All vehicles that are currently driving on the road today have to be registered with the Department of Motor Vehicles by law. This is because, just like those types of vehicles, boats can be dangerous and the state wants to know what boats are on its waters. Many people forget to register their boats and find themselves faced with stiff fines when are caught boating without registration paperwork. In the end, it’s easier to just go through the boating registration process just like it is with cars and trucks; there’s far less hassle in the end.
When it comes to boats, there are two types, non-powered and powered; only one of these types has to be registered by law. Powered boats are boats that have any kind of power source at all – whether it’s a legitimate power system or even just a small auxiliary power system. The law states that any powered boat that’s used in water of the state must first be registered with the DMV; “water of the state” is any stream, lake or pond regardless of size and all of the salt water up until three miles out. These boats must go through the boat registration process; failing to properly register a boat will result in stiff penalties.
The fees that you pay for going through the boat registration process are not large at all, especially when compared to how much it costs to register some other vehicles. For powered boats – which is what nearly all boats being registered are – the fee is only $24.00. For non-powered boats, which haven’t been required to be registered since June of 2004, the fee is only $10 and is entirely voluntary. However, always remember that if you choose to remove your boat’s power source, you cannot obtain a refund for your registration fee; and if you add a power source to a boat, you must immediately register the change and pay the DMV’s $24.00 registration fee if you intend to use it.
To complete a boat registration, there are some steps you must go through. First, you have to complete the DMV’s boat registration application paperwork, which is available either directly from the office or from their website; all you have to do is print it out. Then you must locate your bill of sale, out-of-state title, invoice, etc and have the application fee ready. Then, all you do is go down to the office, give them the paperwork and your boat is legally registered.