REGISTRATION AND TITLING
Certificate of Number
 In accordance with the Boat Act, all boats operating on waters of the state shall be numbered and the certificate of number shall be available for inspection at all times when the motorboat is in operation. Every certificate of number except those issued to dealers and manufacturers expires on December 31 of the third calendar year of registration. Registration shall be renewed triennially. Refunds shall not be made for any unused period of a certificate of number due to non-use of a vessel or change in ownership. No person shall transfer or authorize the transfer of a registration validation decal from one vessel to another.
Registration Number
A motorboat's registration number must be painted on or permanently affixed to each side of the forward half of the motorboat, and no other number may be displayed on that part of the motorboat.
Numbers shall: read from left to right; be in plain vertical block characters; be of a color contrasting with the background; be distinctly visible and legible; be not less than three inches in height; and have spaces or hyphens that are equal to the width of a letter between the letter and number groupings. Example: NM 0000 AA or NM -- 0000 -- AA.
The Validation Decal is placed on the port side of the vessel and six (6) inches to the right of the registration number.
Registration Fees:
CLASS |
MOTORBOAT LENGTH |
THREE YEAR COST |
A |
Less than 16 ft. |
$ 28.50 |
1 |
16 ft. to less than 26 ft. |
$ 36.00 |
2 |
26 ft. to less than 40 ft. |
$ 43.50 |
3 |
40 ft. to less than 65 ft. |
$ 51.00 |
|
65 ft. or over |
$ 66.00 |
|
Duplicate Registration |
$ 5.00 |
Documented Boats
 Official Documentation MUST be carried onboard a documented vessel at all times. - A Document serves as a certificate of nationality and an authorization for a trade.
- Documented vessels must comply with all state and federal laws.
- Registration fee and display of validation sticker is required in some states.
- Official number must be permanently affixed to an integral structure of the boat. This number is referred to as the “main beam” number.
- The main beam number must match the official number on the document.
- Name and hailing port of the boat must be displayed at least once anywhere on the hull (most boater display this information on the transom) - at least 4” in height, contrasting in color to the hull.
- Name and hailing port must match information on the official document.
Periodically check to see that the numbers and decals are in good condition. A missing number, or having them improperly displayed is a good reason for a law enforcement officer to stop you.
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