N.Y. Veh. & Traf. Law § 2251

§ 2251. Registration. 1. No person shall operate or permit the\noperation of a vessel on the navigable waters of the state, or on any\nother waters within the boundaries of the state, except waters which are\nprivately owned, unless such vessel is registered and numbered and bears\na current validation sticker in accordance with the provisions of this\narticle.\n 2. Issuance and period of validity. The commissioner is authorized to\nregister a vessel, issue a registration certificate, validation sticker\nor stickers and assign a registration number to such vessel. Unless\notherwise prescribed by the commissioner, any such registration shall be\nvalid for a period of three years unless, prior to such expiration date,\nit is surrendered, cancelled, revoked or suspended pursuant to the\nprovisions of this article, or the vessel is transferred to another\nowner.\n 3. Fees. The triennial fee for registration of a vessel shall be:\ntwenty-two dollars and fifty cents and a vessel surcharge of three\ndollars and seventy-five cents, if less than sixteen feet in length;\nforty-five dollars and a vessel surcharge of twelve dollars and fifty\ncents, if sixteen feet or over but less than twenty-six feet in length;\nseventy-five dollars and a vessel surcharge of eighteen dollars and\nseventy-five cents, if twenty-six feet or over. All funds derived from\nthe collection of the vessel access surcharge pursuant to this\nsubdivision are to be deposited in a subaccount of the "I love NY\nwaterways" vessel access account established pursuant to section\nninety-seven-nn of the state finance law. The vessel access surcharge\nshall not be considered a registration fee for purposes of section\nseventy-nine-b of the navigation law.\nNotwithstanding any inconsistent provision of this section, the\ndifference collected between the fees set forth in this subdivision in\neffect on and after September first, two thousand nine and the fees set\nforth in this subdivision prior to such date shall be deposited to the\ncredit of the dedicated highway and bridge trust fund. Notwithstanding\nany inconsistent provision of this section, the difference collected\nbetween the vessel surcharge set forth in this subdivision in effect on\nand after September first, two thousand nine and the vessel surcharge\nset forth in this subdivision in effect prior to such date shall be\ndeposited to the credit of the dedicated highway and bridge trust fund.\n 4. Application. The owner of each vessel requiring registration under\nthis section shall present an application for registration to the\ncommissioner, or an agent designated by the commissioner, on a blank to\nbe prepared and furnished by the commissioner for that purpose. Such\napplication shall contain or be accompanied by such evidence of the\nownership of the vessel described in the application as may be required\nby the commissioner.\n 5. Renewal. Every owner of a vessel shall renew his registration at\nsuch times and in such manner as the commissioner shall prescribe, on\npayment of the same registration fees as are provided in subdivision\nthree of this section except that, in implementing the purposes of this\nact, the commissioner may schedule the commencement dates, duration and\nexpiration dates of such renewals to provide for a cycle of registration\nrenewals through the course of a fiscal year. For registrations issued\nfor less than the three year registration period, a portion of a month\nshall be considered a month and the registration fee shall be levied on\na prorated basis.\n 6. Change of address. The owner of any vessel registered pursuant to\nthe provisions of this section shall notify the commissioner in writing\nof any change in his address within ten days after such change occurs\nand the new address of such owner shall be noted by him on the\ncertificate of registration for such vessel.\n 7. Change of ownership. Upon the change in ownership of a vessel\nregistered pursuant to this section, unless otherwise provided by\nregulation of the commissioner, the certificate of registration shall be\nsigned and dated by the owner and surrendered to the new owner and at\nthe same time the commissioner shall be notified by the former owner, in\na manner prescribed by the commissioner, of the name and address of the\npurchaser, the date of transfer and the identification number.\n 8. Destruction, theft, loss or abandonment of vessel. The owner of any\nvessel registered pursuant to the provisions of this section shall\nnotify the commissioner in writing of the destruction, theft, loss or\nabandonment of such vessel within fifteen days thereafter, and in the\nevent of the loss, destruction or abandonment of such vessel, the\ncertificate of registration shall be surrendered with such notice.\n 9. Duplicate certificates of registration or validating stickers. In\nthe event of loss, mutilation or destruction of any certificate of\nregistration or validation sticker, the owner of the registered vessel\nmay file with the department such statement and proof of the facts as\nthe commissioner shall require with a fee of two dollars, with the\ndepartment, for the issuance of a duplicate or substitute.\n