Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, through a county tax collector
Florida boat registration
Florida vessel registration and title applications are filed with the county tax collector or a license plate agent. FLHSMV says the owner proves ownership with an executed bill of sale, a builder's contract, a manufacturer's statement of origin, a federal marine document, or another document the department accepts. If the vessel has to be titled, the title is issued before the registration.
Figures checked October 24, 2026. This is a summary of the official pages linked below, not legal advice and not a bill.
Print or fill in
Print this before you file
Free PDF
Registration prep checklist
Proof of ownership, ID, hull ID, and a blank line for the fee on the official chart. This page does not print a dollar amount for you.
Download the registration checklistFree PDF
Boat transfer checklist
Bill of sale, title versus registration versus CG-1340, the handoff, and a reminder to check your state before you file.
Download the transfer checklistSamples only. State rules vary. This is not legal advice, and it is not the form your agency may require.
Fees from the official chart
The registration certificate fee in Florida Statutes section 328.72 is charged for each 12-month period.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Class A-1, less than 12 feet (and canoes with a motor) | $5.50 |
| Class A-2, 12 feet to less than 16 feet | $16.25 |
| Class 1, 16 feet to less than 26 feet | $28.75 |
| Class 2, 26 feet to less than 40 feet | $78.25 |
| Class 3, 40 feet to less than 65 feet | $127.75 |
| Class 4, 65 feet to less than 110 feet | $152.75 |
| Class 5, 110 feet or more | $189.75 |
| Electronic title | $5.25 |
| Paper title | $7.75 |
| Expedited title | $11 |
| Each existing lien recorded | $1 |
| Extra title fee if previously registered outside Florida | $4 |
Florida's registration certificate fee depends on length. For a 12-month period, section 328.72 lists $5.50 under 12 feet, $16.25 from 12 to under 16, $28.75 from 16 to under 26, $78.25 from 26 to under 40, and higher classes above that. FLHSMV lists title fees of $5.25 for an electronic title and $7.75 for a paper title, in addition to registration and any sales tax. A county office can add service fees that are not in this table.
Transferring the boat
Section 328.46 gives 30 days after purchase to register a vessel that has to be registered. During that window the operator has to carry a bill of sale, and that bill of sale is the temporary certificate of number. It has to include the make, length, propulsion, hull identification number, a statement that Florida is the state of principal use, the purchaser's name, address, and signature, the seller's name and signature, the date of sale, and a notice that the temporary authority ends 30 days after the sale.
FLHSMV's title fees sit on top of the registration fee and any sales tax: $5.25 electronic, $7.75 paper, or $11 expedited, plus $1 to record each existing lien and $4 if the vessel was previously registered outside Florida.
The national boat bill of sale and title transfer guide explains the difference between a bill of sale, a title, and a registration. File with Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, through a county tax collector.
Coast Guard documented boats
The FLHSMV page accepts a federal marine document as one way to prove ownership. It does not, in the text reviewed for this page, give a single rule for whether a Coast Guard-documented vessel also has to be state-registered. Read the FLHSMV vessel page and Chapter 328 before you skip a filing.
What this page does not pin down
- County tax-collector service fees are not listed here.
- Florida sales tax on a boat sale is not listed here.
- Whether a Coast Guard-documented vessel must also be registered in Florida is not stated on this page.
Florida registration questions
Where do I register a boat in Florida?
Florida vessel registration and title applications are filed with the county tax collector or a license plate agent. FLHSMV says the owner proves ownership with an executed bill of sale, a builder's contract, a manufacturer's statement of origin, a federal marine document, or another document the department accepts. If the vessel has to be titled, the title is issued before the registration.
How much does Florida boat registration cost?
Florida's registration certificate fee depends on length. For a 12-month period, section 328.72 lists $5.50 under 12 feet, $16.25 from 12 to under 16, $28.75 from 16 to under 26, $78.25 from 26 to under 40, and higher classes above that. FLHSMV lists title fees of $5.25 for an electronic title and $7.75 for a paper title, in addition to registration and any sales tax. A county office can add service fees that are not in this table.
How do I transfer a boat title or registration in Florida?
Florida law lets a bill of sale stand in as a temporary certificate of number for 30 days after the purchase, but only if it includes the items in section 328.46, from the hull identification number to a notice that the temporary authority ends 30 days after the sale. The buyer then files title, if one is required, and registration with the county tax collector. Use the national bill of sale guide for the paperwork that is not Florida-specific.
What has to be on a Florida bill of sale during the first 30 days?
Section 328.46 says the bill of sale aboard the boat during those 30 days has to include the make, length, type of propulsion, hull identification number, a statement that Florida is where the vessel is principally used, the purchaser's name, address, and signature, the seller's name and signature, the date of sale, and a notice that the temporary authority ends 30 days after the sale.
Official pages
FLHSMV vessel title and registrationFlorida Statutes s. 328.72, registration feesFlorida Statutes s. 328.46, the 30-day bill of saleFlorida Statutes s. 328.48, proof of ownership
Check Florida harbor conditionsToday's Go or Nope callAll ten state pagesBoat bill of sale
Reviewed October 24, 2026. Source date code 2026-10-24.