The propsail guide

Registering Your Boat

Registering your boat is an important part of boat ownership and the law in most cases. Registration helps to identify your vessel and allows legal operation on public waterways. Learn about the costs to register a boat.

In most of the states, all motorboats must be registered in the state of primary use and follow the state boating laws and regulations. The boat registration costs are paid to either the state fish and wildlife agency or the department of motor vehicles. You can check your state’s pages to get specific boat registration, costs, important information that applies to your state and answers to some of the most frequently asked questions.

Once you pay your boat registration fees, you will receive a certificate of registration and a validation decal. Your certificate of registration should be kept in a safe place on board your boat, while the validation decal and your vessel registration numbers must be displayed on the outside of your boat where they can be clearly identified (be sure to check your state’s boating laws for specifics on placement).

Find your local boat registration information and resources

Access Points

 
When you register your boat, you are keeping boating a safe and enjoyable activity for yourself and all other boaters. The collected fees you pay provide valuable resources to the local agencies that protect our recreational waterways,  providing necessary funding for clean up and conservation projects, construction and maintenance of facilities and public boat launch points. 

Boating for generations to come

 
As a boater it is up to all of us, to make sure we contribute back to the resources we use so they will be there for the next generations of boaters.