§ 73-18-7 — Registration requirements -- Exemptions -- Fee -- Agents -- Records -- Period of registration and renewal -- Expiration -- Notice of transfer of interest or change of address -- Duplicate registration card -- Invalid registration -- Powers of division.

(1) (1)(a) Except as provided by Section 73-18-9, the owner of each motorboat and sailboat on the waters of this state shall register it with the division as provided in this chapter.
(1)(b) A person may not place, give permission for the placement of, operate, or give permission for the operation of a motorboat or sailboat on the waters of this state, unless the motorboat or sailboat is registered as provided in this chapter.
(2) (2)(a) The owner of a motorboat or sailboat required to be registered shall file an application for registration with the division on forms approved by the division.
(2)(b) The owner of the motorboat or sailboat shall sign the application, pay the fee set by the division, and pay the Boating Grant Tax as described in Section 59-34-103, after notifying the commission, in accordance with Section 63J-1-504.
(2)(c) Before receiving a registration card and registration decals, the applicant shall provide the division with a certificate from the county assessor of the county in which the motorboat or sailboat has situs for taxation, stating that:
(2)(c)(i) the property tax on the motorboat or sailboat for the current year has been paid;
(2)(c)(ii) in the county assessor's opinion, the property tax is a lien on real property sufficient to secure the payment of the property tax; or
(2)(c)(iii) the motorboat or sailboat is exempt by law from payment of property tax for the current year.
(2)(d) If the division modifies the fee under Subsection (2)(b), the modification shall take effect on the first day of the calendar quarter after 90 days from the day on which the division provides the State Tax Commission:
(2)(d)(i) notice from the division stating that the division will modify the fee; and
(2)(d)(ii) a copy of the fee modification.
(2)(e) (2)(e)(i) The division may enter into an agreement with the Motor Vehicle Division created in Section 41-1a-106 to administer the registration requirements described in this chapter.
(2)(e)(ii) An individual may request automatic registration renewal as described in Section 41-1a-216.
(3) (3)(a) Upon receipt of the application in the approved form, the division shall record the receipt and issue to the applicant registration decals and a registration card that state the number assigned to the motorboat or sailboat and the name and address of the owner.
(3)(b) The registration card shall be available for inspection on the motorboat or sailboat for which it was issued, whenever that motorboat or sailboat is in operation.
(4) The assigned number shall:
(4)(a) be painted or permanently attached to each side of the forward half of the motorboat or sailboat;
(4)(b) consist of plain vertical block characters not less than three inches in height;
(4)(c) contrast with the color of the background and be distinctly visible and legible;
(4)(d) have spaces or hyphens equal to the width of a letter between the letter and numeral groupings; and
(4)(e) read from left to right.
(5) A motorboat or sailboat with a valid marine document issued by the United States Coast Guard is exempt from the number display requirements of Subsection (4).
(6) The nonresident owner of any motorboat or sailboat already covered by a valid number that has been assigned to it according to federal law or a federally approved numbering system of the owner's resident state is exempt from registration while operating the motorboat or sailboat on the waters of this state unless the owner is operating in excess of the reciprocity period provided for in Subsection 73-18-9(1).
(7) (7)(a) If the ownership of a motorboat or sailboat changes, the new owner shall file a new application form and fee with the division, and the division shall issue a new registration card and registration decals in the same manner as provided for in Subsections (2) and (3).
(7)(b) The division shall reassign the current number assigned to the motorboat or sailboat to the new owner to display on the motorboat or sailboat.
(8) If the United States Coast Guard has in force an overall system of identification numbering for motorboats or sailboats within the United States, the numbering system employed under this chapter by the division shall conform with that system.
(9) (9)(a) The division may authorize any person to act as its agent for the registration of motorboats and sailboats.
(9)(b) A number assigned, a registration card, and registration decals issued by an agent of the division in conformity with this chapter and rules of the division are valid.
(10) (10)(a) The Motor Vehicle Division shall classify all records of the division made or kept according to this section in the same manner that motor vehicle records are classified under Section 41-1a-116.
(10)(b) Division records are available for inspection in the same manner as motor vehicle records pursuant to Section 41-1a-116.
(11) (11)(a) (11)(a)(i) Each registration, registration card, and decal issued under this chapter shall continue in effect for 12 months, beginning with the first day of the calendar month of registration.
(11)(a)(ii) A registration may be renewed by the owner in the same manner provided for in the initial application.
(11)(a)(iii) The division shall reassign the current number assigned to the motorboat or sailboat when the registration is renewed.
(11)(b) Each registration, registration card, and registration decal expires the last day of the month in the year following the calendar month of registration.
(11)(c) If the last day of the registration period falls on a day in which the appropriate state or county offices are not open for business, the registration of the motorboat or sailboat is extended to 12 midnight of the next business day.
(11)(d) The division may receive applications for registration renewal and issue new registration cards at any time before the expiration of the registration, subject to the availability of renewal materials.
(11)(e) The new registration shall retain the same expiration month as recorded on the original registration even if the registration has expired.
(11)(f) The year of registration shall be changed to reflect the renewed registration period.
(11)(g) If the registration renewal application is an application generated by the division through its automated system, the owner is not required to surrender the last registration card or duplicate.
(12) (12)(a) An owner shall notify the division of:
(12)(a)(i) the transfer of all or any part of the owner's interest, other than creation of a security interest, in a motorboat or sailboat registered in this state under Subsections (2) and (3); and
(12)(a)(ii) the destruction or abandonment of the owner's motorboat or sailboat.
(12)(b) Notification must take place within 15 days of the transfer, destruction, or abandonment.
(12)(c) (12)(c)(i) The transfer, destruction, or abandonment of a motorboat or sailboat terminates its registration.
(12)(c)(ii) Notwithstanding Subsection (12)(c)(i), a transfer of a part interest that does not affect the owner's right to operate a motorboat or sailboat does not terminate the registration.
(13) (13)(a) A registered owner shall notify the division within 15 days if the owner's address changes from the address appearing on the registration card and shall, as a part of this notification, furnish the division with the owner's new address.
(13)(b) The division may provide in the division's rules for:
(13)(b)(i) the surrender of the registration card bearing the former address; and
(13)(b)(ii) (13)(b)(ii)(A) the replacement of the card with a new registration card bearing the new address; or
(13)(b)(ii)(B) the alteration of an existing registration card to show the owner's new address.
(14) (14)(a) If a registration card is lost or stolen, the division may collect a fee of $4 for the issuance of a duplicate card.
(14)(b) If a registration decal is lost or stolen, the division may collect a fee of $3 for the issuance of a duplicate decal.
(15) A number other than the number assigned to a motorboat or sailboat or a number for a motorboat or sailboat granted reciprocity under this chapter may not be painted, attached, or otherwise displayed on either side of the bow of a motorboat or sailboat.
(16) A motorboat or sailboat registration and number are invalid if obtained by knowingly falsifying an application for registration.
(17) The division may designate the suffix to assigned numbers, and by following the procedures and requirements of Title 63G, Chapter 3, Utah Administrative Rulemaking Act, make rules for:
(17)(a) the display of registration decals;
(17)(b) the issuance and display of dealer numbers and registrations; and
(17)(c) the issuance and display of temporary registrations.
(18) A violation of this section is an infraction.

Legislative History

Amended by Chapter 336, 2025 General Session