Do Boats Have Titles in Iowa? The 17-Foot Rule and Exemptions

Yes, boats in Iowa generally need a title if they are 17 feet or longer and used on state waters. Shorter vessels are not required to have one, and canoes, kayaks, and inflatable vessels are exempt from titling at any length. You apply for a title at the county recorder’s office in the county where you live, and the base fee is $12.75.¹

The 17-Foot Rule

Iowa Code 462A.77 sets the threshold. A vessel 17 feet or longer that is used primarily on Iowa waters must have a certificate of title.² The title is the state’s record of who owns the boat; it is a separate document from the registration certificate, which gives you permission to operate on the water.

If you buy new from a dealer, the title has to be in place before registration can be finalized, so plan on handling the paperwork as part of the purchase rather than afterward. For used boats bought privately, you handle it yourself at the recorder’s office.

Boats That Never Need a Title

Three types of watercraft are exempt from titling regardless of length: canoes, kayaks, and inflatable vessels.² A 20-foot sea kayak is treated the same as a short recreational one. The state simply does not track ownership of those vessels through the title system.

Keep the title exemption separate from the registration exemption in your head. They are not the same rule. Many exempt-from-title vessels still have to be registered if they are used on public waters. Iowa Code 462A.6 exempts from registration only the smallest unpowered craft: canoes and kayaks 13 feet or shorter without a motor or sail, and inflatables 7 feet or shorter without a motor or sail.³ A 15-foot canoe with a trolling motor needs no title, but it does need to be registered.

When You Might Want a Title Anyway

If your boat is under 17 feet, titling is optional. Section 462A.77(9) lets any owner voluntarily apply for a title on a vessel that would not otherwise require one, and once you do, the boat is treated as a titled vessel from that point forward.²

The main reason to volunteer is financing. A lender’s security interest in a vessel required to have a title is not perfected until it is recorded on the certificate itself.¹ If you are borrowing to buy a smaller boat, the lender will almost certainly ask you to apply for a voluntary title so the lien can be noted. The lender then usually holds the physical title until the loan is paid off.

What to Bring to the County Recorder

The paperwork depends on whether the boat is new or used, but the core idea is the same: you have to show where the boat came from and what you paid.

For a new boat, the dealer provides a Manufacturer’s Statement of Origin. For a used titled boat, you need the previous owner’s signed title. If the previous owner’s boat was never titled (common with smaller vessels), the seller’s signed registration takes the place of a title. Either way, bring a bill of sale showing the price and date.

You also need the Hull Identification Number. The HIN is a 12-character code the manufacturer affixes permanently to the hull. Federal rules place the primary HIN on the starboard outboard side of the transom, within two inches of the top, with a duplicate hidden on an unexposed interior surface as a theft deterrent.⁴ Find it before you go in.

The application itself is DNR Form 542-8067, a combined form that covers boats, ATVs, snowmobiles, and off-road vehicles.⁵ You will enter the make, model year, length, hull material, and the names and addresses of all owners. You can download it from the Iowa DNR site or pick one up at the recorder’s office.

File everything with the county recorder where you live. Most people file in person so staff can catch errors on the spot, but mailing is allowed if you send the originals along with payment.⁶

What a Title Costs

The title fee is $12.75. If a lender is recording a security interest, add $5 for the lien notation plus a county writing fee.¹ A duplicate title, if the original is lost or destroyed, is $13.50.

Registration is billed separately from titling and depends on vessel length, propulsion, and where you fall in Iowa’s three-year registration cycle.⁷ Expect sales tax too. Iowa charges 6% on boat purchases with no casual-sale exemption, so if you bought from a private seller the county recorder collects the tax when you title and register.⁸ On a $30,000 boat, that is $1,800 due at the counter.

Transferring a Used Boat Into Your Name

When you buy from a private seller, have the seller sign the back of the existing title. If the boat was never titled, the seller signs over the registration instead and gives you a bill of sale. You then take those documents and a completed Form 542-8067 to your county recorder, who processes the title transfer and collects the 6% sales tax based on the purchase price if the seller did not.⁸

If you bought the boat out of state and did not pay sales tax there, Iowa use tax applies at the same 6% rate when you register.

Federal Documentation for Larger Vessels

Owners of larger boats have a second option alongside the state title: federal documentation through the U.S. Coast Guard’s National Vessel Documentation Center. The vessel has to measure at least five net tons (roughly 26 feet and up as a practical guideline), and the owner has to be a U.S. citizen. A Certificate of Documentation serves as a federal ownership record and lets the vessel carry a preferred marine mortgage, which most lenders want on larger loans.

Initial documentation runs $133, with annual renewal at $26 or up to five years at a time for $130 total for recreational vessels.⁹ Federal documentation does not replace Iowa’s state obligations. Documented vessels still appear in Iowa’s registration fee schedule under their own category, so you should expect to maintain state registration and pay those fees on top of the federal certificate.⁷

1
Iowa Legislature. Iowa Code 462A.84 – Perfection and Titles Fees
2
Iowa Legislature. Iowa Code 462A.77 – Owners Certificate of Title in General
3
Iowa Legislature. Iowa Code 462A.6 – Exemption From Registration Provisions of This Chapter
4
eCFR. 33 CFR 181.29 – Hull Identification Number Display
5
Iowa Department of Natural Resources. DNR Form 542-8067
6
Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Boating Registration
7
Linn County, IA. Boats, Snowmobiles, ATV, ORM, ORV, and UTV
8
Iowa Department of Revenue. Sales and Use Tax Guide
9
United States Coast Guard. National Vessel Documentation Center Table of Fees