How To Register A Boat In Florida

Florida law requires all motorized boats that operate on its public waterways to be titled and registered with the Florida Department of Highway Condom and Motor Vehicles. You have thirty days after ownership the boat to championship and register it, but until the process is complete, be certain to keep a proof of buy (which includes the date of sale) aboard at all times, every bit operating an unregistered gunkhole later on 30 days is a second-degree misdemeanor in Florida.

Below is an overview of the steps involved in registering your vessel.

1. Visit your local license plate bureau or county tax collector

You must apply for titling and registration at your local license plate agency or canton taxation collector.

2. Title the vessel

A Florida Certificate of Championship must be issued prior to registration. In addition to the appropriate titling fee, you have to nowadays the post-obit documents:

For new vessels: a Manufacturer'south Certificate of Origin. If it was built in a country that doesn't require this certificate, you may present an executed dealer's bill of sale instead. Whatever proof of ownership must include a consummate description of the boat, including its hull identification number and the name of the manufacturer.
Used vessels titled in Florida: documentation confirming that championship was transferred to you.
Used vessels titled out of state: out-of-state documentation confirming correct championship transfer

If you bought a used boat from a state that does not require titling, such equally Connecticut, Georgia, or Tennessee, you may present current registration from the land and a nib of sale from the political party named on that registration.

3. Register the vessel

You have the selection of registering your vessel for either one year or ii years. When applying for registration, you must prove buying past presenting at least ane of the following:

A manufacturer's statement of origin
A builder'due south contract
An executed bill of auction
Federal marine documentation

4. Pay sales tax (if applicable)

If you haven't however paid sales tax on the boat, you must do so at the time that you championship and register information technology. If it has been paid, nowadays a receipt to the agent processing your application.

Additional steps that may exist required:

If yous built or purchased a homemade vessel that is 16 anxiety or more in length, it must be inspected past a fellow member of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Upon satisfactory completion, the officer will provide you with a completed Certificate of Inspection, which you will present along with the other titling and registration documentation.
If you found an abandoned vessel and desire to claim and title it, you must first report the gunkhole to law enforcement, which will endeavor to find the owner. If this party does non merits the vessel, the police may transfer it to you lot, along with the investigation written report and a pecker of auction. You may and so apply to accept it titled in your name.

While you lot can register your Florida vessel yourself, working with a professional can ensure that the procedure goes more smoothly, especially in cases that aren't straightforward. The Marine Documentation Division at Howard S. Reeder provides both domestic and foreign registration services that simplify the procedure of vessel ownership. For more than information please contact us today.

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Howard Due south. Reeder, Inc is a family-owned business which has been in functioning since 1940 when Howard Southward. Reeder Sr. founded our customs brokerage company and began helping importers bring products into the United states. At present on our third generation of ownership, both our visitor and our areas of expertise take greatly expanded over the more 75 years since our inception.