Are you wondering if registering a boat in Wisconsin is necessary for your specific situation? Do you know what there is to know about registering or documenting a vessel in your state? We can help. Here at our vessel documentation site, we’ve helped vessel owners from all walks of life to know what they have to know about documenting their vessels properly. Today, we can put that experience to work for you. Below are some of the most common state-by-state questions we are asked. If you have more questions, be sure to email us through our site.
Registering a Boat in Wisconsin: the Facts
The truth is that, yes, if you have a federally documented vessel you have to register it in Wisconsin as well. That means that, if you have gone through our site to document your vessel with the USCG, you also have to register it with the state of Wisconsin as well. Specifically, this is necessary if you used the vessel in Wisconsin if that’s the state you’re going to principally use your vessel in, or if you’ve used it there for more than 60 consecutive days.
Registering Vessels With Washington State
Just as you have to register your documented vessel with the state of Wisconsin, so too do you have to register your documented vessel with Washington State, too. Their rules state that if you’re going to “navigate, operate, employ, or moor your vessel in Washington, (then) you must have a Washington title, registration card, and registration decals.” So, again, even if you have documented your vessel through our site, you also have to make sure to register it with the Washington State Parks and Department of Licensing, too. (Remember: this isn’t for DC, this is for the state of Washington.)
Documentation Rules in California
We chose California to make a point: it’s different from the other two states in terms of what you have to do with your documented vessel. If you have a documented vessel, one that you’ve documented with the USCG, then you do not have to register it with California. You don’t have to go through the California DMV or anything like that. Now, if your vessel is not documented with the Coast Guard (or ineligible for that documentation) then you very well may have to register it with the California DMV.
Federal Vessel Documentation
The rules are different in most states. If you have any questions, we’re happy to answer them. That said, if you want to document your vessel, we can help. Here at our site, we do not offer state-by-state documentation. Instead, we provide easier access to federal documentation, the kind of documentation that’s for vessels anywhere in the country. Some vessels can be documented whereas others, for usage purposes, must be documented. To see all of the different forms that we offer (as well as a way to apply for the documentation you need) we invite you to check out our site.