How to register a boat in Utah
Register before you operate on Utah waters
A motorboat (gas or electric) or sailboat must be registered before it is used on Utah public waters. There is no long grace window for residents — register when you buy the boat. A boat validly registered in another state may be used in Utah for fewer than 60 days in a calendar year without a Utah registration (nonresident reciprocity).
Complete form TC-656V and bring proof of ownership
Use TC-656V, the Vessel Application for Utah Title and Registration. Bring proof of ownership — a properly assigned certificate of title, a manufacturer's statement of origin (MSO) for a new boat, or a bill of sale (TC-843) — plus photo ID. Initial titling and registration are handled at a DMV office (or by mail to the Motor Vehicle Division in Salt Lake City); annual renewals can also be done online through Renewal Express.
Get a HIN inspection if required
Used, out-of-state, homemade, or missing-HIN vessels generally need a hull-identification-number inspection (Certificate of Inspection, form TC-661) before Utah will title them. Brand-new boats sold by a Utah dealer are exempt. See the HIN rules below.
Pay fees, sales/use tax, and the AIS fee
You pay the registration fee (set by the Tax Commission and changing for 2026 — see the fee section), Utah sales/use tax on the purchase price, the age-based uniform fee-in-lieu of property tax, and, separately, the aquatic-invasive-species (AIS) enrollment fee through the Division of Wildlife Resources. The annual mussel-aware boater course must be completed before the AIS fee can be paid.
Display your UT number and decals
Registered vessels receive a bow number that begins with "UT" followed by digits and letters (for example, UT 1234 AB). It must be painted or applied to both sides of the forward half (bow) of the hull in plain block characters that read left to right and contrast with the background, with the validation decal placed nearby per the DMV placement guide. The certificate of registration must be kept aboard and available to any law-enforcement officer while the vessel is in operation. A federally documented vessel does not display the UT number — it shows its name and hailing port and carries the state validation decal.
Utah registration fees
Utah registration fees are set by the State Tax Commission and are paid alongside Utah sales/use tax on the purchase and an age-based "uniform fee" charged in lieu of property tax (vessels 31 feet and longer are assessed a 1.5% fee-in-lieu based on fair market value). A separate aquatic-invasive-species (AIS) enrollment fee — $20 per vessel for residents and $25 for nonresidents in 2026 — is paid through the Division of Wildlife Resources and, unlike the registration itself, runs on the calendar year (it expires December 31). The vessel fee structure is being revised under a new boating tax that takes effect January 1, 2026, so confirm current amounts before you pay.
Because the vessel fee schedule is set by the Tax Commission and is changing for 2026, we do not publish a fixed fee table here — verify the current registration fee, uniform (property-tax) fee, sales/use tax, and AIS enrollment fee with the Utah DMV boats page or your local DMV office.
Titling in Utah
Utah titles vessels manufactured in 1985 or later, with one narrow exception: canoes and inflatable watercraft powered by an outboard motor of 25 horsepower or less are not titled. Boats manufactured before 1985 are generally registered but not titled. The title (and each transfer) carries a $6 fee and is the ownership record filed with the DMV.
A federally documented vessel is the major exception. Because the U.S. Coast Guard Certificate of Documentation is the ownership record, Utah does not issue a state title for a documented vessel — but it is not exempt from registration. A documented boat used on Utah waters still must be registered with the DMV; it simply displays its name and hailing port and the state validation decal instead of a UT bow number. This is the classic "documented but not titled" arrangement explained in state registration vs USCG documentation.
HIN requirements
Utah requires a valid hull identification number (HIN) to title a vessel. For a factory-built boat, the HIN is the 12-character code the manufacturer affixed to the hull (mandatory on boats built after 1972), and it must be recorded accurately on the title and registration.
Before Utah issues an initial title on a used, out-of-state, homemade, or missing-HIN vessel, a HIN inspection is generally required. The inspection is performed by a DMV employee or a Utah peace officer, who documents the hull number on a Certificate of Inspection (form TC-661). Brand-new watercraft sold through a Utah dealer are exempt from this inspection.
Homemade vessels and boats whose HIN is missing or illegible are assigned a state HIN as part of the titling process, which is then affixed to the hull and used on all state records. Decode any existing hull number first with the HIN decoder to confirm the manufacturer and model year match the paperwork before you take the boat in for inspection.
Renewal
Utah vessel registration is issued for a one-year term anchored to the month you register — not a fixed calendar year. By statute (Utah Code 73-18-7), each registration, card, and decal "expires the last day of the month in the year following the calendar month of registration," and a renewal keeps that same expiration month even if you let it lapse. If the last day of the term falls on a day state or county offices are closed, the registration is extended to midnight of the next business day. Renew online through Renewal Express, by mail, or in person. Note the separate quirk: the AIS enrollment fee and the mandatory annual mussel-aware boater course both run on the calendar year and expire December 31, regardless of your registration month.
Exemptions
Non-motorized, human-powered craft — canoes, kayaks, paddleboards, rowboats, and rafts with no motor and no sail — are not required to be registered because they are neither motorboats nor sailboats (note that, as of 2026, launching even a non-motorized watercraft still requires completing the annual AIS mussel-aware course). A vessel currently registered in another state may be operated on Utah waters for fewer than 60 days in a calendar year without a Utah registration. Federally documented vessels are exempt from Utah titling and from displaying a UT number, but must still be registered if used on Utah waters. Vessels owned by the United States and a ship's lifeboat used solely for lifesaving are also outside the numbering requirement.
Frequently asked questions
Does Utah title boats, and does mine need a title?
Utah titles vessels manufactured in 1985 or later, except canoes and inflatable watercraft powered by an outboard of 25 horsepower or less. Boats built before 1985 are generally registered but not titled. A federally documented vessel is registered but never state-titled. The title fee is $6.
Do I have to register a USCG-documented boat in Utah?
Yes. A federally documented vessel is exempt from Utah titling — the Coast Guard document is the ownership record — but it still must be registered if it is used on Utah waters. It displays its name and hailing port plus the Utah validation decal rather than a UT bow number.
When does my Utah boat registration expire?
On the last day of the month, one year after the month you registered it — a rolling monthly anniversary, not December 31. A renewal keeps the same expiration month. Watch out for the separate AIS enrollment fee and mussel-aware course, which do run on the calendar year and expire December 31.
What is the AIS fee and course all about?
Utah fights quagga mussels aggressively. Anyone launching any watercraft — motorized or not — must take a free annual mussel-aware boater course, and owners of Utah-registered motorboats pay a separate AIS enrollment fee (recently $20 for residents, $25 for nonresidents) through the Division of Wildlife Resources. You carry a current-year AIS decal on the boat and the enrollment certificate on the dash of your tow vehicle.
My boat is from out of state or has no HIN — what inspection do I need?
Used, out-of-state, homemade, and missing-HIN vessels generally need a hull-identification-number inspection before Utah will title them. A DMV employee or a Utah peace officer documents the hull number on a Certificate of Inspection (form TC-661). Brand-new, dealer-sold boats are exempt; homemade or no-HIN boats are assigned a state HIN.
Primary sources
Last verified .
- Utah DMV — Boats, Watercraft & Outboard Motors (retrieved 2026-07-16)
- Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation — Boating Registration & Insurance (retrieved 2026-07-16)
- Utah Code 73-18-7 — Registration requirements, exemptions, period of registration and expiration (effective 1/1/2026) (retrieved 2026-07-16)
- Utah Aquatic Invasive Species — Resident boater requirements (retrieved 2026-07-16)
- Utah DMV — Form TC-656V, Vessel Application for Utah Title and Registration (retrieved 2026-07-16)
Independent reference tool — not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the U.S. Coast Guard or the National Maritime Center. Vessel data is derived from public USCG sources and may lag official records; always verify with the issuing authority.
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