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maryland boat registration

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kenpa
Deckhand

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USA
8 Posts

Initially Posted - 11/16/2020 : 18:56:51

If I move my Pa registered sailboat to a Maryland marina on the Chesapeake will I have to get a Maryland registration?

ken sheetz

Steve Milby
Past Commodore

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USA
5851 Posts

Response Posted - 11/16/2020 : 19:37:10

Yes. You have to title and register any boat or car or motorcycle in the state where it is used the most. You'll have to title it in Maryland and register it there. When you title and register your boat in Maryland, you should be prepared to prove how much sales tax you paid for it when you titled it in PA. I'll guess it's written on your PA certificate of title. If you paid 5% sales tax in PA, and, if MD sales tax is 6%, you'll have to pay a 1% use tax.

Some folks resent this arrangement, but most states do the same thing. I had to do it when I lived in Ohio and sailed my boat in Indiana. Now I live in Ohio and sail my 2 sailboats in MD. It isn't worth the hassle to resist it.

Steve Milby J/24 "Captiva Wind"
previously C&C 35, Cal 25, C25 TR/FK, C22
Past Commodore

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9013 Posts

Response Posted - 11/16/2020 : 22:41:25

Some folks resent... never mind. Your registration in MD will be in support of the Chesapeake. As Steve says, most if not all states require registration where a boat is in the water most of its time.

Dave Bristle
Association "Port Captain" for Mystic/Stonington CT
PO of 1985 C-25 SR/FK #5032 Passage, USCG "sixpack" (expired),
Now on Eastern 27 $+!nkp*+ Sarge

Steve Milby
Past Commodore

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USA
5851 Posts

Response Posted - 11/17/2020 : 08:42:23

Incidentally, if you pass away owning some property that is titled in a state other than your principal state of residence, your heirs might have to hire an attorney in that other state to transfer the title to your heirs.

There are ways you can simplify that for your heirs. Your probate lawyer should be able to suggest a way that fits your particular circumstances.

Steve Milby J/24 "Captiva Wind"
previously C&C 35, Cal 25, C25 TR/FK, C22
Past Commodore

OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3367 Posts

Response Posted - 11/18/2020 : 07:14:57

Yeah, I am going thur same thing in Virginia, where rules are a bit more confusing, until you understand them.

I had my boat in a Washington DC Marina adjacent to the Potomac River. Needed DC title and registration. Boats docked in the Washington DC area whether on the Virginia or DC side of the Potomac River, north of the Wilson Bridge (Rt95/Rt495 Beltway Bridge) need a title and registration from DC. South of the Wilson Bridge, the Potomac River is for the most part or all considered Maryland waters - Boats docked on the Maryland side get Md title and registration but boats docked on the Virgina side get VA title and registration. Not sure if that is the case all the way down the Potomac River to the Chesapeake,

I checked with DC and it appears I dd not pay sales tax back in 2005 ! Seems true since I hav a form bill of sale that the PO marked/cecked the box that sales tax was included in the sales price. So, the online VA registration process seemed there was no way to get out of paying the sales tax which was 2% (at least not the full retail sales tax).

Larry
'89 Robin's Nest#5820, Potomac River/Quantico, Va
http://catalina25.homestead.com/olarryr.html

Steve Milby
Past Commodore

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USA
5851 Posts

Response Posted - 11/18/2020 : 07:53:30

When you move the boat to a new state, if the new state's sales tax is higher than the old state's sales tax, the new state will probably make you pay the difference. Now, bureaucrats being bureaucrats, sometimes they don't try to collect the tax difference, probably because they know people resent it, and they don't want to have to argue with you. That being said, if they insist that you pay it, it's best to just pay it.

When I was a young prosecutor, I prosecuted cases involving people who moved their residence to a new state and didn't register their car in the new state. Those cases are easy to prosecute, so, if you try to evade the tax, you'll probably end up paying the tax and a fine to boot. If you pay the tax, you can sail your boat without fear of being caught, and, let's face it, we can't outrun the cops in a sailboat.

Steve Milby J/24 "Captiva Wind"
previously C&C 35, Cal 25, C25 TR/FK, C22
Past Commodore

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9013 Posts

Response Posted - 11/18/2020 : 11:44:15

Most often they catch you in the marina. And if you suddenly untie and depart as they're walking down the ramp, you'll probably be met out on the water. (You can't outrun a radio in anything!)

Dave Bristle
Association "Port Captain" for Mystic/Stonington CT
PO of 1985 C-25 SR/FK #5032 Passage, USCG "sixpack" (expired),
Now on Eastern 27 $+!nkp*+ Sarge

OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3367 Posts

Response Posted - 11/18/2020 : 13:55:25

I know the Coast Guard and/or DC Harbor Police would periodically come into our DC Marina (James Creek Marina) and believe they were checking for DC registration stickers. Not sure if the Coast Guard were checking for stickers since that would seem to be more a DC Harbor Police thing. Maybe the CG were just checking the general vicinity for suspicious activity. In the DC area, lots of patrols DC Harbor Police and Alexandria Police who generally check all abide by the no wake zones, Coast Guard - General Patrols and boarding for safety inspections...and then there are the Anacostia Naval Station helicopters.

Larry
'89 Robin's Nest#5820, Potomac River/Quantico, Va
http://catalina25.homestead.com/olarryr.html

dubedoo
1st Mate

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68 Posts

Response Posted - 11/18/2020 : 14:04:04

Interesting topic! My situation turned out different.
I originally titled and registered the boat and trailer in Oregon, my state of residence (no sales tax). In the summer I keep the boat in a marina on a lake in Idaho. Idaho requires that the boat be registered in Idaho (state with sales tax) if it is in the water in Idaho for over 60 days in a year. After notifying Oregon, I dropped my Oregon registration on the boat and registered the boat in Idaho. The boat and trailer are still titled in Oregon. No where did it say that the boat had to be titled in Idaho and I never even considered that as a possibility.

Hoping that this virus is under control enough this next season that we all can have a normal season!

Steve
C250wb #702

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