You can register a boat with just a bill of sale in states that don’t issue boat titles, where the registration card itself acts as the ownership record. In states that do title boats, a bill of sale alone won’t get you registered; you’ll also need the previous owner’s signed title, or the manufacturer’s certificate of origin if the boat is new. Which category your state falls into is the whole question.
Title States and Non-Title States Work Differently
A title is a government-issued certificate proving you own the vessel. Registration is permission to operate it on public waterways. Every state with motorized waterways requires registration for powered boats, but not every state requires a separate title.
In non-title states, which include Alaska, Maine, New Hampshire, and roughly a dozen others, the registration card effectively serves as your ownership record. You bring a bill of sale showing the transaction, complete the application, pay your fees and taxes, and walk out registered. The bill of sale is doing the heavy lifting because there’s no separate title document to transfer.
In title states, the process works more like buying a car. The seller signs over the title, and you bring both the signed title and a bill of sale to the registration office. The bill of sale documents the price, which determines your sales tax, but the title is what legally transfers ownership. If the seller can’t produce a title, you’ll hit a wall.
Before you buy, check with your state’s registration agency, which may be the DMV, the Department of Natural Resources, a fish and wildlife agency, or a dedicated marine division. A quick search for your state’s name plus “boat registration” will point you to the right office.
What Your Bill of Sale Needs to Contain
A handwritten note reading “sold boat to John for $3,000” will cause problems at the counter. State agencies expect enough detail to identify the vessel, confirm the parties, and calculate taxes. At a minimum, include:
- Full names and addresses of both buyer and seller
- Boat description: make, model, year, length, and hull material
- Hull Identification Number (HIN), the 12-character serial number stamped on the transom
- Engine details: manufacturer, serial number, and whether it’s inboard or outboard
- Sale price and date of sale
- Signatures of both parties
Some states require the seller’s signature to be notarized. Even where it isn’t mandatory, notarization adds a layer of protection if ownership is ever disputed later. Notary fees for a single signature typically run between $2 and $15. If a private seller resists signing a detailed bill of sale, treat that as a red flag.
What Else You’ll Bring to the Counter
Beyond the bill of sale, registration offices commonly ask for supporting items depending on how you acquired the boat.
For a new boat purchased from a dealer, you’ll need the Manufacturer’s Certificate of Origin, sometimes called a Manufacturer’s Statement of Origin or MCO. This is the factory-issued document that establishes the boat’s initial chain of ownership. The dealer should hand it over at the time of sale. Without it, the state has no way to confirm the boat was legitimately manufactured and sold to you.
For a used boat in a title state, you need the previous owner’s title signed over to you. If the boat was previously registered in a different state, some offices will also request verification from that state confirming the old registration was surrendered.
Regardless of how you acquired the vessel, expect to provide a valid photo ID, a completed registration application, and proof of sales tax payment. If you haven’t already paid sales tax on the purchase, most states collect it at the time of registration. Sales and use tax rates on boat purchases range from zero in a handful of states to over 8% in higher-tax jurisdictions, so the amount can be substantial on an expensive vessel.
Registration fees themselves depend on the boat’s length, type, and sometimes age or horsepower. Fees for smaller boats can run under $25, while larger vessels in some states cost over $100. Title transfer fees, where applicable, typically add another $7 to $50.
When the Seller Has No Title
This is where a lot of private boat sales fall apart. You find a great deal on a used boat, the seller has a bill of sale or maybe nothing at all, and the title is long gone. In a title state, you can’t just skip the title requirement, and a bill of sale from someone who doesn’t hold the title may carry no legal weight at all. You could end up with an expensive boat you can’t legally operate.
The most common workaround is a bonded title. You purchase a surety bond, typically for one to one-and-a-half times the boat’s appraised value, that protects future owners if someone else comes forward claiming they own the vessel. You pay only a small percentage of the bond’s face value as your premium, not the full amount. After a waiting period, usually three to five years with no ownership challenges, the bond expires and your title becomes a standard, clean title.
Not every state offers bonded titles for boats, and the process varies where it does. Before buying any vessel whose seller can’t produce a title, call your state’s registration agency and ask exactly what they will accept.
Register Before You Launch
Most states set a deadline for registering a boat after purchase, often 15 to 30 days, so don’t let the paperwork sit. Running an unregistered motorized boat on public waterways is illegal in every state. Penalties vary, but most states treat it as a non-criminal infraction with a fine.
The bigger risk is that an unregistered boat with no documentation trail raises suspicion of theft, which can lead to the vessel being impounded until you sort out ownership. If you’ve just bought a boat and haven’t registered yet, keep the bill of sale and any other purchase documents on board as evidence that you’re the lawful owner while your paperwork is being processed. Federal law separately requires you to keep the certificate of number on board in hard copy or digital form whenever the boat is in use once you are registered.1eCFR. 33 CFR 173.21 – Certificate of Number Required
One boundary worth flagging: non-motorized vessels like kayaks, canoes, rowing shells, and sailboards are generally exempt from registration in most states, though a few require registration or launch permits even for unpowered boats. Sailboats with an auxiliary motor typically need registration regardless of how you mainly use them. And if you’re towing, the trailer needs its own separate registration and license plate; a perfectly registered boat on an unregistered trailer can still get you cited on the way to the lake.