Summer is almost here, which means boating season. See below for boating requirements and have a safe summer

In Oregon, boaters must have a certificate of title, certificate of number, and validation stickers to operate a motorboat of any length or sailboat longer than 12 feet legally on public waterways. This includes boats that are documented with a recreational endorsement by the U.S. Coast Guard and principally used or moored in Oregon.

Documented boats that have a recreational endorsement do not have an Oregon certificate of title and do not need to display an OR number but are required to register and display a current validation sticker on both sides of the aftermost part of the hull in the upper, square foot, below the deck line. All other recreational boats moored in Oregon are required to have current validation sticker.

The certificate of number, commonly called the “registration card,” is a pocket-sized card that must be on board and available for inspection by an enforcement officer whenever the boat is being operated. The registration number is specific to the boat and is issued with the title and registration.

The registration number (OR#) and validation sticker (decal) must be displayed on the starboard and port side bow of the boat. Once a number is issued, it can be painted, applied as a decal sticker, or otherwise affixed to the bow and placed above the water line so it can be read easily. Numbers are read from left to right on both sides of the bow and must be in 3-inch high block letters (not slanted) and separated by at least 2 inches. Letters must be in a contrasting color to the boat’s hull color or striping. The validation sticker (decal -good for two calendar years) must be affixed on each side of the boat and placed in line. The sticker on the port side is after the OR number and on the starboard side, before the OR number (see illustration). The decal expires on December 31 of the year indicated on the sticker.

The certificate of title, certificate of number and validation stickers (decals) can be obtained by completing an application and submitting the proper fee with documentation to the Oregon State Marine Board. Many boat dealers will submit the documents on your behalf for an agent fee.

Obtaining a title and certificate of number can take anywhere from a month to four months, depending on the boat dealer or other documents that may be needed to complete the transaction.

Failure to have a certificate of registration for documented vessels is a B violation and a $260 fine. Failure for a boat operator to carry a certificate of number is a D violation and a $$110 fine. Boaters can also be cited with failure to obtain a title, a D violation with $110 fine. To learn more about this topic and other legal requirements of boating, visit http://www.boatoregon.com/.

This entry was posted on Monday, May 9th, 2016 at 1:48 pm and is filed under Featured Stories, Latest News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.