To get a new title for a boat, apply through your state’s boat titling agency (usually the department of natural resources or wildlife agency, sometimes the DMV) with proof of ownership, the boat’s Hull Identification Number, a completed application, and a fee that typically runs between $5 and $75. The exact documents depend on how you came to own the boat and whether you’re replacing a lost title, transferring one from a seller, or titling a brand-new vessel for the first time.
First, Confirm Your State Actually Titles Boats
Not every state issues boat titles. Alaska, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wyoming generally require only registration, and in those states the registration itself is your ownership record. If you live in one of them, you won’t go through the titling process at all; you’ll register the boat with a bill of sale and photo ID instead.
Every other state titles at least some boats, but the size and horsepower cutoffs that trigger the requirement vary. Your state’s wildlife agency, department of natural resources, or motor vehicle division can tell you whether your specific boat needs a title.
Gather the Right Ownership Documents
What you submit as proof of ownership depends entirely on your situation. Every application also needs a valid photo ID and the boat’s Hull Identification Number.
- Used boat with a title: the seller’s signed title, transferred to you. Some states require the seller’s signature to be notarized.
- Used boat without a title: a bill of sale that includes the full names and addresses of both parties, the sale date, the purchase price, and a description of the boat. If you don’t even have a bill of sale, a bonded title may be your only option.
- New boat from a dealer: the Manufacturer’s Certificate of Origin. The dealer provides this, and it functions as the boat’s birth certificate in place of a prior title.
- Inherited boat: a certified death certificate, letters testamentary or letters of administration from the probate court, and the original title if one exists. A jointly titled boat with right of survivorship can usually be transferred with just the death certificate and a new application.
- Lost, damaged, or stolen title: a duplicate title application filed with the same agency that issued the original. Duplicates generally cost less than a brand-new title because the state already has your ownership on record.
Find and Verify the Hull Identification Number
Every recreational boat built after November 1, 1972 carries a 12-character Hull Identification Number that works like a car’s VIN. Federal rules require manufacturers to assign it, and it must appear on the starboard (right) outboard side of the transom, within two inches of the top edge.1eCFR. 33 CFR Part 181 Subpart C – Identification of Boats
Copy this number onto your application exactly as it appears on the hull. A single wrong character creates a mismatch that can delay your application or leave you with a title that causes problems when you try to resell. If the HIN is on a separate plate, that plate should be riveted or bonded on in a way that would visibly damage the hull if someone pried it off.2U.S. Coast Guard. U.S. Coast Guard Hull Identification Number Validation and Verification Guidelines Boats built before November 1972 may not have a HIN at all, in which case the state agency assigns one during titling.
Submit the Application and Pay the Fee
The application form itself usually runs one or two pages. It asks for your name, address, and date of birth; the boat’s HIN, make, model, year, length, and hull material; and how you acquired the vessel. Download the correct form from your state agency’s website, because the agency that handles boat titles is often not the DMV. Most states route boat titles through their department of natural resources or wildlife agency.
You can usually submit the application in one of three ways: mail it with the original documents and a check, drop it off at a local office, or file through an online portal if your state has one. In-person submissions tend to catch errors on the spot. Mailed applications typically take several weeks. Some agencies offer expedited processing for an extra fee.
Title fees vary widely. Some states charge as little as $5 for a straightforward transfer; others charge $75 or more. These fees cover the title only. Registration is separate and carries its own fee on top.
Pay Sales or Use Tax Before the Title Will Issue
This is where new boat owners get blindsided. Most states collect sales or use tax on boat purchases, and they won’t issue a title until the tax is paid. Rates vary roughly from 3% to over 8% depending on the state. On a $30,000 boat, that can mean $2,400 or more due at the titling counter.
If you bought the boat in a state with no sales tax or a lower rate and brought it home, you’ll typically owe the difference as use tax when you apply for the title. Some states give credit for tax already paid elsewhere, but you need proof: a receipt from the original sale or a completed tax affidavit usually does the job.
Gifts aren’t automatically exempt. Many states require you to declare the boat’s fair market value and pay use tax on that amount even though no money changed hands. Ask the titling agency about tax before you submit the application so the bill doesn’t surprise you.
When You Can’t Prove Ownership: Bonded Titles
If you have the boat but no paperwork, a bonded title may be the only way to get a legal title in your name. This is the path for people who bought a boat without a bill of sale, inherited one with no documents, or lost every piece of paper that ever came with it. Not every state offers bonded titles for boats, so confirm with the titling agency first.
Here’s how it works. You buy a surety bond for an amount equal to one and a half times the boat’s appraised value. The bond protects anyone who later turns up with a legitimate ownership claim: if someone proves the boat is rightfully theirs during the bond period, the bonding company pays them. The bond typically stays active for three years, and once that window closes with no claims, you can apply for a standard title.
The premium you actually pay is a small percentage of the bond’s face value, not the full amount, so a $10,000 boat needing a $15,000 bond might cost a few hundred dollars in premiums. The bonded title carries a notation about the bond, which can make resale or financing a bit harder until the bond period runs out.
Clear Any Liens Before the Transfer
If the boat has an outstanding loan, the lender’s lien will show on the title, and the lien generally has to be released before the title can transfer. In practice, the seller pays off the loan and gets a lien release, or the sale proceeds route through the lender to satisfy the debt at closing.
Deals fall apart here when buyers aren’t careful. Don’t accept a title with an unreleased lien on the promise that it will be cleared later. Only the registered owner can request a lien release from the lender, and if the seller disappears after the sale, you may be stuck with a title you can’t clean up. Verify the title is clear before any money changes hands, or run the transaction through an escrow service that pays off the lien directly.
Don’t Forget the Motor and the Trailer
The boat isn’t always the only piece that needs a title. Some states require outboard motors above a certain horsepower to be titled separately. Thresholds vary: some states set the cutoff at 5 horsepower, others at 10 or 25. If yours is one of them, that’s a separate application and a separate fee.
Trailers are their own category. Because they travel on public roads, most states treat them like any other vehicle and require a separate title and registration through the motor vehicle division, not the wildlife or natural resources agency that handles the boat itself. Build those costs into your total before you start.
One last boundary worth knowing: larger vessels (generally at least five net tons and wholly owned by U.S. citizens) can be federally documented through the Coast Guard’s National Vessel Documentation Center instead of state-titled. That’s a separate framework with its own forms and fees, and it’s optional for recreational boaters. If you’re reading this to title a typical recreational boat, the state process above is the one that applies to you.