Skip to main content

Course Outline

Here are some additional facts about titling and registering your vessel.

  • 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
  • A boat requiring a title may not be registered until a title is issued in the new owner’s name.
  • An owner of a hand-powered canoe, kayak, rowboat, or inflatable vessel may choose to do either of the following:
    • Have it numbered, pay a lesser registration fee, and obtain two square tags (Traditional Registration option) or…
    • Not have it numbered, pay a higher registration fee, and obtain a single rectangular tag (Alternative Registration option).
  • Registration certificates and tags are valid for up to 3 years and expire on March 1 of the year indicated. All tags shall be removed when they become invalid (expire). A temporary watercraft registration expires 45 days after the date of purchase.
  • 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. Documented vessels also must be registered in Ohio and display two Ohio tags, but they are not assigned an Ohio number.
  • Unit 4 of 6
  • Topic 1 of 19
  • Page 4 of 5