General Information

As an agent for the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, the Tax Collector is responsible for providing the necessary service and record keeping procedures used in processing vessel (boat) titles and registrations. All motorized vessels, commercial and private, must be registered, titled and issued a decal before they can be used in Florida waters. The decal must be affixed to the port side of the boat. 

You can obtain a copy of an electronic title in our office for $5.00

To view the DMV's Frequently Asked Questions, click here.

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.  Proof of ownership on a used boat from a non-title state is the vessel registration.

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, 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 .