Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation

• Boat Registration
• Hull Identification Number
• Regattas

• Floating Objects
• Public Vessels

New York State Navigation Law

The New York State Legislature publishes all the laws of the State on the web. Select the link for Laws of New York at the bottom of the page. The Navigation Law is listed under NAV. Article 3 concerns itself with the navigable waters of the state, while Article 4 covers the conduct of vessels.

The Vehicle and Traffic Law (VAT), Title 11, Article 48, covers the registration of vessels. The Department of Motor Vehicles administers the registration of vessels, and they have an excellent FAQ that can be accessed on their website.

Laws regarding the use of the lands under the water, including docks, can be found in the Public Lands Law (PBL), Article 6. The Office of General Services administers these provisions.

Lake George also has rules and regulations unique to that waterway. For more information, please visit the Lake George Park Commission's website.

Recreational boating in New York State is a $2 billion industry enjoyed by millions of residents and visitors alike. This recreational boating report has been prepared in order to help us better understand why accidents happen while affording possible insights as to how to prevent them.

• 2016 Recreational Boating Report (pdf)
• Archived Recreational Boating Reports

Boat Registration

Boat Registrations are required by state law for all mechanically propelled boats; this includes small boats, canoes and kayaks with electric motors. All boat registrations are handled by the Department of Motor Vehicles. Follow this link for more information.

Registering your boat is as simple as completing the Motor Vehicle's form MV-82B (pdf) (application for registration), having the appropriate registration fee, providing proof of ownership (pdf), proof of payment of sales tax (may be paid to Motor Vehicles at time of registration), along with a bill of sale and you're all set.

If you are an out of state resident you may operate your registered motorboat for 90 consecutive days without having it registered in New York

Is there an age requirement to register a boat? No. There is no age requirement to own or register a boat in New York.

Where does the validation sticker go? The sticker should be placed 6 inches towards the back of the boat from the registration numbers

If you have an older boat, or you have built the boat you may be required to get a hull identification number (HIN) before you can register your boat.

It is a 12 character serial number that is unique to each boat, similar to a vehicle identification number found on a car. No two boats should have the same HIN.

Allow two weeks for processing and mailing of your application to the local marine patrol. After that time you can use the following simple search application to find out which marine patrol your application was sent to.

• Search For My Application

My boat was built after 1972; why do I need to get one? The HIN is assigned by the manufacturer before it leaves the factory for the dealer. In some cases the HIN may not have been applied, or has been removed or the previous owner never had the HIN recorded on the registration.

I built my own boat; can I assign it a hull identification number? No, boats that are homemade are required to have a HIN also, but it is assigned by the state.

I built my own boat and want to put a motor on it. How do I get a hull identification number? NYS Parks assigns the HIN numbers

• Download the form OPS-420 and fill out the form. The directions are on the back of the page
• Mail the application and two pictures of the boat to the Marine Services Bureau; address is on the back of the form.
• Application is received and reviewed to make sure the vessel described meets qualifications for HIN assignment.
• Hull Identification Number is issued by NYS Parks and Recreation Marine Service Bureau.
• Application is mailed to State or County Marine Patrol near the location of the vessel.
• Marine Patrol then contacts the applicant to witness the Hull Identification Number being applied to the vessel described in the original application.
• Applicant then takes the top half of the application to the DMV as proof of their HIN assignment.

Regattas

New York State Parks defines a regatta as an organized water event of limited duration which is conducted according to a prearranged schedule over a predetermined course and in which general public interest is manifested. They come in many different shapes and sizes from a swim race to an antique boat parade.

Regatta permits are issued by the following organizations:

Races involving exclusively crew shells may as an alternative to a regatta permit file a Notification of Racing Shell Regatta with NYS Parks. This notification does not provide the privileges afforded under a regatta permit including but not limited to the placement of race courses ahead of the event.

Recommended Practices for Rowing Clubs (pdf) - developed in association with the USRowing Association, this simple guide offers some tips for safe and enjoyable crewing or sculling experience.

If you are organizing a race or regatta, start your paperwork early so that you will receive your permit in time for the event

• Regatta Permit Application (pdf)
• Rules and Regulations for Regattas (pdf)
• Racing Shell Regatta Notification (pdf)

Floating Objects

When you are on the water you will come upon floating objects or buoys that are placed in the water for a reason. There are two types of objects that you will see and they have two different functions.

The objects most people are familiar with are aids to navigation. Aids to Navigation provide boaters with information similar to that in which drivers obtain from street signs and traffic markers. These include buoys, beacons or other fixed objects in the water which are used to direct navigation through safe channels or to mark obstructions to navigation. Aids to navigation are generally installed by a government agency.

Aids to Navigation are placed by four agencies in New York:

• U.S. Coast Guard - all tidal and ocean waterways, including the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain
• Dept. of Environmental Conservation - Adirondack and Catskill Park Regions
• NYS Canal Corporation - Barge Canal System
• State Parks - all other waterways

NYS Parks – Request for Navigational Aids to Placement (pdf)
NYS Canal Corp – Canal's Report of Obstruction (pdf)

A floating object is an object floating on the surface of the water that isn’t an aid to navigation.
There could be anything from a mooring buoy to an environmental quality monitoring buoy. A floating object permit issued by NYS Parks is required on all waters in NYS except the tide waters of Nassau and Suffolk County.

• Floating object application (pdf)
• Rules and Regulations for Floating objects (pdf)

Public Vessels

You have taken a boating course and have enjoyed boating for several years. You start to think about expanding your horizons, creating a small business and using your boat and your experience to take people out on the water.

Where do you start looking for information on how to go about this legally?

You need to know a few simple things

You may be considered a public vessel operator:

• If you own a motor boat and you are charging a fee you need a Public Vessel Operator license. This fee can be indirect or direct compensation.
• If you are operating on any New York State bodies of water except for the Hudson and Mohawk River, NYS Barge Canal, Lake Erie and Ontario, Lake Champlain and Greenwood Lake, Cayuga, Oneida, Onondaga and Seneca Lake, New York Harbor, Long Island Sound and the Great South Bay, If you are operating on any of these waters you will need to contact the USCG about operator licensing and possible vessel inspection.

If you are operating a public vessel you must be at least 18 years of age, have passed the Public Vessel Operator License exam and have your vessel inspected by a marine inspector from NYS Parks, Marine Services Bureau.

I have a USCG license; do I need to take the exam? If you have a current USCG License you will not have to take the Public Vessel Operator's exam.

Many individuals who register with the Department of Environmental Conservation as a fishing guide, on the waters noted above, should be aware that they must meet the requirements of the NYS Navigation Law as well. If you operate a guide service that uses a mechanically propelled boat for fishing, hunting or to drop off clients at trail heads or wilderness camps on the waters noted above, you are considered a public vessel.

• Application for an Apprentice Master License (pdf)
• Application for Certification of a Public Vessel
• Application for a Joint Pilot and Engineer License (pdf)
• NYS Public Vessel Operator Study Guide (pdf)
• Technical Guidance for Public Vessel Operation (pdf)

Contact the National Maritime Center for mariner credentials and licenses.

For vessel inspections west of Little Falls NY contact USCG Station Buffalo, and for all other areas contact USCG Station New York