What fees will I encounter if I register my 26X in Florida?

Rick Webb · Aug 16, 2017

Call the tax collector
941 743-1350
http://www.flhsmv.gov/locations/charlotte/

Rick Webb · Aug 16, 2017

Something else to know:
https://www.flhsmv.gov/motor-vehicles-tags-titles/vessels/epirb-plb-incentives/

EPIRB and PLB Incentives

Beginning July 1, 2016 a customer who owns a recreational vessel equipped with an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) or who owns a recreational vessel and a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) is eligible to receive a registration fee reduction during an original or renewal vessel registration transaction. The customer must go visit a tax collector or license plate agent office and provide documentation that the EPIRB or PLB is registered with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) at the time of registration. A customer who owns more than one recreational vessel with an EPIRB will receive the fee reduction when registering each vessel with the EPIRB. A customer who owns more than one recreational vessel who owns a PLB will receive the fee reduction for only one vessel.

The chart below indicates the current fee as well as the reduced fee based on the classification. Fee reductions apply only to those who register in a county tax collector or license plate agent office.

Vessel Registration Fee Reductions
Vessel Classification Length Vessel Registration Fee
Reduced Fee Optional County Fee
Class A-1 Less than 12 feet
$5.50
$2.95 $4.13
Class A-2 12 to less than 16 feet
$16.25
$11.00 $7.63
Class 1 16 to less than 26 feet
$28.75
$20.40 $11.63
Class 2 26 to less than 40 feet
$78.25
$57.50 $27.63
Class 3 40 to less than 65 feet
$127.75
$94.95 $43.63
Class 4 65 to less than 110 feet
$152.75
$113.40 $51.63
Class 5 110 or more in length
$189.75
$141.15 $63.63
Dealer Registration
$25.50
$10.63

SFS · Aug 16, 2017

If the boat is old enough (25 years? I don't remember) it only costs $4.25 a year to register. My 1983 qualifies. If you call them, make sure you ask about that.

Rick Webb · Aug 16, 2017

30 years, same deal with cars

Sumner · Aug 16, 2017

SFS said:
If the boat is old enough (25 years? I don't remember) it only costs $4.25 a year to register. My 1983 qualifies. If you call them, make sure you ask about that.

Yep that is what we are paying on the 1981 Endeavour in Charlotte County

. We bought it there so did pay state sales tax at the time of purchase. The Mac in Utah is over $100 a year

and the trailer is another $45 or so

,

Sumner
===========================================================================
1300 miles to The Bahamas and Back in the Mac...
Endeavour 37 Mods...
MacGregor 26-S Mods...
Mac Trips to Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Canada, Florida, Bahamas

seadaddler · Aug 17, 2017

I am pretty sure if you show you paid sales tax that Florida will not charge you sales tax and so just register fee for boat and trailer.
I have seen many out of state even Canada save register in Florida and check county next to charlotte county cheaper to register.
Nick

dehler25 · Aug 17, 2017

Rick; Nice piece of information that seemingly received little or no publicity, I am due to renew so I can take advantage, thanks

SFS · Aug 17, 2017

dehler25 said:
Rick; Nice piece of information that seemingly received little or no publicity, I am due to renew so I can take advantage, thanks

If this is the first year you are eligible, you may want to renew in person to make sure that you get the "antique" rate. I have had several club members tell me that sometimes it is missed, but pointing it out cures that issue.

On the other hand, if you got mailed a renewal card and it has the correct amount on it, then you are good to go.

Benny17441 · Aug 17, 2017

Google Florida Boats DMV.ORG for requirements, instructions and schedule of fees. Trailers are not titled but get a registration and a tag with yearly renewal fee according to weight. You can either retitle the boat in Florida or just get a registration or both.

Benny17441 · Aug 17, 2017

SFS said:
If this is the first year you are eligible, you may want to renew in person to make sure that you get the "antique" rate. I have had several club members tell me that sometimes it is missed, but pointing it out cures that issue.

On the other hand, if you got mailed a renewal card and it has the correct amount on it, then you are good to go.

Let me point out that local Tax Collectors offices are not authorized to provide Antique status registrations. You can find an Application Form online which has to be sent to Tallahassee for approval. I gather the State is not keen on granting these status so expect delays and returns for any little reason so perseverance is necessary. Even though the law states the vessel must be 30 years old the clerks will return documentation until it is actually 31 and to argue the point is useless. They want to be able to add the round number of 30 years to the model year of the boat in the title and match the date on the application. Good luck.

SFS · Aug 17, 2017

DO NOT GO TO FLORIDA DMV.ORG. It is not a State of Florida site, and says so at the top. There is no telling what additional fees, paperwork, etc. you may encounter.

If you are registering for the first time, you MUST do it at a local office, according to this document:
https://www.flhsmv.gov/motor-vehicles-tags-titles/vessels/vessel-titling-registrations/

Look under "applying for vessel registration". Also check the section called "Applying for Title". (Note that not all vessels need to be titled.)

If you are already beyond this stage, and are just renewing your registration, use www.gorenew.com.

What Benny wrote above about local tax collector's office employees was the opposite of my (in person) experience. The person looked at the title that was signed over to me and said, "yep, it qualifies, so I'll put it in the system so you get the correct rate". However, the statute clearly states that certain "certification" is to be submitted.

328.72 Classification; registration; fees and charges; surcharge; disposition of fees; fines; marine turtle stickers.—
(1) VESSEL REGISTRATION FEE.—
(a) Vessels that are required to be registered shall be classified for registration purposes according to the following schedule, and the registration certificate fee shall be in the following amounts:
(I have removed the rest of this paragraph, which lists fees. In the next paragraph, the boldface emphasis has been added by me.)

(2) ANTIQUE VESSEL REGISTRATION FEE.—
(a) A vessel that is at least 30 years old, used only for recreational purposes, and powered by the vessel’s original-type power plant may be registered as an antique vessel. When applying for registration as an antique vessel, the owner of such a vessel shall submit certification, as prescribed by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles or from a marine surveyor that the vessel meets the requirements of this paragraph.

Many owners I've talked to have said that the "certification" is more about "original-type powerplant" requirement than the age of the vessel, but who knows. As to the age of the vessel, if it has just turned 30, you may want to enter the vessel's HIN into an online decoder, and print out the output, which will establish the MONTH and year the boat was built. If it's 30 years and a day, then it meets the requirement in the statute.

If you encounter someone at the local office that cannot do math, ask for a supervisor. Go at a time not likely to be crowded, which eliminates Mondays and Fridays. Afternoons are often better than mornings. If you don't get what you think you should, and a supervisor cannot help, simply say "I'll come back another day", and go to another office.

By the way, the discounts for EPIRBs and PLBs ended on June 30, 2017.