SESKStuff Everyone Should Know
SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/boat-notify-15-days

You sell your registered boat or move. How soon must you notify the agency that issued its number?

Within 15 days.

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  1. Within 60 days
  2. Within 1 year
  3. Within 15 days ✔

Why: Federal rules give owners 15 days to report a change of address or ownership, or a boat that is stolen, recovered, destroyed or abandoned. A lost certificate counts too.

Huh, didn't know that: Registration numbers must be plain vertical block letters at least 3 inches tall.

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Why did the boat send a postcard? It had a change of address.
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References

Answer: Within 15 days. Federal rules give owners 15 days to report a change of address or ownership, or a boat that is stolen, recovered, destroyed or abandoned. A lost certificate counts too.

  1. U.S. Coast Guard, A Boater's Guide to the Federal Requirements for Recreational Boats www.uscgboating.org/assets/1/AssetManager/Boaters-Guide-to-Federal-Requirements-for-Receational-Boats-20231108.pdf
    The owner of a vessel must notify the agency that issued the CON within 15 days of:
    Checked 2026-10-09.
  2. U.S. Coast Guard, A Boater's Guide to the Federal Requirements for Recreational Boats www.uscgboating.org/assets/1/AssetManager/Boaters-Guide-to-Federal-Requirements-for-Receational-Boats-20231108.pdf
    Changes of address or ownership.
    Checked 2026-10-09.

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Test yourself in the game

Boating & WaterWhere must your boat's registration numbers be displayed?Boating & WaterHow many characters are in a boat's Hull Identification Number (HIN)?Boating & WaterIn a Hull Identification Number, what do the first three characters identify?

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