How to Fill Out and Submit the Wisconsin Boat Registration Form (9400-193)

The Wisconsin boat registration form 9400-193 is the single application you use to register a boat with the Department of Natural Resources and, for vessels 16 feet or longer, obtain a certificate of title at the same time.¹ You can complete it on paper and mail it in, or fill it out through the DNR’s GoWild portal. Registration lasts three years, running April 1 of the year issued through March 31 of the third year.²

Gather Your Documents First

What you need depends on how you acquired the boat. Assemble everything before you open the form; a missing document or a mistyped hull number is the most common reason applications stall.

New Boat From a Dealer

The dealer gives you the Manufacturer’s Statement of Origin (MSO). The original MSO must go in with your application, because it becomes the basis for your Wisconsin title.³

Used Boat Already Registered in Wisconsin

The seller signs over the Wisconsin Certificate of Title. If the title lists multiple owners joined by “and,” every listed owner has to sign. If the names are joined by “or,” any one signature works.⁴ Ask for the seller’s wallet-sized certificate of registration too, so you can reference the existing registration number on your form.³

Boat Coming From Another State

Submit the out-of-state title, signed over by the seller, along with any current out-of-state registration card. If the boat was never titled in the previous state, you may need additional proof of ownership such as a bill of sale.

Vessel Details

The form asks for the boat’s make, model, model year, and length bow to stern.¹ You’ll also identify the hull material and propulsion type. The Hull Identification Number (HIN) is a 12-character code stamped or bonded near the top of the starboard side of the transom.⁵ Copy it character by character. A wrong HIN is one of the easiest ways to delay your application by weeks.

Complete the Owner Section

Every individual owner listed on the application must provide a full legal name, current residential address, and date of birth, plus one of the following identifiers: a DNR Customer ID number, a Social Security Number, or a Wisconsin driver’s license number.⁴ A phone number and email address are optional, but giving the DNR a way to reach you can save considerable back-and-forth if something on the form doesn’t check out.

If you’re registering with a co-owner, decide how the names should be joined. “And” means both owners must sign for any future transfer or title change. “Or” lets either owner act alone.

Calculate the Fees You Owe

Wisconsin registration fees are set by statute and depend on length. Each fee covers the full three-year period:⁶

Under 16 feet: $22
16 feet to under 26 feet: $32
26 feet to under 40 feet: $60
40 feet or longer: $100
Nonmotorized sailboats, any length: $17
Voluntary registration (canoes, kayaks): $11

Buying a boat that’s already registered in Wisconsin and picking up the remainder of the seller’s registration period rather than starting fresh? The transfer fee is $3.75.⁶

Sales Tax

Wisconsin charges 5% state sales tax on boat purchases, and some counties add a local tax, most commonly 0.5%.⁷ You calculate the tax on the form using the total purchase price. If a dealer already collected sales tax at the point of sale, attach proof (the dealer invoice showing tax collected) so you’re not charged twice. The form has a specific section for documenting that.

Transfers between certain family members are exempt from sales tax, but only if the boat was previously registered in Wisconsin. The exemption covers transfers to or from a parent (including stepparent and in-law), spouse, or child (including stepchild and in-law). Siblings and grandparents don’t qualify.⁸ Enter the appropriate relationship code (P for parent, S for spouse, C for child) in the tax exemption section.

Submit the Application

Online Through GoWild

Sign in at GoWild.WI.Gov and complete the application there. The online process uses an electronic attestation instead of a physical signature.⁴ After you submit, you can print a 60-day temporary operating receipt and use the boat right away while your permanent materials are being processed.

One important catch: if your boat is 16 feet or longer and needs a title, you still have to mail in the title, MSO, and other supporting documents even after finishing the online application. The transaction stays in pending status until the DNR receives those physical documents.

By Mail

Send the completed and signed application, supporting documents, and payment to:

DNR Processing Center
PO Box 78701
Milwaukee, WI 53278-0701⁴

Make the check or money order payable to the DNR, and combine the registration fee and any sales tax in a single payment. Every owner listed on the form must sign in ink. Don’t leave signatures blank, and don’t submit a photocopy.

What Arrives After Registration

Once the DNR processes your application, you’ll receive a Certificate of Number (the wallet-sized registration card) and two validation decals in the mail. Keep the certificate aboard the boat whenever you operate it.

Display the registration number on each side of the forward half of the hull. The number must be at least three inches tall in block letters that contrast with the hull color, and letters must be separated from digits by a space at least two inches wide.⁹ Two-tone or camouflage-style numbers aren’t legal. Place the validation decals according to the instructions that come with them.

Special Situations

Homemade Boats and Older Vessels Without a HIN

A boat you built yourself won’t have a manufacturer-assigned HIN. Wisconsin assigns HINs to homemade vessels; the state-issued code is 12 characters and begins with “WSZ.”⁵ Contact the DNR to get a HIN assigned before or as part of the registration process, because you can’t complete the form without one. The same applies to older boats manufactured before November 1972 that never received a HIN.

Boats From Out of State

If your boat is registered in another state and you’re just visiting, you can operate on Wisconsin waters for up to 60 consecutive days without Wisconsin registration.¹⁰ Past 60 days, or if Wisconsin becomes the boat’s primary state of use, you need to register here. If you move to Wisconsin permanently, register within 60 days of establishing residency using the same Form 9400-193, along with the out-of-state title and current registration card.

Operating Without Registration

Operating on Wisconsin waters without valid registration is a forfeiture offense. A first violation carries a penalty of up to $500, and a second or subsequent offense within one year can reach $1,000.¹¹

1
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Wisconsin Boat Registration and Titling Application
2
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. General Information on Boat Registration and Titling
3
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. What You Should Know Before You Buy
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Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Boat Registration
5
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Hull Identification Number (HIN)
6
Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Code 30.52 – Certificate of Number and Registration
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Wisconsin Department of Revenue. DOR Tax Rates
8
Boat History Report. Wisconsin Boat Registration and Titling Application
9
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. What You Should Know Before You Operate Your Boat
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Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Code 30.51 – Certificate of Number and Registration
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Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Code 30.80 – Penalties