Other Facts About Titling and Registering Your Vessel

Here are some additional facts about titling and registering your vessel.

• No person is permitted to sell, purchase, or otherwise acquire any of the following without a certificate of title:
  • An outboard motor of 10 horsepower or greater
  • A watercraft 14 feet or greater in length
  • A watercraft less than 14 feet in length with a permanently affixed mechanical means of propulsion of 10 horsepower or greater
• A boat requiring a title may not be registered until a title is issued in the new owner’s name.
• An owner of a hand-powered canoe, kayak, rowboat, or inflatable vessel may choose to do either of the following:
  • Have it numbered, pay a lesser registration fee, and obtain two square tags (Traditional Registration option) or…
  • Not have it numbered, pay a higher registration fee, and obtain a single rectangular tag (Alternative Registration option).
• Registration certificates and tags are valid for up to 3 years and expire on March 1 of the year indicated. All tags shall be removed when they become invalid (expire). A temporary watercraft registration expires 45 days after the date of purchase.
• 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. Documented vessels also must be registered in Ohio and display two Ohio tags, but they are not assigned an Ohio number.