Other Facts About Registering Your Vessel

A Certificate of Number is valid until April 30 of the decal year. Owners of vessels which have been registered previously will be sent a renewal notice.

The owner of a numbered vessel must notify the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), Marine Vessel Section within 15 days if:

• He or she changes address.
• He or she loses or destroys the Certificate of Number or a decal. The owner must apply to the DMV for a duplicate and submit a processing fee.
• The vessel is lost, stolen, or abandoned; also report the loss or theft to local authorities.
• The ownership of the vessel is transferred to another person.

Vessels registered in another state may operate on Connecticut waters for 60 days before Connecticut registration and validation decals are required.

Larger recreational vessels owned by U.S. citizens may (at the option of the owner) be documented by the USCG. Call the USCG’s Documentation Center at 1-800-799-8362 for more information.