How to Register a Boat in Maryland: Fees, Excise Tax, and Deadline

To register a boat in Maryland, file DNR Form B-240 with the Department of Natural Resources along with proof of ownership and payment covering a $20 title fee, a $70 registration fee, and a 5% vessel excise tax on the purchase price or fair market value.¹ The registration lasts two years, and the excise tax has a strict 30-day payment window that trips up more first-time owners than any other part of the process.

Whether You Need to Register

Maryland requires registration for any vessel, commercial or recreational, that has mechanical propulsion of any kind (a primary engine or just an auxiliary trolling motor) and is used principally on Maryland waters during the calendar year.¹ Principal use means the state where the vessel spends the most time on the water from January 1 through December 31, and a boat counts as “in use” whether it is moving, anchored, or tied to a dock.

Sailboats with no motor, canoes, kayaks, and paddleboards are exempt. DNR does sell a voluntary $12 decal for non-motorized vessels so the Natural Resources Police can identify owners if a boat breaks loose in a storm.¹

If your boat is registered in another state, you can use Maryland waters for up to 90 cumulative days per calendar year without registering here. Beyond that, you may owe Maryland excise tax unless you can show principal use in your home state.² Coast Guard documented vessels do not get a Maryland registration number, but if they are principally used here, they still must display a documented use decal and pay the excise tax.¹

Documents You Need

The application is DNR Form B-240, “Application for Title and Registration.” It asks for the vessel’s hull identification number, make, model, year, length, and propulsion type, plus your name, address, and contact information.¹

You also need proof of ownership, and the right document depends on how you got the boat:

New from a dealer: a Manufacturer’s Statement of Origin (MSO).
Used from a titling state: the original title, signed over to you by the seller.
Used without a title: a certified bill of sale showing both parties’ names, the sale date, the purchase price, the seller’s signature, and a full description of the vessel (year, manufacturer, HIN, and any current registration number).²

If a lender holds a lien on the boat, bring a lien release or the lender’s information so DNR can record the security interest on your title.

Fees as of October 2025

Maryland restructured its boating fees effective October 1, 2025. The old system that varied by length and horsepower is gone, replaced by flat charges:¹

Title fee: $20 per vessel.
Registration fee: $70 for any vessel with mechanical propulsion, regardless of size.
Documented use decal: $70 for Coast Guard documented vessels, in place of the registration fee.
Security interest filing fee: $15 if a lien is being recorded.
Non-motorized vessel decal: $12, voluntary.

Checks and money orders should be made payable to “DNR.”

The 5% Vessel Excise Tax and the 30-Day Deadline

On top of the fees, Maryland charges a 5% excise tax on the purchase price or fair market value of every vessel principally used in the state. It applies when you receive an original title, when a vessel changes hands, or when a boat used principally in Maryland is brought into the state.³ The minimum is $5. The cap is $16,000 and rises by $100 each July 1, so after July 1, 2026 it will be $16,100.¹

You have 30 days from when your Maryland tax liability begins to pay the excise tax. Miss that window and DNR adds a 10% penalty plus 1.5% monthly interest.¹ If you just moved to Maryland with a boat or bought one out of state, put that 30-day date on the calendar.

How to Submit Your Application

Initial registration and titling can be done two ways:

In person at a DNR Service Center by appointment. Bring all original documents and payment. Book early in spring and summer.
By mail to a regional DNR Service Center, sending the completed B-240, all original supporting documents, and payment.

Plan on about 10 business days to receive your title, registration card, and decals.¹

Displaying the Number and Decals

Your registration number goes on both sides of the bow and must follow these rules:²

Plain, vertical block characters at least three inches tall.
A color that contrasts with the hull.
Letters separated from numbers by hyphens or spaces (for example, MD 1234 AB).
Placed as high above the waterline as practical, on the forward half of the hull.
No other numbers shown near the registration number.

The two three-by-three-inch decals go within three inches of the registration number. Keep the Certificate of Number aboard whenever the boat is on the water, ready for inspection.

Boating Safety Education

Anyone born on or after July 1, 1972, must carry a certificate of boating safety education while operating a registered or documented vessel on Maryland waters. Several approved courses are available free online. Visitors 16 or older get a 60-day grace period, and commercial vessel operators are exempt.

Renewal

Maryland boat registrations run two years, covering the calendar year of issuance plus the following year, and expire on December 31 of the second year.¹ At renewal, you gain a third option: online through the Maryland Outdoors portal, provided the vessel record is active, has no restrictions, and has had a completed transaction within the prior two years.⁴ Online renewal produces a printable temporary receipt valid up to 30 days while your new decals come in the mail.

Penalties for Skipping Registration

Operating an unregistered vessel on Maryland waters is a misdemeanor. A conviction can bring one to six months in jail, a fine of $150 to $500, or both, and in serious cases the court can order the boat forfeited to the state.⁵ Concealing, covering, or defacing a registration number carries the same penalties. The Natural Resources Police actively enforce this, especially on busy Chesapeake Bay weekends.

1
Maryland Department of Natural Resources. How to Register Your Boat in Maryland
2
Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Registration and Numbering Requirements
3
Maryland General Assembly. 2025 Regular Session – House Bill 719 Chapter
4
Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Vessel Registration Renewal
5
Justia Law. Maryland Code GNR 8-713 – Operation of Unnumbered Vessel Prohibited