Boats

Ready to go boating now? If you already applied for registration or title, you can take a copy of the application with you and get out on the water. It will serve as your registration for up to 60 days or until you receive your new registration (2 AAC 70.150)

Do you already have a boat title or MCO? If you do wish to get an Alaska title, please mail in an application or visit a local DMV with a B1 application. The fee is $44.

Forms and Fees:

Forms

• Boat Application

Fees

• $24 for powered boats
• $10 for non-powered boats
  Note: If auxiliary power is added the power boat class registration & fees apply immediately
• $75 for barge registration
• $5 for replacement of registration and/or lost decals
• $20 for a boat title or duplicate boat title
• There is no additional charge to record a lien

What documents may be required?

Documents accepted to prove boat ownership to obtain a title and registration:

• The original manufacturer’s certificate of origin (MCO)
• The original manufacturer’s statement of origin (MSO)
• The boat title and registration from the previous state of ownership
• Completed CG-1261 Builders Certification
  *Please Note: If ownership documents cannot be presented, there is a process to still get a title:
  • Start a normal 3-year registration, THEN
  • If after three years the ownership remains uncontested and there is no undisclosed security interest in the boat, a title may be issued with the next registration renewal.

Documents accepted for registration only include:

• Any of the documents listed in the ownership section, above
• A copy of the current Certificate of Documentation issued by the U.S. Coast Guard
• The boat registration from the previous state of ownership, when the owner does not have the title because:
• the previous state does not issue boat titles
• the boat has an active lien
• the previous state title or MCO/MSO is lost or destroyed
• A bill of sale from a boat dealer or the previous owner
• An affidavit of ownership

Exemptions:

Exempt from registering in Alaska

• The following do not need to be registered:
• a ship’s lifeboat
• a seaplane
• an inspected passenger vessel; and
• single air mattress, single inner tube, or other water toy
• Non-powered boats - Unless a boat has an auxiliary power unit or is used as a sport fishing guide’s boat, non-powered boats (such as kayaks and canoes) are not required to be registered.
• Registered elsewhere- A boat with a valid registration from another state or country that is not operated more than 90 consecutive days in Alaska.
• Owned by a government - A boat owned by the United States or an entity or political subdivision of the United States, or a boat owned by a state or an entity or political subdivision of a state. Under FEDERAL law, recreational type public vessels must still be state registered. [33 CFR Subpart B Sec. 173.11(b)]
• A foreign documented boat

Exempt from titling in Alaska

• An undocumented boat 24 feet or less in length (titling is optional)
• A boat of any length documented with the U.S. Coast Guard

*Please Note: A documented boat is also exempt from state numbering; however, the State of Alaska registration decal must be displayed.

General Information

Definitions:

• "Boat" - means a watercraft used or capable of being used as a means of transportation on water
• "Barge" - means a boat that is motorized or nonmotorized, designed to be towed; and used for carrying freight
• "Undocumented Boat" - means a boat that does not possess a valid certificate of documentation issued by the U.S. Coast Guard under 46 U.S.C. 12101 - 12123

• On January 1st, 2001, the Division of Motor Vehicles assumed the boat registration program from the U.S. Coast Guard. House Bill 108, passed in the 2000 legislative session, authorized this registration program and a comprehensive boating safety program.
• Prior to January 1st, 2001, the Coast Guard has registered powered boats that are used on navigable waterways of the state. When the USCG issued registration expires, boat owners must renew the registration with us.
• Prior to June 4th, 2004, non-powered boats 10 feet or greater in length used on any water of the state were required to be registered. These boats are no longer required to be registered; however, you may register a non-powered boat if you wish to.
• Alaska Statute 05.25.055 was amended to require all boats not specifically exempted, including documented boats, barges, sport fishing guide boats, and tenders to be registered with the State of Alaska
• New Alaska Statute 05.25.056 requires the owner of an undocumented boat that is subject to registration and that is more than 24 feet to apply for a certificate of title or “No Title Issued (NTI)” registration.
• Alaska boat ownership and registration laws initiated by SB 92, the Derelict Vessels Act, took effect January 1, 2019.