Chapter 4: The Legal Requirements of Boating
Your Vessel’s Certificate of Number and Decals

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

• Public vessels of the United States, West Virginia, or its municipalities
• Vessels registered in other states using West Virginia waters for 60 days or less
• Vessels registered in another country using West Virginia waters temporarily
• Non-motorized vessels such as canoes, rowboats, or sailboats that do not have an auxiliary motor

Validation Decals

The registration number and 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 sharply with its background.
• Number is divided into three parts, with the first part indicating the state. A space must separate each part. For example: WV 3717 ZW.
• No other numbers may be displayed on either side of the bow.
• Decals must be affixed on both sides of the bow, within six inches of the last character in the registration number.

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

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

Other Facts about Titling and Registering Your Vessel

• All motorized vessels (including sailboats that have a motor) purchased in West Virginia by the current owner after July 1, 1989, must have a title.
• A vessel’s registration is valid for three years and expires on the last day of March in the year indicated on the Certificate of Number and decals. Owners of registered vessels will be sent a renewal notice automatically.
• If a numbered vessel is destroyed or abandoned, the owner must report it to the Commissioner of the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) within 15 days of the event.
• If you change your address, you must notify the Commissioner of the DMV within 15 days of the change.
• Larger recreational vessels owned by U.S. citizens may (at the option of the owner) be documented by the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG). Call the USCG at 1-800-799-8362 for more information. (Read more about obtaining the U.S. Coast Guard’s Certificate of Documentation.) Documented vessels also must be registered with the Division of Motor Vehicles. Call the DMV at 1-800-642-9066 for more information.

Registration Questions? Call the West Virginia Division of Moter Vehicles (DMV) at
1-800-642-9066 or visit one of its offices.

Application forms for obtaining a Certificate of Number and validation decals are available at any branch office of the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV), a licensed recreational vehicle dealer, or the Division of Natural Resources (DNR). You also can request an application from the DMV by mail at the address shown above.

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.