How to Register a Boat in Georgia: Requirements, Fees, and Renewals

To register a boat in Georgia, apply through the Department of Natural Resources at GoOutdoorsGeorgia.com, by phone at 1-800-366-2661, by email, or by mail, with proof of ownership, the Hull Identification Number, and a fee that runs from $35 for vessels under 16 feet to $210 for vessels 40 feet and over. Registration covers three years. You’ll get temporary authorization to use the boat for 60 days while your permanent decals and card arrive.

Which Boats Have to Be Registered

Every mechanically powered vessel on Georgia’s public waters needs a certificate of registration and a validation decal, from a 10-foot jon boat with a trolling motor up to a 50-foot cabin cruiser. Sailboats 12 feet or longer need registration too, engine or no engine.¹

A few vessels are exempt:

Non-motorized canoes, kayaks, rowboats, and rubber rafts.
Sailboats under 12 feet that use only wind power.
Boats used only on private ponds or lakes that don’t connect to public waterways.

If your boat is currently registered in another state, you can run it in Georgia for up to 60 consecutive days before you need to register here.²

What to Gather Before You Apply

Have these items ready:

Proof of ownership. A detailed bill of sale is the most common. For a brand-new boat, use the manufacturer’s statement of origin or the dealer invoice. If the boat comes from a state that issues paper titles, bring the signed title.
The Hull Identification Number. This 12-character serial is stamped into the transom of any boat built after November 1, 1972. DNR uses it to verify the vessel.
Vessel details: make, model, year, length, and hull material.
Proof of sales tax payment when applicable. Georgia dealers usually collect sales tax at closing. A casual sale between private parties may be exempt, but DNR can still ask for documentation showing how you acquired the boat.³

Georgia moved to an electronic title (eTitle) system on July 1, 2020. Most boats now transfer through the eTitle system when the seller reports the sale and provides a bill of sale. If a paper title was previously issued and is the controlling document, you have to submit the original signed title.⁴

Fees

Registration fees are based on length, and each registration lasts three years:⁴

Under 16 feet: $35
16 feet to under 26 feet: $70
26 feet to under 40 feet: $140
40 feet and over: $210

Applications filed through GoOutdoorsGeorgia.com include a $10 online transaction fee. Boats with a marine toilet carry a one-time $15 certification fee. A registration renewed after it lapses adds a $10 late fee.⁴

How to Submit the Application

DNR takes applications four ways, fastest to slowest:

Online at GoOutdoorsGeorgia.com. Create an account, complete the application, and upload your supporting documents. The portal handles the signed agreement electronically, so there’s no paper to mail.
Email scanned documents to documents@GaBoat.com.
Fax to 678-515-9470.
Mail to GA Dept. of Natural Resources, P.O. Box 934943, Atlanta, GA 31193-4943.

You can also register by phone at 1-800-366-2661 with staff walking you through it.⁴

Whichever channel you use, you get temporary proof of registration good for 60 days while the permanent decals and card are printed. Online and phone applicants get a temporary authorization number (TAN) to carry on the boat. Mail applicants can carry a copy of the application and the payment receipt.⁴ One limit: temporary authorization is only available for boats that already have a valid HIN, or that were built before November 1, 1972. Homemade boats and vessels missing a HIN have to be inspected first.

If your application is missing information and sits incomplete for 60 days, it expires and you have to start over with a new application and full fee.

Displaying the Number and Decals

Once your registration arrives, Georgia law requires the assigned number on both sides of the forward half of the boat. The characters must be painted on or permanently attached, read left to right, and be block letters at least three inches tall in a color that contrasts with the hull. Leave a space or hyphen roughly the width of a letter between the letter prefix, the numerals, and the letter suffix.⁵

The validation decals go on each side of the bow just before the prefix letters, using the same spacing as the number. Both the number and the decals have to stay legible, and no other identification number may appear on the forward half of the vessel.⁵ Faded numbers are one of the first things a game warden checks, so replace them before they become a citation.

Federally documented vessels are the exception. If your boat carries U.S. Coast Guard documentation, any state registration number has to come off the hull; the vessel is identified by its official documentation number and name instead.⁵

Homemade Boats and Missing HIN Numbers

If you built a boat yourself, or bought one whose HIN is missing or doesn’t meet Coast Guard standards, you need a HIN inspection before DNR will finish your registration. The order matters:

Pay the registration fee first by calling 1-800-366-2661. DNR won’t send a game warden to inspect until the fee is paid.
Contact your local game warden to schedule the inspection. Only do this if the vessel genuinely has no HIN or a non-compliant one.
Be present as the registered owner (not a friend or relative) with the bill of sale, any previous registration paperwork, and all correspondence about the boat.⁶

Boats manufactured before November 1, 1972 are exempt from the HIN requirement and can register without an inspection.

Renewals, Transfers, and Replacements

Renewals

Registrations last three calendar years and expire on the last day of your birth month in the third year. DNR mails a renewal notice about 60 days out. You can renew online, by phone, or by mail through the same channels as the original application.⁴ Lapsed registrations can still be renewed, but the $10 late fee is added on top of the standard fee.⁵

Selling or Buying a Used Boat

When you sell a boat, you have 15 days to notify DNR. Report the transfer and give the buyer a detailed bill of sale. If the boat has an eTitle, ownership moves through the system once you report the sale; if a paper title was previously issued, you sign it over at closing.⁴ The buyer then files a fresh registration application, provides proof of ownership, and pays the fee for a new three-year period.⁵

Lost Card or Decal

A duplicate registration card with replacement decals costs $1 plus a $10 service charge, or $11 in total. Request it online through GoOutdoorsGeorgia.com, by mail, or by calling 1-800-366-2661. The registration has to be active; if it’s expired, renew first.⁷

1
Georgia.gov. Register a Boat
2
Georgia Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement. Registering Your Boat or Personal Water Craft
3
Georgia Department of Revenue. What is Subject to Sales and Use Tax
4
Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Boat Registration
5
Justia Law. Georgia Code 52-7-5 – Numbering of Vessels; Requirements
6
Georgia Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement. Vessel Inspections
7
Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Boat Registration FAQs