REGISTRATION, TITLING AND NUMBERING

Requirement that motorboats be registered and numbered

Every motorboat on Kentucky waters must be numbered and currently registered. No person may operate or give permission for the operation of any motorboat on Kentucky waters unless the motorboat is registered and numbered in Kentucky or in accordance with a federally approved numbering system of another state, and unless:

• The certificate of number awarded to your motorboat is current and valid; and
• The identifying boat number (assigned and shown on the certificate of number) is displayed on each side of the bow of such motorboat.

Boats exempt from registration requirement

A motorboat is not be required to be numbered if it is:

• Already covered by a number in full force and effect which has been awarded to it pursuant to federal law or a federally approved numbering system of another state; provided, that such boat shall not have been within this state for a period in excess of sixty (60) consecutive days;
• A motorboat from a country other than the United States temporarily using the waters of this state;
• A motorboat whose owner is the United States, a state or a subdivision thereof, except when such boat is leased to the public for compensation it must be registered;
• A ship's lifeboat used or intended to be used as such;
• A motorboat belonging to a class of boats which has been exempted from numbering by the department after said agency has found that the numbering of motorboats of such class will not materially aid in their identification; and, if an agency of the federal government has a numbering system applicable to the class of motorboats to which the motorboat in question belongs, after the department has further found that the motorboat would also be exempt from numbering if it were subject to the federal law.

Boats exempt from registration may be required by the department to apply for an official identification number to be displayed.

Application for title and registration

The owner must apply for title and registration to the county clerk of the county in which he resides, except, if the motorboat is to be operated principally in a county other than the county of the owner's residence the owner may apply for title and registration to the county clerk of the county in which the motorboat is to be principally operated.

Previously Titled in Another State

A motorboat last titled and registered in another state and purchased by a person for operation in Kentucky must be first titled and registered in Kentucky by and in the name of the purchaser and not in the name of the seller. The application for title and registration shall be accompanied by:

• A bill of sale, if the application is for registration of a new motorboat; or
• The owner's registration receipt if the motorboat was last registered in Kentucky; or
• A bill of sale and the previous registration receipt if last registered in another state; and
• The annual registration fee.

Issuance of licenses by county clerk and by department

All original, renewal and duplicate licenses for the operation of motorboats are be issued by the county clerk in the county in which the motorboat is registered.

NOTE: No certificate of registration or renewal of registration for the operation of a motorboat shall be issued, if the motorboat is equipped with toilet facilities but is not equipped with a storage container or treatment or disposal system of a approved type.

Nonresident Watercraft Allocation

Any nonresident owner or operator of watercraft, whose route or system is partly within this state and partly within another state or states, shall report to the Revenue Cabinet by March 1 of each year mileage operated in Kentucky and mileage operated out-of-state of each boat, tug, barge, and other watercraft for the immediate preceding calendar year. For purposes of reporting mileage operated, total mileage on the Ohio River and one-half (1/2) the mileage on the Mississippi River shall be considered as mileage within the state.

Display of number on boat -- Specifications -- Certificate of number to be kept available

• The owners shall paint on, or attached, to each side of the bow of the motorboat the identification number in such manner that it may be clearly visible. The number must be maintained in a legible condition.
• The certificate of number shall be available at all times for inspection on the motorboat for which issued, whenever the motorboat is in operation.
  

Validation Decals

• The current-year state validation sticker must be attached to the vessel within six (6) inches aft of and in line with the registration number on both sides of the bow.
• Expired validation stickers shall be removed.

Proper Display of Registration Numbers

• Painted on, or attached to, each side of the bow (i.e. the forward half) of the vessel;
• Read from left to right and in such position as to provide maximum visibility;
• In block letters of good proportion not less than three (3) inches in height;
• Have spaces that are equal to the width of a letter other than "I" or a number other than "1" between the letter and the number groupings
  (Example: KY 0001 AA);
• Must be of a contrasting color with the color of the background (i.e. dark numbers on a light background) and so maintained as to be clearly visible and legible.
• No number other than the number awarded to a motorboat or granted reciprocity shall be painted, attached, or otherwise displayed on either side of the bow of such motorboat.

When owner must remove number and validation sticker

The person whose name appears on a certificate of number as the owner of a vessel shall remove the number and validation sticker from the vessel when:

(1) The vessel is documented by the Coast Guard; or

(2) The certificate of number is invalid; or

(3) The vessel is no longer principally used in the state where the certificate was issued.

60-Day Rule - Boat already numbered

The owner of any motorboat already covered by a number in full force and effect which has been awarded to it by a federally approved number system of another state shall record the number prior to operating the motorboat on the waters Kentucky in excess of the sixty (60) day reciprocity period.

Procedure when ownership is transferred or owner renders motorboat unfit for future use

(1) No person acting for himself or another shall buy or trade for any motorboat without receiving the certificate of title issued for that boat with a certificate of transfer indorsed thereon.

(2) It shall be the duty of the purchaser to promptly submit the indorsed certificate of title or boat transaction record and certificate of registration to the county clerk of the county of the purchaser's residence or in which the motorboat is to be principally operated. The purchaser shall apply for a new certificate of title and registration. Except when registration is prohibited by law, any unexpired registration shall remain valid after transfer until expiration occurs according to law.

(3) For transferring the registration, the fee of five dollars ($5) is collected.

(5) If the owner junks or otherwise renders a motorboat unfit for future use, he shall deliver the title to the county clerk of the county in which the motorboat is junked.

Year-long effectiveness of licenses

15-day Rule - Licensee's change of address -- Notice of theft or recovery required

Any holder of a certificate of registration shall notify the county clerk within fifteen (15) days if:

• his address no longer conforms to the address appearing on the certificate and shall, as a part of the notification, furnish the county clerk with his new address
• the vessel is stolen or recovered.

BOAT REGISTRATION FEES