No. Boats in Arizona do not have titles. The state runs a registration-only system for motorized watercraft through the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD), which issues a certificate of number instead of a certificate of title.1Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 5-321 – Numbering; Registration Fees; Exemption From Taxation; Penalty; Procedures That certificate, together with the department’s records, is how ownership is proved and transferred.
What Proves Ownership If There’s No Title
Under Arizona Revised Statutes Title 5, Chapter 3, owners of motorized watercraft register with the AZGFD, and the department issues a certificate of number showing the registration number assigned to the boat along with the owner’s name and address.1Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 5-321 – Numbering; Registration Fees; Exemption From Taxation; Penalty; Procedures AZGFD keeps those records as public records, and they are the state’s official account of who owns which vessel.
When you register a boat for the first time, the department wants to see evidence of ownership. For a brand-new boat, that’s the Manufacturer’s Statement of Origin from the builder or dealer. For a used boat, it’s the bill of sale from the previous owner plus the seller’s endorsed certificate of number.1Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 5-321 – Numbering; Registration Fees; Exemption From Taxation; Penalty; Procedures There is no title document anywhere in that chain.
Buying or Selling a Used Boat Without a Title
Arizona law prohibits buying, selling, or otherwise transferring a motorized watercraft without the current owner assigning the certificate of number to the new owner.1Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 5-321 – Numbering; Registration Fees; Exemption From Taxation; Penalty; Procedures The seller endorses the certificate and provides a bill of sale. AZGFD recommends the bill of sale include the names and signatures of buyer and seller, the hull identification number, the vessel’s length and manufacturer, and the purchase price.2Arizona Game & Fish Department. Boating Registration Frequently Asked Questions
The buyer then has 15 days after the transfer to file a new application with AZGFD and move the registration into their name. The transfer fee is $4.3Arizona Legislature. Arizona Legislature Chapter 237 – 502R – S Ver of HB2322 Missing the 15 days doesn’t void the sale, but it does leave you operating an improperly registered boat, which is a citable issue on the water.
Because there is no title to inspect for a lender’s name, a private used-boat purchase deserves one extra step. Run a UCC search through the Arizona Secretary of State’s office before paying. An active UCC-1 filing against the vessel means a lender still has a security interest, and that interest doesn’t disappear just because the boat changed hands.
Financing a Boat in a No-Title State
In states that issue boat titles, a lender records its lien directly on the title, the way a bank appears on your car title until the loan is paid off. Arizona doesn’t offer that mechanism for watercraft. Lenders instead protect their interest by filing a UCC-1 financing statement with the Arizona Secretary of State, which puts the public on notice of the security interest. The filing contains the owner’s name, the lender’s name, and a description of the collateral. It is the standard Uniform Commercial Code approach for collateral not covered by a certificate-of-title system. If you’re financing a purchase, expect the lender to make this filing at closing; some pass the filing fee to the borrower.
Which Boats Are Even in the System
The registration requirement, and the no-title rule that goes with it, applies only to motorized watercraft. Canoes, kayaks, paddleboards, rowboats, and other human-powered craft are outside the statute entirely because the law addresses motorized vessels only.4Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 5-322 – Motorized Watercraft to Be Numbered; Exceptions If your boat has a motor of any kind, it needs to be numbered and registered before it hits Arizona water.
A handful of motorized vessels are also exempt from Arizona numbering: boats already numbered under U.S. Coast Guard regulations, watercraft used solely as lifeboats, U.S. government vessels other than recreational-type public boats, and foreign watercraft temporarily on Arizona waters.4Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 5-322 – Motorized Watercraft to Be Numbered; Exceptions State and local government boats still get numbered, but no registration fee applies.
Visiting From Another State
If your boat is registered in another state under a federally approved numbering system, you can operate it on Arizona waterways for up to 90 days without an Arizona registration. After that, you need to register with AZGFD before using the boat again. The same 90-day clock applies if Arizona becomes your state of principal operation permanently.2Arizona Game & Fish Department. Boating Registration Frequently Asked Questions
The Trailer Is a Separate Story
Your boat’s registration covers the vessel only. If you tow it, the trailer has its own paperwork, and that paperwork runs through the Arizona Department of Transportation’s Motor Vehicle Division, not AZGFD. For noncommercial trailers weighing 10,000 pounds or less, which covers most boat trailers, Arizona charges a one-time trailer registration fee of $125.5Arizona Department of Transportation. Trailer Registration AZGFD will not prompt you about it, so if you’re buying a boat-and-trailer package, plan for both.
One Tax Note
Arizona’s constitution exempts watercraft from ad valorem property tax and from license taxes in lieu of property tax.1Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 5-321 – Numbering; Registration Fees; Exemption From Taxation; Penalty; Procedures The absence of a title does not create any added tax exposure, and the registration fee is what the state charges to keep the boat in the system.