There are states that don't require state registration if the boat is documented. Alaska is one such place. As such no registration numbers on the bow.
Mississippi is another.
There are states that don't require state registration if the boat is documented. Alaska is one such place. As such no registration numbers on the bow.
This is totally false in my experience.You'll have to continually move to avoid ticket once ticketed ignore it and problems multiply . Upon purchase of our fed doc boat USCG said that documented boats are not to be state registered period, however home state tax payment is required. Since we winter in FL we paid FL state tax. All states have their own particular tax statutes ....good luck
You'll have to continually move to avoid ticket once ticketed ignore it and problems multiply . Upon purchase of our fed doc boat USCG said that documented boats are not to be state registered period, however home state tax payment is required. Since we winter in FL we paid FL state tax. All states have their own particular tax statutes ....good luck
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Property taxes are another story. Even here in Alaska if you have a permenant slip (vs paying transient rates) the local jurisdictions can and do assess property taxes. I pay about 0.75% per year in Seward Alaska. I have heard that California is around 1% but cannot verify that. ...
This is totally false in my experience.
Documented vessels are not titled but states can still require registration.
Numbers need not be displayed but if required, stickers must.
From NVDC.... Is a DOCUMENTED VESSEL EXEMPT FROM STATE JURISDICTION?
No, all documented vessels must comply with the laws of the state in which they are operated. The vessel's document must be shown to state law enforcement personnel upon their demand. States may require documented vessels to be registered (but not numbered) and to display state decals showing that they have complied with state requirements."
Well, yes. Washington for example wants about 10% of the boat's value initially, and 1% or so each year after that. I'd like to store and work on my boat in Washington, but I don't use it much there. On an expensive boat (say $1M) the initial bill for the privilege of the 61st day in Washington would be $100,000. That's a lot for a day or a month or even a year.
USCG documentation really only has two purposes.
1) The federal government (USCG) issues the Title.
-> It is frequently the requirement that a lien holder be listed on a title. This process is used by those who are required to list a lien holder and are from a non-title state.
-> A boat titled in a state almost always must also be registered in that state.
2) The vessel can travel internationally.
If you register in a state that requires sales or use taxes, they will collect those taxes.
Absence doesn't absolve you of that responsibility.
You can document the boat with the USCG and travel in any state you want, provided you don't stay longer than their laws allow.
Note that some states are total time for the year, so you can't simply leave for a few days a month.
New Hampshire and Rhode Island are two non-tax states.
This implies a restriction on international travel for non-documented boats, and that's not the case. Boats that are state registered can travel internationally just fine. Many do on a regular basis to Canada, Mexico, the Bahamas, etc.
I know a couple who had a documented boat that was registered in Delaware under an LLC. They maintained residency in Georgia, stored the boat over the winter (8 months) in Wisconsin, and had a seasonal summer slip (4 months) in Michigan. Never an issue for them in 20 years, but then nobody asked...
Federal Documentation may also be required if you carry a loan on the boat. That way the bank can repossess it, if needed.
And betting on that kind of luck is a risky proposition. If someone else tries the same, they may be checked their first summer in Michigan.
If either Wisconsin or Michigan have a "time spent in State" requirement to register in their State, then the Delaware registration might have been invalidated. A Michigan (or Wisconsin) registration would have likely raised a sales tax question since I believe the primary reason for setting up the LLC and registering the boat in Delaware was for a tax dodge. I suspect that Wisconsin might have the better case because the boat was in their jurisdiction for a longer period each year. But I don't really know the particulars of the laws in either state, so this is all hypothetical.
Depends on how you look at it I suppose. To me the intent of individuals who register in non-tax states like Delaware or Alaska and rarely, if ever, visit the state with the boat do so for the purpose of dodging taxes. Might be technically legal, but it's a loophole and they're cruisin' for a bruisin' if they get caught. The contention that boats constantly stay in a cruising mode for years at a time is a little unrealistic.
Depends on how you look at it I suppose. To me the intent of individuals who register in non-tax states like Delaware or Alaska and rarely, if ever, visit the state with the boat do so for the purpose of dodging taxes. Might be technically legal, but it's a loophole and they're cruisin' for a bruisin' if they get caught. The contention that boats constantly stay in a cruising mode for years at a time is a little unrealistic.
What would the problem have been in Michigan?
Maybe I’m missing something here. Considering the cost of purchase and total ownership cost, why bother with finding ways to beat the system? Is it really worth the effort and potential problems?