Do Boats Have Titles in New York State? Rules, Fees, and Exceptions

Yes, boats do have titles in New York, but only some of them. The DMV issues a certificate of title for a boat that is model year 1987 or newer, at least 14 feet long, and registered in the state.¹ Boats that fall outside those three conditions don’t get a title at all. Instead, they use a transferable registration as the ownership document.

Which Boats Get a Title

All three conditions have to be met before the DMV will title the vessel: model year 1987 or newer, hull length of at least 14 feet, and New York registration.¹ The requirement comes from Article 46 of the New York Vehicle and Traffic Law, the state’s Uniform Vehicle Certificate of Title Act. For a qualifying boat, the title replaces the registration as the legal proof of ownership, and you’ll need it to sell or transfer the vessel.

Which Boats Don’t

Under VTL Section 2102, several categories are excluded from titling:

Boats designated by the manufacturer as model year 1986 or earlier, regardless of size or engine.
Boats shorter than 14 feet, regardless of model year or horsepower.
Vessels holding a valid marine document from the U.S. Coast Guard or a foreign government.
Vessels not required to be registered in New York and not currently registered here.

For these boats, a transferable registration takes the place of a title.² Keep the current registration certificate on board when you’re on state waters. Non-motorized craft such as canoes, kayaks, and rowboats need neither a title nor a registration.

How to Apply for a Boat Title

The application is Form MV-82B, the Boat Registration/Title Application.³ You’ll enter the Hull Identification Number, a 12-character code stamped on the vessel,⁴ along with the manufacturer, model year, and hull material.

What you bring for proof of ownership depends on how you got the boat:

New boat from a dealer: a Manufacturer’s Statement or Certificate of Origin and a bill of sale.³
Used boat with an existing title: the previous owner’s signed title and bills of sale covering the chain of ownership.
Used boat without a title: a signed transferable registration from the seller and a bill of sale.

A bill of sale needs the year and make of the boat, the HIN, the sale date, the purchase price, and both parties’ signatures.⁵ If the boat is a gift or is sold below fair market value, the seller also completes Section 6 of Form DTF-802.

You’ll prove your identity as well. A current New York State photo driver license, learner permit, or non-driver ID covers both the name and date-of-birth requirements by itself. Without one of those, you’ll need documents totaling at least six identity points under the DMV’s point system.⁶

Fees

The title fee is $50, charged on top of registration.¹ Registration runs three years, and the fee depends on hull length:

Under 16 feet: $22.50
16 feet to under 26 feet: $45.00
26 feet or longer: $75.00

Sales tax is due on the purchase price. The DMV issues Form FS-6T as your payment receipt after you apply for the title,⁷ and you’ll need that receipt for certain follow-up filings, so keep it.

Where to Submit and How Long It Takes

Bring the completed MV-82B, ownership documents, identity proof, and payment to a local DMV office, or mail everything in. The DMV accepts checks, money orders, and credit cards. You won’t leave with the title itself. Titles are printed in Albany and mailed to the address on your application, and the wait can run up to 45 days.⁸ The DMV’s online title status tool lets you follow the application in the meantime.

Selling or Buying a Titled Boat

If your boat has a New York title, you sign the certificate over to the buyer and provide a bill of sale with the boat’s year and make, the HIN, the sale date, the purchase price, and both signatures.⁵ Gifts and below-market sales also require Section 6 of Form DTF-802. The buyer takes the signed title, the bill of sale, and their own MV-82B to a DMV office to have the title reissued in their name. For boats that don’t get titled, you transfer the transferable registration instead and provide a bill of sale.

Check for Liens First

Before paying for a used boat, check whether a lender or creditor has a recorded claim against it. Buying a boat with an outstanding lien can leave you on the hook for someone else’s debt. The DMV runs a free online lookup that uses the HIN and model year to show the number of liens, the lienholder’s name and address, and the date the title was issued.⁸ It won’t display anything personal about the current owner. If a lien turns up, get written proof from the seller that the lienholder has released it before you close.

When the Seller Has No Paperwork

The DMV’s plain guidance is not to buy a boat unless you’ll receive acceptable proof of ownership at the time of sale.² If you’ve already bought one without proper documents, start by asking the seller in writing for a bill of sale and either a registration receipt or a completed Form MV-353 transferred to you. If that fails, send a certified letter making the same request. If the letter comes back unopened, bring the following to a DMV office:

The returned certified letter in its sealed envelope.
A pencil tracing, photo, or police statement showing the HIN.
A notarized affidavit describing how you got the boat and what you did to obtain ownership documents.
Any supporting evidence you have, such as a bill of sale, the previous owner’s registration documents, or a canceled check.
A completed Statement of Ownership (Form MV-51B) if you’ve had the boat less than a year and the prior owner never registered it.

The DMV will initially issue a non-transferable registration, which lets you use the boat but not sell it. The Title Services Bureau then reviews your file and either upgrades it to a transferable registration or explains why it can’t.²

Out-of-State Boats

A boat legally registered in another state can operate on New York waters for up to 90 consecutive days without New York registration. Past that, you register in New York, and if the boat meets the state’s criteria (1987 or newer, 14 feet or longer, motorized), you go through the full titling process as well.

Coast Guard-Documented Vessels

Larger boats used commercially or for international travel may be documented through the U.S. Coast Guard’s National Vessel Documentation Center instead of titled by the state. Federal law requires documentation for any vessel of at least five net tons engaged in coastwise trade or commercial fishing,⁹ and recreational boats meeting the tonnage threshold can document voluntarily. A federally documented vessel is excluded from New York’s titling requirements,¹ with the Certificate of Documentation serving as the ownership record in place of a state title.

1
New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. Register a Boat
2
New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. Proof of Ownership is Not Available
3
New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. MV-82B – Boat Registration/Title Application
4
eCFR. 33 CFR 181.25 – Hull Identification Number Format
5
New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. Buy, Sell, or Transfer Vehicle Ownership
6
New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. Proof Requirements for New York State Vehicle Registrations or Title Certificates
7
New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. Instructions for Obtaining a Receipt (Form FS-6T) for a Certificate of Title
8
New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. Check a Title or Lien Status
9
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 46 USC 12102 – Vessels Requiring Documentation