Other Facts About Registering Your Vessel

Here are some additional facts about registering your vessel.

• A Certificate of Boat Registration is valid, for the current owner only, for three years and expires on the last day of the owner's month of birth. The expiration date is on the certificate and decals.
• If a vessel owner changes addresses or sells the vessel, he or she must give written notice to the DNR Boat Registration Office within 15 days of the event.
• If you abandon or destroy your vessel, you must report it to the DNR Boat Registration Office within 15 days and surrender your Certificate of Boat Registration.
• If you lose or destroy your Certificate of Boat Registration or decal, you must apply for a duplicate by renewing the registration. The fee is $1 plus the appropriate transaction fee. Check the “duplicate” box on the form.
• Larger recreational vessels owned by U.S. citizens may (at the option of the owner) be documented by the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG). Call the USCG at 1-800-799-8362 for more information. If documented, the vessel is exempt from Georgia numbering requirements but must display the Georgia validation decals on the bow of the vessel.