Skip to main content

Course Outline

Requirements for vessel registration vary from state to state. In Ohio, no person shall operate any watercraft without a valid registration. Exceptions are:

  • “Bellyboats”/“float tubes,” kiteboards, paddleboards, and sailboards
  • Those exempt from numbering (except documented vessels) that are:
    • Numbered by another state and not used in this state for more than 60 days
    • From a country other than the United States temporarily using Ohio waters
    • Owned by the United States, a state, or a political subdivision
    • A ship’s lifeboat
    • Exempted by the chief of the Division of Parks & Watercraft
    • Under a waiver issued for a race or special event
    • Hand-powered canoes, kayaks, rowboats, and inflatable vessels that have Alternative Registration
  • Those issued commercial documentation and used exclusively for commercial purposes
  • Vessels meeting another state’s registration requirements that are used in Ohio for less than 60 days
  • Unit 4 of 6
  • Topic 1 of 19
  • Page 1 of 5