USA Lacrosse membership automatically includes liability and accident coverage for officiating-related incidents, plus game-fee reimbursement if you're injured on the job. Every membership also includes a free criminal background check and abuse prevention training — so you can officiate at every level with the protection and confidence you need.

Review Insurance Program

Rules change. The difference between a competent official and a good one is usually preparation. That's why USA Lacrosse keeps you in the loop on every rule change, every season. 

USA Lacrosse writes and publishes youth guidebooks for ages 14 and under. We collaborate with the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) on rules for high school boys' and girls' lacrosse, and we provide modifications for collegiate non-varsity (club) and post-collegiate women's lacrosse. We also publish the rules that govern box lacrosse. 

• Free digital NFHS rule book to stay current on the rules of the game, plus discounted pricing on print rule books 
• Annual Rules Interpretation sessions led by our National Interpreter 

There are many different ways lacrosse can be played, with rule variations for each type. Field lacrosse for girls and boys, box lacrosse, sixes lacrosse, and wheelchair lacrosse all have seperate rulebooks.

LACROSSE RULES

Certification Built Into Your Membership 

Your USA Lacrosse membership enrolls you directly in certification — no separate cost, no separate sign-up. To become certified, you'll complete a one-time rules and penalties course for your discipline, pass an annual rules test, and recertify every year. 

We encourage every official to become USA Lacrosse certified, and we encourage every officials association to adopt our minimum certification standards. Our vision is simple: every lacrosse contest officiated by a USA Lacrosse-certified official. That's better for the game, and it's better for everyone who plays, coaches, and watches it. 

Why Certification Exists 

The USA Lacrosse Officials Certification Program develops knowledgeable, prepared officials at every level of the game. To get there, every certified official must: 

• Complete continued, standardized training to stay current on the rules 
• Officiate with the level of play always in mind 
• Promote the safety of every participant 
• Promote fair play and sportsmanship 
• Keep improving — and move up to higher levels of certification 

USA Lacrosse certification was built around these goals. It keeps evolving around them, too. 

Begin Your Certification

Ongoing Education

Getting certified is just the beginning. As a USA Lacrosse member, you get free access to our E-Learning platform — start with the required base-level courses for officials and progress from there. Our E-Learning courses are built by experienced officials, available anytime, and designed for every level — from first-year officials to seasoned veterans.  

USA Lacrosse membership includes a monthly officials newsletter as well as live webinars and an archived library throughout the year to stay up to date on best practices, rule changes, and trends.

Become a Certified Officials Trainer

All officials, as part of their annual USA Lacrosse Certification, are required to attend and complete annual learning requirements. This training is typically conducted locally and led by experienced officials. To prepare officials to be trainers, USA Lacrosse created an Officials Trainer Certification. This program helps standardize the requirements for trainers at the local level by providing additional support and development opportunities.

Become a Certified Officials Observer

USA Lacrosse offers an Officials Observer Certification. This program prepares Certified Observers to assess officials with a sharp eye for mechanics, rule interpretation, and effective evaluation techniques — all through online training resources. Certified Observers work with officials at every level of play and report observation and evaluation data to USA Lacrosse.

It is important to continue to grow your pipeline of local officials. One way to do that in your community is to encourage the development of junior officials. The USA Lacrosse Junior Official training program is for anybody between the ages of 14 and 18 who wishes to officiate youth lacrosse games.  

Junior Officials must complete the following steps:

• Complete the Boys' or Girls' Lacrosse Rules Online Course 
• Complete an annual Professional Development Course 
• Pass the annual Online Youth Rules Exam 
• Pass the Junior Officials Field Evaluation with a local trainer

Are you interested in becoming a junior official, or are you a parent with a child who is interested? Get started by logging into your USA Lacrosse account and purchasing the Junior Official membership today.

Become a Member

You're on the front lines, making the calls that keep every game fair. We provide the rules education and certification pathway you need to make those calls with confidence — so you can tell coaches and parents, without hesitation, that every call is backed by standardized rules training and the sport's national governing body.  

To get started:

• Find a local officials boy’s lacrosse or girl’s lacrosse organization in your area and contact them to get started. If you need help, please contact membership@usalacrosse.com.
• Become a USA Lacrosse member and indicate "official" as your involvement type. 
• If you're a current member of USA Lacrosse, simply login to your account and add "official" to your involvement.
• Get started with the Annual Certification learning module to learn the basics of the game. 

Login Today