N.Y. Vehicle & Traffic Law § 2251: Registration

§ 2251. Registration. 1. No person shall operate or permit the

operation of a vessel on the navigable waters of the state, or on any

other waters within the boundaries of the state, except waters which are

privately owned, unless such vessel is registered and numbered and bears

a current validation sticker in accordance with the provisions of this

article.

2. Issuance and period of validity. The commissioner is authorized to

register a vessel, issue a registration certificate, validation sticker

or stickers and assign a registration number to such vessel. Unless

otherwise prescribed by the commissioner, any such registration shall be

valid for a period of three years unless, prior to such expiration date,

it is surrendered, cancelled, revoked or suspended pursuant to the

provisions of this article, or the vessel is transferred to another

owner.

3. Fees. The triennial fee for registration of a vessel shall be:

twenty-two dollars and fifty cents if less than sixteen feet in length;

forty-five dollars if sixteen feet or over but less than twenty-six feet

in length; seventy-five dollars if twenty-six feet or over.

4. Application. The owner of each vessel requiring registration under

this section shall present an application for registration to the

commissioner, or an agent designated by the commissioner, on a blank to

be prepared and furnished by the commissioner for that purpose. Such

application shall contain or be accompanied by such evidence of the

ownership of the vessel described in the application as may be required

by the commissioner.

5. Renewal. Every owner of a vessel shall renew his registration at

such times and in such manner as the commissioner shall prescribe, on

payment of the same registration fees as are provided in subdivision

three of this section except that, in implementing the purposes of this

act, the commissioner may schedule the commencement dates, duration and

expiration dates of such renewals to provide for a cycle of registration

renewals through the course of a fiscal year. For registrations issued

for less than the three year registration period, a portion of a month

shall be considered a month and the registration fee shall be levied on

a prorated basis.

6. Change of address. The owner of any vessel registered pursuant to

the provisions of this section shall notify the commissioner in writing

of any change in his address within ten days after such change occurs

and the new address of such owner shall be noted by him on the

certificate of registration for such vessel.

7. Change of ownership. Upon the change in ownership of a vessel

registered pursuant to this section, unless otherwise provided by

regulation of the commissioner, the certificate of registration shall be

signed and dated by the owner and surrendered to the new owner and at

the same time the commissioner shall be notified by the former owner, in

a manner prescribed by the commissioner, of the name and address of the

purchaser, the date of transfer and the identification number.

8. Destruction, theft, loss or abandonment of vessel. The owner of any

vessel registered pursuant to the provisions of this section shall

notify the commissioner in writing of the destruction, theft, loss or

abandonment of such vessel within fifteen days thereafter, and in the

event of the loss, destruction or abandonment of such vessel, the

certificate of registration shall be surrendered with such notice.

9. Duplicate certificates of registration or validating stickers. In

the event of loss, mutilation or destruction of any certificate of

registration or validation sticker, the owner of the registered vessel

may file with the department such statement and proof of the facts as

the commissioner shall require with a fee of two dollars, with the

department, for the issuance of a duplicate or substitute.