Wisconsin doesn’t publish a standalone boat bill of sale. Instead, the Department of Natural Resources uses Form 9400-193, the Boat Registration and Titling Application, as the single document that records the sale, transfers the title, and registers the boat in the buyer’s name.1Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Wisconsin Boat Registration and Titling Application Everything a bill of sale would normally capture — buyer, seller, purchase price, boat description, date — lives on that one form. A private written bill of sale signed by both parties is fine as a personal backup, but the DNR will not accept it in place of Form 9400-193.
You can download the form from the DNR website, pick one up at a DNR service center, or complete the whole application electronically through the GoWild portal at gowild.wi.gov.2Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Boat Registration
Titled Boats vs. Registration-Only Boats
What paperwork the sale needs depends on whether the boat carries a Wisconsin title. Wisconsin titles every motorized boat and every sailboat 16 feet or longer, unless the vessel is documented with the U.S. Coast Guard.1Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Wisconsin Boat Registration and Titling Application Motorized boats under 16 feet still need registration but receive no title.
If the boat has a title, the seller must give you the original paper Certificate of Title with the assignment section signed and completed in your name. Photocopies aren’t accepted.2Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Boat Registration An unsigned title, or one with a blank assignment section, is the most common reason transfers get rejected.
Information the Buyer Needs to Gather
Before filling out Form 9400-193, collect everything on the buyer’s side and everything about the boat. Missing a single field can stall the application.
The buyer provides full legal name, mailing address, date of birth, and one of the following: DNR customer ID, Social Security number, or driver’s license number.2Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Boat Registration The seller’s full name and mailing address go in a separate section.
For the boat, the form requires:
- The Hull Identification Number — a 12-character code usually stamped on the starboard side of the transom. Read it off the hull itself and confirm it matches the title. If they don’t match, the DNR rejects the application.3Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Hull Identification Number (HIN)
- Make, model, and year. The make and model can’t be identical entries.
- Exact length in feet and inches. Don’t round.
- Hull material, boat type, engine type, propulsion, fuel type, and primary use.
- The exact purchase price, including the motor and accessories but excluding any trailer, and the date of purchase.
The DNR uses the purchase price to calculate sales tax, which the buyer pays with the application.
What the Seller Has to Do
For a titled boat, the seller signs the Certificate of Title and completes the assignment section naming you as the new owner. That signed title travels with your Form 9400-193 to the DNR.
If the title shows an outstanding lien, the sale can’t be finalized without a lien release. The DNR accepts any of these: the lien holder’s signature in the release section of the title, a signed letter on the lien holder’s letterhead, or a signed copy of the lien notice the DNR originally issued. Every release must name the lien holder, the boat owner, and the specific vessel by HIN or Wisconsin registration number.2Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Boat Registration
If the seller has lost the title, they can submit Form 9400-617 (Release of Ownership Interest Request) alongside your application.1Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Wisconsin Boat Registration and Titling Application This works, but it adds processing time. Confirm the seller has the physical title before you agree to the sale.
Sellers should keep a copy of the signed title and the completed Form 9400-193. Without that record, they have no proof the boat left their hands, which becomes a problem if the vessel is later involved in an accident or found abandoned.
Submitting the Application and Paying Fees
The buyer files. You have two ways to do it.
GoWild online. The GoWild portal handles the full application and takes payment for fees and sales tax. The advantage: as soon as you submit and pay, you can print a 60-day temporary operating receipt that lets you use the boat while you wait for the certificate of number and decals.2Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Boat Registration Carry the receipt onboard.4Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. General Information on Boat Registration and Titling For any boat 16 feet or longer, you still have to mail in the original title (or manufacturer’s statement of origin) separately — the system can’t accept original paper documents electronically.
Mail. Send Form 9400-193, a check or money order payable to WDNR, and all supporting documents to:
DNR Processing Center
PO Box 78701
Milwaukee, WI 53278-07011Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Wisconsin Boat Registration and Titling Application
Use a tracked mailing service. If the original title disappears in transit, you’re back to the Form 9400-617 workaround.
Registration Fees
Wisconsin registration lasts three years, running April 1 of the year issued through March 31 of the third year.5Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Code 30.52 – Certificate of Number; Registration Fees scale by length:
- Motorized, under 16 feet: $22
- Motorized, 16 to under 26 feet: $32
- Motorized, 26 to under 40 feet: $60
- Motorized, 40 feet and over: $100
- Non-motorized sailboats: $17
Titled boats add a $5 title issuance fee. If a lien is being filed, add another $5. Transferring an existing registration to a new owner for the balance of the current period costs $3.75.6Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Registration Fees – Boat
Sales Tax on the Purchase
Wisconsin charges 5% state sales tax on the boat’s purchase price, including motor and accessories but not the trailer.7Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Code 77.52 – Imposition of Retail Sales Tax The rate depends on where the boat will be kept, not where the sale happens. Seventy Wisconsin counties add 0.5%. Milwaukee County adds 0.9%, and boats kept inside the city of Milwaukee face an extra 2% city tax.8Wisconsin Department of Revenue. DOR Tax Rates A few counties, including Waukesha and Winnebago, have no county tax.
You pay the tax directly to the DNR through your application, not to the seller. Form 9400-193 has a section that walks the calculation.
Trade-In Credit
If you traded a boat as part of the purchase, sales tax applies only to the difference. A $20,000 boat with a $5,000 trade-in is taxed on $15,000.9Wisconsin Department of Revenue. Wisconsin Tax Bulletin 124
Family Transfer Exemption
Transfers between certain immediate family members are exempt from sales tax entirely: spouse, parent, stepparent, child, stepchild, parent-in-law, son-in-law, or daughter-in-law. The boat must already be registered or titled with the Wisconsin DNR in the transferor’s name, and the transferor cannot be in the business of selling boats.10Wisconsin State Legislature. Chapter Tax 11 – Sales and Use Tax
If the Boat Is Titled Out of State
Buying a boat previously titled in another state? You need the original signed Certificate of Title from that state. If the boat came from a state that doesn’t title boats, the previous registration card works instead.2Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Boat Registration Mail the document to the DNR with your Form 9400-193 even if you started the application on GoWild.
Out-of-state titles are where hidden liens surface. Ask to see the physical title and inspect it for any lien notation before money changes hands. Wisconsin will not issue a new title until every listed lien holder has released.
Coast Guard Documented Vessels
Boats documented with the U.S. Coast Guard don’t get a Wisconsin title, but they still need Wisconsin registration if the state is the vessel’s principal place of use or if the boat operates on Wisconsin waters for more than 60 consecutive days.11Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. US Coast Guard Documented Boats Include a photocopy of the front and back of the current federal certificate of documentation with the application.
If you’re buying a documented vessel and want to switch it to a Wisconsin title, you’ll need the previous owner’s letter of deletion from the Coast Guard registry. Without it, the DNR can’t issue a state title.
The Trailer Is Separate
Boat registration goes through the DNR. Trailer registration goes through the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.12Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Mobile Homes, Recreational Vehicles, Boats and Other Trailers Buyers regularly overlook this and end up with a properly registered boat sitting on an unregistered trailer.
Boat trailers over 3,000 pounds need both a title and plates from WisDOT. Lighter trailers used only within Wisconsin don’t technically require titling and plates, though WisDOT recommends them if the trailer ever leaves the state. Any trailer used for hire or rental needs title and plates regardless of weight. The registration fee for a recreational vehicle trailer is $15.13Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Fee Schedule
Report the Actual Purchase Price
Under Wis. Stat. 30.547, intentionally making a false statement on a title application carries fines up to $10,000, up to six years of imprisonment, or both.1Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Wisconsin Boat Registration and Titling Application The usual temptation is underreporting the purchase price to shrink the sales tax bill. The DNR reviews reported prices against fair market value, and outliers invite scrutiny. Write down what you actually paid.