — what's involved, start to finish
- Officiating program registration — the annual education requirements
- Registration rules & policies — the fine print, by season
- Registration tips — a walkthrough of signing up
- Check your status / log in — returning officials
Registered? Reach out and we'll set you up.
Tell us a bit about your experience and we'll add you to our group and start getting you games. (New to Horizon? We'll handle that — here's how getting games works.)
Officiate with us →