Chapter 4: The Legal Requirements of Boating
Your Vessel's Certificate of Boat Registration and Validation Decals

Requirements for vessel registration vary from state to state. In Georgia, you must have a Georgia Certificate of Boat Registration and validation decals to operate your vessel on public waters in Georgia legally. The only exceptions are:

• Sailboats under 12 feet in length
• Canoes, kayaks, rowboats, and rubber rafts that have no mechanical propulsion (i.e., boats that are paddled, poled, rowed, or windblown)
• Vessels operated exclusively on private ponds or lakes

The Certificate of Boat Registration (a pocket-sized plastic card) must be on board and available for inspection by an enforcement officer whenever the vessel is operated.

The registration number and validation decals must be displayed as follows.

• Number must be painted, applied as a decal, or otherwise affixed to both sides of the bow.
• Number must read from left to right on both sides of the bow.
• Number must be in at least three-inch-high BLOCK letters.
• Number’s color must contrast with its background.
• Letters must be separated from the numbers by a space or hyphen: GA 3717 ZW or GA-3717-ZW.
• No other numbers may be displayed on either side of the bow.
• Decals must be displayed on each side of the bow, before the prefix letters of the registration number.

If your vessel requires registration, it is illegal to operate it or allow others to operate your vessel unless it is registered and numbered as described above.

PWCs also are required to display the registration number and validation decals.

Other Facts About Registering Your Vessel

• A Certificate of Boat Registration is valid for three years and expires on the last day of the owner’s month of birth. The expiration date is on the certificate and decals. The owner may renew over the Internet or by phone.
• If a vessel owner changes address, he or she must notify the DNR Boat Registration Office by mail or phone.
• If you abandon or destroy your vessel, you must report the event to the DNR Boat Registration Office within 15 days and surrender your Certificate of Boat Registration.
• If you lose or destroy your Certificate of Boat Registration or decal, you must apply for a duplicate and submit a processing fee.
• Vessels bearing valid registration from another state do not need to be registered in Georgia unless they are used in Georgia for more than 60 consecutive days.
• Larger recreational vessels owned by U.S. citizens may (at the option of the owner) be documented by the U.S. Coast Guard. Call the USCG at 1-800-799-8362 for more information. (Read more about obtaining the U.S. Coast Guard’s Certificate of Documentation.)

Registration Questions?

Contact the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Boat Registration Office at: 1-800-366-2661 or visit online at www.goboatgeorgia.com. Also, you can call or visit one of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources offices.

Hull Identification Number

• The Hull Identification Number (HIN) is a unique, 12-digit number assigned by the manufacturer to vessels built after 1972.
• Hull Identification Numbers:
  • Distinguish one vessel from another­—the same as serial numbers distinguish one car from another.
  • Are engraved in the fiberglass or on a metal plate permanently attached to the transom.
• You should write down your HIN and put it in a place separate from your vessel in case warranty problems arise or your vessel is stolen.