Chapter 2 - Registration

California Vehicle Code — §§ 9850-9880

Showing inline text for up to 20 sections. Open a section link to read its full text.

Sections (44)

Amended by Stats. 1987, Ch. 298, Sec. 2.

Every undocumented vessel using the waters or on the waters of this state shall be currently numbered. No person shall operate nor shall any county, city, or political subdivision give permission for the operation of any undocumented vessel on those waters unless the undocumented vessel is numbered in accordance with this chapter, or in accordance with applicable federal law, or in accordance with a federally approved numbering system of another state, and unless (1) the certificate of number issued to such undocumented vessel is in full force and effect, and (2) the identifying number set forth in the certificate

of number is displayed on each side of the bow of the undocumented vessel for which the identifying number was issued.

§ 9851

Amended by Stats. 1990, Ch. 951, Sec. 1. Operative July 1, 1991, by Sec. 5 of Ch. 951.

The department may adopt rules and regulations for the registration of undocumented vessels belonging to the state, local public agencies, or to the United States without payment of fees specified in this code, except fees for duplicate certificates of ownership, duplicate certificates of number, or substitute current year registration stickers. Any vessel owned by the Department of Boating and Waterways is exempt from any fees specified in this division.

§ 9852

Amended by Stats. 1973, Ch. 759.

The department shall promulgate rules and regulations setting forth requirements relative to establishing proof of ownership to be submitted by the owner at the time of filing initial application for a certificate of number and a certificate of ownership. The issuance of a certificate of ownership or certificate of number under this chapter shall not in any way be construed that the department is warranting or guaranteeing the title of the vessel as it appears on such certificates.

§ 9852.5

Added by Stats. 1985, Ch. 982, Sec. 25.

Ownership of an undocumented vessel subject to registration may be held by two or more coowners as follows:

(a)A vessel may be registered in the names of two or more persons as coowners in the alternative by the use of the word “or.” A vessel so registered in the alternative shall be deemed to be held in joint tenancy. Each coowner shall be deemed to have granted to the other coowners the absolute right to dispose of the title and interest in the vessel. Upon the death of a coowner the interest of the decedent shall pass to the survivor as though title or interest in the vessel was held in

joint tenancy unless a contrary intention is set forth in writing upon the application for registration.

(b)A vessel may be registered in the names of two or more persons as coowners in the alternative by the use of the word “or” and if declared in writing upon the application for registration by the applicants to be community property, or tenancy in common, shall grant to each coowner the absolute power to transfer the title or interest of the other coowners only during the lifetime of such coowners.

(c)A vessel may be registered in the names of two or more persons as coowners in the conjunctive by the use of the word “and” and shall thereafter require the signature of each coowner or his personal representative to transfer title to the vessel, except where title to the vessel is set forth in joint tenancy, the signature of each coowner or his or her personal representative

shall be required only during the lifetime of the coowners, and upon death of a coowner title shall pass to the surviving coowner.

(d)The department may adopt suitable abbreviations to appear upon the certificate of ownership and certificate of number to designate the manner in which title to the vessel is held if set forth by the coowners upon the application for registration.

§ 9852.7

Added by Stats. 1991, Ch. 1055, Sec. 61. Operative January 1, 1993, by Sec. 64 of Ch. 1055.

(a)Ownership of an undocumented vessel subject to registration may be held in beneficiary form that includes a direction to transfer ownership of the vessel to a designated beneficiary on death of the owner if both of the following requirements are satisfied:

(1)Only one owner is designated.

(2)Only one TOD beneficiary is designated.

(b)Ownership registration and title issued in beneficiary form shall include, after the name of the

owner, the words “transfer on death to” or the abbreviation “TOD” followed by the name of the beneficiary.

(c)During the lifetime of the owner, the signature or consent of the beneficiary is not required for any transaction relating to the vessel for which a certificate of ownership in beneficiary form has been issued.

(d)The fee for registering ownership of a vessel in a beneficiary form is ten dollars ($10).

§ 9852.9

Added by Stats. 2007, Ch. 609, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2008. Operative July 1, 2008, by Sec. 4 of Ch. 609.

(a)On and after July 1, 2008, the form for an initial application for a number prepared by the department pursuant to Section 9853 shall include both of the following:

(1)Checkoff boxes or line alternatives for the retail seller of an undocumented vessel to certify that a sterndrive or inboard vessel that contains a spark-ignition marine engine below 373 kW (500 hp) rated power output that was manufactured on or after January 1, 2008, and a sterndrive

or inboard vessel that contains a spark-ignition marine engine with any rated power output that was manufactured on or after January 1, 2009, has a permanently affixed label indicating that the engine meets or exceeds the 2008 California emissions standards required by Section 2442 of Title 13 of the California Code of Regulations.

(2)A line requiring that an initial application for a vessel described in paragraph (1) be accompanied by the hang tag required by Section 2443.3 of Title 13 of the California Code of Regulations for the engine described in paragraph (1).

(b)As used in this section, “spark-ignition marine engine” has the same meaning as that term is defined in Section 9853.7.

§ 9853

Amended by Stats. 2025, Ch. 106, Sec. 17. (AB 149) Effective September 17, 2025.

(a)The owner of each vessel requiring numbering by this state shall file an initial application for a number with the department or with an agent authorized by the department on forms approved by the department. The forms shall be prepared in cooperation with the Division of Boating and Waterways. The application shall contain the true name and address of the owner, the true name and address of the legal owner, if any, and the hull identification number of the vessel as may be required by the department. The application shall be signed by the owner of the vessel and shall be accompanied by a fee of nine dollars ($9), in addition to the fees required under subdivision (b).

(b)(1) Whenever the fee for original registration of a vessel

becomes due between January 1 and December 31 of any even-numbered year, the application shall be accompanied by a fee of ten dollars ($10), in addition to any other fees that are then due and payable.

(2)Whenever the fee for original registration of a vessel becomes due, or is filed with the department, between January 1 and December 31 of any odd-numbered year, the application shall be accompanied by a fee of twenty dollars ($20) in addition to any other fees that are then due and payable.

(c)(1) The department shall collect, from resident and nonresident vessel owners, separate from the original registration fee, an invasive mussel infestation prevention fee in an amount established by the Division of Boating and Waterways pursuant to

Section 675 of the Harbors and Navigation Code.

(2)Upon payment of the fee described in paragraph (1), the department shall issue a vessel an invasive mussel infestation prevention sticker to the vessel owner.

(3)Failure to pay the invasive mussel infestation prevention fee described in paragraph (1) does not prohibit the department from issuing registration of a vessel.

(4)(A) A vessel operator may be issued a citation for operating a recreational vessel in nonmarine waters without a valid state-issued invasive mussel infestation prevention sticker.

(B)Notwithstanding subparagraph (A), a vessel that is exempt pursuant to

Section 5211 of Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations shall not be cited pursuant to subparagraph (A).

(d)The department shall provide documentation of its administrative costs pursuant to this section to the Division of Boating and Waterways.

§ 9853.1

Added by Stats. 1973, Ch. 759.

Upon receipt of the application in approved form, the department shall issue a certificate of ownership to the legal owner and a certificate of number to the owner, or both to the owner if there is no legal owner, stating the number issued to the vessel and the name and address of the owner.

§ 9853.2

Amended by Stats. 1984, Ch. 144, Sec. 206.

The owner shall paint on or attach to each side of the forward half of the vessel the identification number in such manner as may be prescribed by rules and regulations of the department in order that it may be clearly visible. Any such rules and regulations shall be developed in cooperation with the Department of Boating and Waterways. The number shall be maintained in a legible condition. The certificate of number shall be pocket size and shall be available at all times for inspection on the vessel for which issued, whenever the vessel is in use, except as to those vessels subject to Section 9853.3.

§ 9853.3

Added by Stats. 1973, Ch. 759.

The certificate of number for vessels less than 26 feet in length and leased or rented to another for the latter’s noncommercial use of less than 24 hours may be retained on shore by the vessel’s owner or his representative at the place from which the vessel departs or returns to the possession of the owner or his representative. A copy of the lease or rental agreement signed by the owner or his authorized representative and by the person leasing or renting the vessel shall be carried aboard the vessel at all times during use.

§ 9853.4

Amended by Stats. 1987, Ch. 298, Sec. 3.

(a)The department may issue one or more stickers, tabs, or other suitable devices to identify vessels as being currently registered. The size, shape, and color of the sticker, tab, or other device and the positioning of the sticker, tab, or other device on the vessel shall be as determined by the department after consultation with the Department of Boating and Waterways, such consultation to consider the responsibilities and duties of the Department of Boating and Waterways as prescribed in the Harbors and Navigation Code.

(b)Whenever the department issues a sticker,

tab, or other device pursuant to subdivision (a), the sticker, tab, or device shall only be displayed on the vessel for which it was issued.

§ 9853.5

Added by Stats. 1980, Ch. 577, Sec. 1.

Upon request, the department shall issue for any power-driven pleasure craft which is constructed of wood and which was constructed prior to December 31, 1942, a special plaque which identifies the craft as a vessel of historical interest. The provisions of this section shall apply to documented as well as undocumented vessels. The size, shape, and content of such plaque and its positioning on the vessel shall be determined by the department after consultation with the Department of Boating and Waterways; provided, that such plaque shall be of a durable material and shall be no smaller than six inches in height and six inches in width. A reasonable fee, as

determined by the department, sufficient to support the administration of such program, shall be charged for issuance of the plaque. The plaque shall be valid for the life of the vessel.

§ 9853.7

Added by Stats. 2007, Ch. 609, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2008. Operative July 1, 2008, by Sec. 4 of Ch. 609.

(a)(1) When the retail seller of an undocumented sterndrive or inboard vessel, that contains a spark-ignition marine engine below 373 kW (500 hp) rated power output that was manufactured on or after January 1, 2008, or contains a spark-ignition marine engine with any rated power output that was manufactured on or after January 1, 2009, files for the purchaser of the vessel the initial application for a number for the vessel, the retail seller shall do both of the following:

(A) Certify on that application, by marking in indelible ink the affirmative checkoff boxes or line alternatives described in subdivision (a) of Section 9852.9, that the spark-ignition marine engine has a permanently affixed label indicating that the engine meets or exceeds the 2008 California emissions standards required by Section 2442 of Title 13 of the California Code of Regulations. The retail seller shall make that certification only after examining the permanently affixed label for the engine and only if the label indicates compliance with Section 2442 of Title 13 of the California Code of Regulations.

(B) Submit with the application, the hang tag required by Section 2443.3 of Title 13 of the California Code of Regulations for the engine, after including on the reserved white space of the hang tag, the engine family name, from the permanently affixed engine label, and the

serial number of the engine.

(2)If the retail seller does not file for the purchaser of a vessel described in paragraph (1) the initial application for a number for the vessel, the applicant, upon filing an initial application for a number, shall submit the hang tag required by Section 2443.3 of Title 13 of the California Code of Regulations for the engine. The hang tag shall contain the engine family name, from the permanently affixed engine label, and the serial number of the engine, as inserted by the retail seller of the vessel.

(b)Subdivision (a) does not apply to a vessel originally purchased in another state by a resident of that state who subsequently establishes residence in this state and who provides satisfactory evidence to the department, or the department’s agent authorized pursuant to Section 9858, of the previous residence.

(c)The department, and the department’s agent authorized pursuant to Section 9858, shall not number a vessel subject to subdivision (a), unless the retail seller certifies on the initial application for a number filed for the purchaser of the vessel that the spark-ignition marine engine has the label described in paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) permanently affixed to the engine, or the applicant submits an application that is accompanied by the hang tag required by subdivision (a).

(d)For the purposes of this section, “spark-ignition marine engine” has the same meaning as that term is defined in paragraph (48) of subdivision (a) of Section 2441 of Title 13 of the California Code of Regulations.

§ 9853.8

Added by Stats. 2007, Ch. 609, Sec. 3. Effective January 1, 2008. Operative July 1, 2008, by Sec. 4 of Ch. 609.

(a)This section applies only to a sterndrive or inboard vessel that contains a spark-ignition marine engine below 373 kW (500 hp) rated power output that was manufactured on or after January 1, 2008, or contains a spark-ignition marine engine with any rated power output that was manufactured on or after January 1, 2009.

(b)It is an infraction, punishable by a fine of two hundred fifty dollars ($250), for a person to operate an undocumented vessel,

requiring numbering by the state, that is not currently numbered by the state, and that does not comply with the emissions standards required by Section 2442 of Title 13 of the California Code of Regulations.

(c)As used in this section, “spark-ignition marine engine” has the same meaning as that term is defined in Section 9853.7.

§ 9854

Amended by Stats. 2024, Ch. 72, Sec. 66. (SB 156) Effective July 2, 2024.

The owner of any vessel already covered by a number in full force and effect that has been issued to it pursuant to then operative federal law or a federally approved numbering system of another state shall make application within 30 days after the 60-day reciprocity period provided for in Section 9873. Such application shall be in a manner and pursuant to the procedure required for the issuance of a number under

Section 9853.

§ 9855

Amended by Stats. 1990, Ch. 951, Sec. 3. Operative July 1, 1991, by Sec. 5 of Ch. 951.

If the ownership of an undocumented vessel changes, the existing certificate of ownership and a new application form accompanied by a fee of fifteen dollars ($15) shall be filed with the department and a new certificate of ownership and a new certificate of number shall be issued in the same manner as provided for in the initial issuance of number and the number shall be reassigned to the new owner.

§ 9856

Amended by Stats. 1984, Ch. 411, Sec. 3.

(a)It is not required that the department issue, or that an application be made for a new certificate of ownership or a new certificate of number, or that the fee prescribed in Section 9855 be paid on transfer of an undocumented vessel to a dealer in the course of his business as is otherwise provided in this division, if both of the following conditions are satisfied:

(1)The vessel is held and operated by the dealer only for the purpose of resale in the course of his business.

(2)The dealer has been

issued a sales permit by the Board of Equalization covering sale of such property.

(b)The certificate of ownership bearing the endorsement of the transferor to the dealer of a vessel registered pursuant to this section and the certificate of number thereof shall be retained by the dealer until a transfer of the vessel by him. During that time the certificates shall be subject to inspection by the department or other authorized agency. Upon transfer of the vessel by the dealer the certificate of ownership shall be endorsed by the dealer and transfer further accomplished as otherwise provided in this division.

§ 9857

Added by Stats. 1970, Ch. 1428.

If an agency of the United States government shall have in force an overall system of identification numbering for undocumented vessels within the United States, the numbering system employed pursuant to this chapter shall be in conformity therewith.

§ 9858

Added by Stats. 1970, Ch. 1428.

The department may issue any certificate of ownership and certificate of number or temporary certificate of number directly or the department may authorize any person to act as agent for the issuance of a certificate of number or temporary certificate of number. If a person accepts such authorization, he may be assigned a block of numbers which upon issuance, in conformity with this chapter and with any rules and regulations of the department, shall be valid as if issued directly by the department. Registration of vessels pursuant to the provisions of this code shall be conducted by the department or by any agent authorized by the department to conduct such

registration.

§ 9858.1

Added by Stats. 1984, Ch. 1407, Sec. 2.

Any documentary preparation charge by an authorized agent of the department shall not exceed twenty dollars ($20).

§ 9858.5

Open the section link to read its full text.

§ 9859

Open the section link to read its full text.

§ 9860

Open the section link to read its full text.

§ 9861

Open the section link to read its full text.