Boats Requiring Registration, Title, or Launch Permits
Boat Numbering and Registration
Boats propelled by machinery and electric motors must be numbered, regardless of length and type of motor. Boats excluded from numbering include unpowered kayaks, sculls and sailboards, documented vessels and boats with a valid temporary certificate. Documented vessels used for recreational purposes must be registered. In Pennsylvania, large pleasure boats, usually called yachts, are documented with the USCG. These documented vessels must be registered but need only display a valid registration decal.
Boat Registration
All motorboats and boats powered by electric motors must be registered. Unpowered boats (canoes, kayaks, rowboats, stand-up paddleboards, etc.) can be launched at Commission lakes and access areas or Pennsylvania State Parks and Forests if they display a boat registration, Commission launch permit or Pennsylvania State Parks launch permit. Pennsylvania State Parks recognize boat registrations and Commission launch permits. An unpowered boat may have a registration OR launch permit, but it is not required to have both. The Commission does NOT recognize launch permits from other states. A Commission launch permit can be purchased online.
Registrations are renewed on a 2-year cycle and expire on December 31 of the second year. Registrations are valid when issued by the Commission and online messengers. Application forms are available at county treasurers, certain boat dealerships, on the PFBC website, at the PFBC’s headquarters in Harrisburg and at the PFBC regional law enforcement offices.
For boat registration fees, go to the Commission's website.
Note: Boats with unpowered boat registrations may NOT be equipped with gasoline or electric motors or any other mechanical propulsion and be operated on Pennsylvania waterways.
Upon the completion of the application and the payment of the fee, a registration card and two validation decals will be issued.
The certificate of boat registration is your registration card and must be on board the boat during operation. The certificate also shows the boat registration number that must be displayed on the boat. The Pennsylvania registration number, issued with the original certificate of boat registration, stays with the boat as long as it is registered in Pennsylvania. It is the boat owner’s responsibility to purchase the numbers and letters to display the registration number on the boat.
Display the number and validation decal on the bow of the boat as shown below. No other number may be displayed on either side of the bow. These numbers may not be removed, altered, tampered with or defaced, except by the owner or representative. Documented vessels as well as kayaks, sculls, sailboards and other low-volume boats of similar design are exempt from the display of numbers, but they must display the validation decal. Inflatable boats may carry their numbers and validation decal on boards lashed to each side of the bow. Canoes are not exempt and must display the numbers and the decal.
Boat Registration Expiration Date Change
As a customer service enhancement, the Pennsylvania State Legislature passed a law in 2022 to align the boat registration period with the calendar year. The boat registration expiration date is included on your renewal notice and will be included on your registration card and validation decals.
State of Principal Operation
Boats must be registered in the state in which the boat is primarily operated. If the boat is waterborne (including time at a marina slip or mooring) on Pennsylvania waters more than on waters of another state, it must be registered in Pennsylvania, regardless of where the owner lives. Reciprocal privileges are granted to boats with valid registration in other states for up to 60 days.
Note: A Pennsylvania Use Tax is charged for any boat owned by a Pennsylvania resident if that boat is at any time brought into the Commonwealth, regardless of where it is registered. There is an exception for casual sales of unpowered boats. Credit is given for tax paid to other states.
Boat Registration Forms
A Boat Registration Renewal Application is mailed to boat owners prior to the expiration date. If one has not received the form, boat owners should write to the Division of Licensing and Registration or go online.
A Duplicate/Replacement Certificate of Registration can be obtained for $3 through the Division of Licensing and Registration. Go to the Commission’s website to download the form (PFBC-732).
A Change of Address form (PFBC-732) must be filed within 15 days at the Division of Licensing and Registration. This office must also be notified within 15 days if a boat is lost, stolen, destroyed, abandoned or sold.
To transfer boat ownership, form REV-336 must be completed and signed by the applicant and registered owner(s). If the registered owner(s) is/are not available, a bill of sale, signed by the registered owner(s), may be substituted. Sales tax payment must still be collected if applicable. It is unlawful for a person purchasing or acquiring a previously registered boat to operate that boat in Pennsylvania until the registration is transferred to the new owner.
A receipt is issued by authorized agents when the boat is registered, so the boat can be used immediately. It is valid for 60 days.
Note: All powered and titled boats used for pleasure are taxable. Proof of payment of sales tax is required at the time of registration.
Launch Permits
Unpowered boats (canoes, kayaks, rowboats, stand-up paddleboards, etc.) can be launched at Commission lakes and access areas or Pennsylvania State Parks and Forests if they display a boat registration, Commission launch permit or Pennsylvania State Parks launch permit. Pennsylvania State Parks recognize boat registrations and Commission launch permits. An unpowered boat may have a registration OR launch permit, but it is not required to have both. The Commission does NOT recognize launch permits from other states. A Commission launch permit can be purchased on the PFBC’s website.
Boat Titling
A certificate of title is a legal document that proves ownership. Boat titling is different from boat registration, because a certificate of registration does not prove ownership. A certificate of title requires all owners of a boat to sign off on their interests when selling and provides the purchaser with proper documentation for titling and registering a boat. Application forms are the same ones used for boat registration and are available at county treasurers, certain boat dealerships, on the PFBC website, at PFBC’s headquarters in Harrisburg and at the PFBC regional law enforcement offices.
Boat titling is required for all inboard motorboats (regardless of length) and personal watercraft with a model year of 1997 or newer AND all outboard motorboats 14 feet or more in length with a model year of 1997 or newer. At the request of the owner, the Commission will issue a title to any boat, regardless of the length, power source or year the boat was manufactured. However, once a title is issued, that boat must remain titled by future owners. Also, anyone with a boat currently titled in another state must obtain a Pennsylvania title when Pennsylvania becomes the state of principle use, regardless of the age, size or length of the boat.
For titling fees, go to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission website.
Boat titling assures the buyer of a boat that the seller has clear ownership of a boat offered for sale. Some lenders won’t finance a boat without a title, so securing a loan to purchase a boat may be easier if the boat is titled. Boaters who register and title their boats have more security. In the event of boat theft, such boats are easier to identify (see Boat Operation).
