§851.20. Identification number

A.(1) The owner of each motorboat, houseboat, or sailboat requiring numbering by this state shall file an application for number with the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries on forms approved by the department. The application shall be signed by the owner of the motorboat, houseboat, or sailboat and shall be accompanied by the appropriate fee as follows:

(a) For a boat that is fourteen feet or less in length, the fee shall be twenty dollars.

(b) For a boat that is more than fourteen feet and less than eighteen feet in length, the fee shall be twenty-five dollars.

(c) For a boat that is eighteen feet in length or greater, the fee shall be thirty dollars plus an additional two dollars for each foot or portion of a foot in length greater than eighteen feet.

(d) Beginning January 1, 2019, through December 31, 2023, inclusive of both dates, in addition to the fee otherwise required by this Paragraph, a fee of nine dollars shall accompany any application or renewal for numbering a motorboat or sailboat.

(2) Upon receipt of the application in approved form, the department shall enter the same upon the records of its office and issue to the applicant a certificate of number stating the number assigned to the motorboat, houseboat, or sailboat and the name and address of the owner with a description of the motorboat, houseboat, or sailboat. The department shall maintain a record of the hull identification number of the boat and the serial number of the motor for motorized vessels along with the assigned certificate of number on its computer.

(3) The owner shall paint on or attach to each side of the bow of the motorboat, houseboat, or sailboat the certificate of number in such manner as may be prescribed by rules and regulations of the department in order that it may be clearly visible. The number on the motorboat, houseboat, or sailboat shall be maintained in legible condition.

(4) The certificate of number shall be issued in addition to a decal which shall be permanently attached to the motorboat, houseboat, or sailboat, both to be accessible for inspection at all times when such boat is in operation; however, owners of duly registered livery motorboats less than twenty-six feet in length, or of duly registered houseboats or sailboats which are rented for not more than seven continuous days at a time for noncommercial purposes may retain such certificates of number for each such rental motorboat, houseboat, or sailboat on shore and have them readily available for inspection.

B. The owner of any motorboat, houseboat, or sailboat already covered by a number in full force and effect which has been awarded to it pursuant to then-operative federal law or a federally approved numbered system of another state shall record the number prior to operating the motorboat, houseboat, or sailboat on the waters of this state in excess of the ninety consecutive day reciprocity period provided for in R.S. 34:851.22(A)(1). Such recordation shall be in the manner and pursuant to the procedure required for the award of a number pursuant to Subsection A of this Section except that no additional or substitute number shall be issued.

C. Should the ownership of a motorboat, houseboat, or sailboat change, a new application form with a five dollar fee shall be filed with the commission, along with the registration fee required by this Section, and a new certificate of number and a decal, valid for three years, shall be awarded in the same manner as provided for in an original award of number.

D. In the event that an agency of the United States government shall have in force an overall system of identification numbering for motorboats, houseboats, or sailboats within the United States, the numbering system employed pursuant to this Part by the commission shall be in conformity therewith.

E. All records of the commission made or kept pursuant to this Section shall be public records in accordance with state laws.

F. Every certificate of number awarded pursuant to this Part shall continue in full force and effect for a period of three years unless sooner terminated or discontinued in accordance with the provisions of this Part. Certificates of number may be renewed within sixty days preceding or thirty days following the expiration date by the owner in the same manner provided for in the initial securing of the same for a three-year period by marking the application form "Renewal". The renewal fee shall be the same fee as the initial registration fee. The fee to reinstate an expired certificate of number shall be the same fee as the initial registration fee. Certificates of number may be renewed or reinstated through electronic means as permitted by the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

G. The owner shall furnish the commission notice of the transfer of all or any part of his interest other than the creation of a security interest in a motorboat, houseboat, or sailboat numbered in this state pursuant to Subsections A and B of this Section or of the destruction or abandonment of such motorboat, houseboat, or sailboat within fifteen days thereof. Such transfer, destruction, or abandonment shall terminate the certificate of number for such motorboat, houseboat, or sailboat, except that in the case of a transfer of a part interest which does not affect the owner's right to operate such motorboat, houseboat, or sailboat such transfer shall not terminate the certificate of number.

H. Any holder of a certificate of number shall notify the commission within fifteen days if his address no longer conforms to the address appearing on the certificate and shall, as a part of such notification, furnish the commission with his new address. The commission may provide in its rules and regulations for the surrender of the certificate bearing the former address and its replacement for a reasonable fee with a certificate bearing the new address or for the alteration of an outstanding certificate to show the new address of the holder.

I. If a certificate of number is lost or destroyed, the owner shall, within fifteen days, notify the commission in writing describing the circumstances of the loss or destruction and certifying to its loss together with a complete application form marked "Duplicate" and accompanied by a five dollar fee for which a duplicate certificate shall be issued.

J. No number other than the number awarded to a motorboat, houseboat, or sailboat or granted reciprocity pursuant to this Part shall be painted, attached, or otherwise displayed on either side of the bow of such motorboat, houseboat, or sailboat.

K. It shall be unlawful for any person to deface or alter the certificate of number or number assigned and appearing on the bow of any boat.

L. Payment for a motor boat identification number, renewal or duplicate shall be in certified check, money order, or any other form specified by the department.

M.(1) Any application for registration or title of an outboard motor as defined in R.S. 34:852.2(9) with a serial number that has been removed or obliterated whether on purpose or accident; a vessel as defined in R.S. 34:852.2(17) that is a homemade vessel, a vessel with an alteration in length due to restoration, construction, or other means that would require a change to the vessel's title document or registration certificate, a vessel with a hull identification number that has been removed or obliterated whether on purpose or by accident, a vessel with an incorrect hull identification number or a vessel with no hull identification number shall be submitted to the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. The enforcement division shall make a visual inspection of the outboard motor or vessel to determine if it is homemade, to determine ownership, or to verify ownership. If the inspection of the outboard motor or vessel is favorable and approved by the State Boating Law Administrator or his designee, the agent shall issue and stamp a sequential hull number on the boat. Persons shall be required to obtain titles for such approved outboard motors and vessels at the time of application.

(2) The fee for the personal inspection shall be twenty-five dollars which shall be in addition to the regular cost of the boat registration. After deposit in the state treasury, an amount equal to the funds collected under the provisions of this Subsection shall be credited to the Conservation Fund and shall be used by the department to fund overtime for Department of Wildlife and Fisheries enforcement officers.

(3) Any proprietor of a scrap or salvage yard who is in receipt of an outboard motor which does not have a serial number or vessel which does not have a hull identification number affixed thereto shall notify the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to obtain verification of ownership thereof prior to payment of any value for the receipt of the outboard motor or vessel, unless proper ownership can be verified by registration or title.

(4) For the purposes of this Subsection "homemade vessel" shall mean a vessel that is built by an individual for personal use from raw materials that does not require the assignment of a federal hull identification number by a manufacturer pursuant to federal law. The term shall not include a rebuilt or reconstituted vessel.

(5) Hull identification numbers issued by the department and inspections of outboard motors shall be for identification purposes only and shall not guarantee the seaworthiness or to certify compliance with safety standards as required by the United States Coast Guard.

N. A handling and mailing fee of three dollars shall be collected for each motorboat registration transaction.

Acts 1984, No. 288, §1; Acts 1986, No. 521, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 1986; Acts 1987, No. 704, §1; Acts 1990, No. 894, §1; Acts 1997, No. 780, §1; Acts 2000, 2d Ex. Sess., No. 1, §2, eff. June 26, 2000; Acts 2007, No. 83, §1; Acts 2009, No. 508, §2, eff. Jan. 1, 2011; Acts 2018, No. 628, §1; Acts 2018, No. 698, §1.