Ohio Registration and Titling Requirements

Before boating, your boat must be properly titled (if required) and registered. A boat title is similar to an auto title. Both provide proof of ownership. Like an auto title, boat titles are obtained from a title office. A boat requiring a title may not be registered until a title is issued in the new owner's name.

Sailboards (commonly called windsurfers) are not considered a watercraft by definition. Therefore, the Ohio registration and titling laws do not apply to these vessels.

Hull Identification Number (HIN)
(ORC 1547.65)
The hull identification number (HIN) is the boat's serial number. It is a unique 12-character number, a minimum of 1/4 inch high, permanently attached to the upper right of the boat's transom or on the starboard (right) side within two feet of the stern (for boats without a transom). Pontoon boats will have a visible HIN on the aft crossbeam within one foot of the starboard hull attachment.

Owners of homemade boats, boats without a HIN, or boats lacking a 12-character HIN, must contact a Watercraft office. An appointment with a Watercraft Officer may be necessary to inspect the boat and assign a HIN.

Caution must be exercised when buying a boat due to the number of stolen boats. One way to avoid problems is to match the HIN listed on the title to the one attached to the boat. Before purchasing the boat, inspect the HIN to be sure it has not been altered in any way.

Titling of Watercraft & Outboard Motors
(ORC 1548.03 & 1548.01)
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.

Exempt from the titling requirement:

• vessels documented by the US Coast Guard
• canoes and kayaks
• watercraft less than 14 feet in length without a permanently affixed mechanical means of propulsion
• watercraft less than 14 feet in length with a permanently affixed mechanical means of propulsion of less than 10 horsepower
• boats from other countries
• ship's lifeboat
• boats owned by government agencies
• motors less than 10 horsepower

If a titled boat is sold by an individual (a casual sale), the seller must complete the transfer section on the back of the title in the presence of a notary public before presenting it to the buyer. The buyer must take the title to a title office to complete the ownership transfer, and then to a boat registration agent to transfer the registration.

NOTE: Some vessels that now need a titles may not have needed a title when they were originally purchased. Before selling these vessels, the owner must apply to a title office and obtain a title:

• boats or outboard motors purchased on or before October 9, 1963;
• watercraft less than 14 feet long with a permanently affixed mechanical means of propulsion of 10 horsepower or greater and purchased on or before January 1, 2000.

Numbering of Watercraft ("OH" number)
(ORC 1547.53)

Every watercraft operated on Ohio water shall be numbered by this state or in compliance with their own state numbering system and shall properly display the assigned number.

Exempt from Ohio numbering:

• vessels documented by the US Coast Guard
• hand-powered vessels that display an Alternative Registration
• boats numbered by another state and not used in this state for more than 60 days
• boats from a country other than the United States temporarily using Ohio water
• boats owned by the United States, a state, or a political subdivision
• a ship's lifeboat. A "lifeboat" is held aboard another vessel and used exclusively for emergency purposes.
• vessels exempted by the chief of the Division of Watercraft
• vessels under a waiver issued for a race or special event

Registration of Watercraft
(ORC 1547.531)

No person shall operate any watercraft without a valid registration. Evidence of registration is shown by displaying two square registration tags or a rectangular tag (Alternative Registration for hand-powered vessels only) and carrying the valid registration certificate on board the vessel.

Refer to the registration/titling flow chart for further details.

Before boating, the new owner of a used boat must take the previous registration form with the transfer section completed by the seller to any watercraft registration agent, even if the registration has not expired. If a boat requiring a title is transferred to a new owner, it may be operated for no more than 45 days provided the new owner carries aboard either of the following:

• a temporary watercraft registration from an authorized registration agent
• a bill of sale from a watercraft dealer containing the required information

Alternative Registration Option for Manually Propelled (Hand-powered) Vessels
(ORC 1547.54)
An owner of a hand-powered vessel (for example: canoe, kayak, rowboat, racing shell, rowing scull, paddleboard, float tube, or inflatable watercraft) may choose to do either of the following:

1. Place numbers on the vessel, pay a lesser registration fee, and display a set of square tags; OR
2. Not number the vessel, pay a higher registration fee, and display a single rectangular tag.

The owner of a hand-powered canoe, rowboat (including racing shells and rowing sculls) or inflatable watercraft that is exempted from numbering shall securely affix the assigned rectangular tag to the vessel in one of the following manners:

• in the upper right corner of the transom;
• on a deck on the rear half of the vessel;
• on the outside below the port side gunnel; or
• on the inside of the vessel on the upper portion of the starboard side gunnel so that it is visible from the port side of the vessel.

NOTE: Do not use this alternate registration method if there is a possibility of ever using a motor or sail with this vessel. This registration is issued and renewed through any Division of Watercraft office. (NOTE: Duplicates are only issued through the headquarters in Columbus.)

Exempt from registration in Ohio:

• boats issued commercial documentation and used exclusively for commercial purposes
• vessels meeting another state's registration system requirements which are used in Ohio for less than 60 days.
• boats from a country other than the United States temporarily using Ohio water
• boats owned by the United States, a state, or a political subdivision
• a ship's lifeboat. A "lifeboat" is held aboard another vessel and used exclusively for emergency purposes.
• vessels exempted by the chief of the Division of Watercraft
• vessels under a waiver issued for a race or special event

Proof of Documentation Required
(ORC 1547.531)
Documentation is a federal registration system administered by the US Coast Guard. Boats must be at least 5 net tons to be eligible, which is roughly 30 feet or more in length.

No person shall operate a documented vessel unless the certificate of documentation is valid and available for inspection. The vessel must display the official number, the vessel name and home port.

Documented vessels must be registered in Ohio and display two Ohio tags, but they are not assigned an Ohio number.

Watercraft Identification & Display of Tags and Number
(OAC 1501:47-1-07 & ORC 1547.57)
The number assigned is in three parts beginning with "OH" followed by four numbers and two letters.

The number shall:

• be placed on each side of the forward half of the watercraft;
• read from left to right;
• be in block characters of good proportion;
• be a minimum of 3 inches in height;
• contrast with the background or boat color;
• be separated by a hyphen or equivalent space between the prefix and suffix;
• be maintained to be clearly visible and legible.

No other numerals or letters may be displayed on the bow.

Two registration tags are issued with each traditional boat registration. On numbered boats the owner shall securely affix the tags on each side of the bow six inches toward the stern from the number.

The tags must be clearly visible in normal conditions and affixed prior to operation of the watercraft. Documented boats must display one tag on the port side and one on the starboard side.

Traditional Registration Display of Numbers

Alternative Registration Display Options

Quick Notes

Hull Identification Number (HIN)

The HIN on a boat functions like the VIN on a car: It's a small, unique number that identifies the boat to the manufacturer.

Almost all boats have HINs assigned by the manufacturer. The HIN is needed when you register a vessel. When you register your paddleboard, a HIN will be assigned.

Titles

Not all boats require titles.

If your boat is titled, then the title needs to be transfered before the registration can be transfered.

PWCs such as SeaDoo or JetSki, etc. need to be titled. If you bought one before 2000 and it doesn't have a title, you need to title it before you sell it.

OH Numbers

The "OH" number assigned to a boat stays with the boat for its lifetime in Ohio, regardless of ownership changes. We assign the OH numbers to your boat when it is first registered, but you, the boat owner, are responsible for properly displaying the boat's OH number. OH numbers must be block letters and numbers, at least 3 inches high, in a single color that is in contrast to the background color of your boat, and have no decoration. You can use any method you want to display them (eg, vinyl letters or paint them on). When you buy an Alternative Registration for Handpowered Vessels, you are not required to display the OH numbers.