Vessels - Initial Registration and Titling

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Vessels- Initial Registration And Titling
Unless a vessel is exempt from titling, it must be titled at the same time it is registered. Both of these actions can be accomplished for vessels being initially registered/titled by completing Form HSMV 82040.

Along with the completed form, a Manufacturer's Statement of Origin or its equivalent must be submitted together with a registration fee based on the fee schedule. A $5.25 titling fee should also be provided with an additional fee of $1 to record each existing lien. There is an additional titling fee of $4 required for each initial certificate of title issued for a vessel previously registered outside of this state.

If the sales tax on the total purchase price of the vessel has not been previously paid, the vessel owner must pay the tax along with the fees listed above. If the sales tax has already been paid, then the vessel owner should furnish the county tax collector with a valid receipt indicating where the sales tax was paid and that it was paid in an amount equal to or greater than the applicable sales tax.

The registration certificate must be on board the vessel when in operation. The purchaser of a new or used vessel has 30 days to apply for registration and title. During this 30-day grace period, the owner is required to have aboard his vessel proof of date of purchase. Operation of an unregistered vessel after 30 days is a second-degree misdemeanor.

A vessel that is registered in another state may be used in Florida for no more than 90 days .  An out-of-state vessel owner who does not plan to become a permanent Florida resident but plans to operate a currently registered vessel in Florida waters for more than 90 days must obtain a temporary registration .