How to Complete Florida Form HSMV 87015: Duplicate Registration, Decal, and Fees

Florida Form HSMV 87015 is the one-page application you file with a county tax collector or authorized license plate agent to replace a lost, damaged, stolen, or never-received vessel registration certificate or decal. You can download it from the FLHSMV website or pick up a copy at any tax collector’s office in the state.¹ Florida law requires the registration certificate to be on board and available for inspection whenever your boat is in operation, so handling this quickly matters.²

What This Form Covers

HSMV 87015 handles duplicate registration certificates and replacement decals, and it can also be used for a change of classification. It does not cover a lost vessel title. If you need a duplicate title, that is a separate application (HSMV 82101) with a $6 fee, or $11 for expedited processing at offices that offer it.¹

Information You Need Before You Start

Every detail on the form has to match what the state already has on file for your vessel. A mismatch slows things down or sends the form back.

Owner Details

You’ll enter the registered owner’s full legal name, residence address, driver’s license number, and date of birth. A co-owner’s information goes in the adjacent fields.³ Use the exact name and ownership structure currently recorded with the state. If you’ve moved since your last registration and never updated the address, handle that at the same time, or the records won’t line up.

Vessel Numbers

You need three identifiers: the Hull Identification Number (HIN), the Florida registration number, and the title number. The HIN is a 12-character code stamped into a metal or plastic plate, usually on the starboard side of the transom near the top.³ The registration number and title number appear on your original certificate; if that’s what you’ve lost, check your purchase paperwork, insurance documents, or previous renewal notices, which almost always include both.

Checking the Right Boxes

Separate checkboxes let you request a duplicate certificate, a replacement decal, or both. You also pick the reason from a short list. For the certificate: lost, defaced, damaged, or never received. For the decal: lost, stolen, defaced, damaged, or never received.³ Pick the reason that actually applies; it affects the state’s records for your vessel and determines whether a fee waiver is available.

What It Costs

Florida Statute 328.72 sets the base fee at $2.25 for a duplicate registration certificate and $2.25 for a replacement decal.⁴ On top of each base fee, you pay a $2.25 service fee per item issued. If you need both at once, expect both base fees plus both service fees.

Filing through a privately owned license plate agent instead of the tax collector’s office directly can add agent surcharges, which must be itemized on your receipt. Some counties also levy local surcharges for boating programs, so the total varies slightly depending on where you file.⁴

When the Decal Is Free

Two situations drop your cost to zero. If your decal was stolen and you attach a copy of the police report to your application, the replacement is issued at no charge. If a decal was lost in the mail and never arrived, you can also get a free replacement by submitting a written statement explaining what happened, including the decal number and the date it was issued.² A quick stop at the police station for a report costs you a few minutes and saves the full replacement cost.

Where to Submit It

Bring the completed, signed form and your payment to any county tax collector’s office or authorized license plate agent in Florida.³ You don’t have to use the county where the vessel is registered; any office statewide can process it, and in-person visits typically produce the new certificate and decal the same day.

If you can’t visit in person, you can mail the signed application with a check or money order for the total fees. Expect a longer turnaround because the office has to receive the paperwork and then mail the replacements back. No online submission portal currently exists for this form.

Putting the New Decal On

Once the replacement decal arrives, affix it to the port (left) side of the vessel within six inches of the registration number, either immediately before or after the number.⁵ Registration numbers themselves must appear on each side of the forward half of the vessel, positioned for clear legibility.² If you’re replacing a damaged or defaced decal, peel off what remains of the old one first so the number stays readable.

Why Not to Put This Off

Operating a boat without the required registration documents on board is a noncriminal infraction. The general civil penalty, including failure to have the certificate available for inspection, runs up to $100, with court costs added on top. Repeat violations or longer lapses can push the fine to $250 or $500.⁶ Spending a few dollars on a duplicate is considerably cheaper than paying a citation on the water.

1
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Renewals, Title Transfers and Duplicate Certificates
2
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 328.48 – Vessel Registration, Application, Certificate, Number, Decal, Duplicate Certificate
3
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Application for Vessel Duplicate Registration, Replacement Decal and Change of Classification
4
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 328.72 – Classification, Registration, Fees and Charges, Surcharge, Disposition of Fees, Fines, Marine Turtle Stickers
5
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Boating Regulations
6
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 327.73 – Noncriminal Infractions