If you are visiting Utah for less than 60 days in a calendar year and your boat is registered in your home state, you do not need to register it in Utah. However, you must take the mussel-aware boater education course and purchase a non-resident AIS decal.

Boats operated in Utah for over 60 days require a state registration and decal. Your initial registration must be done in person at the DMV; subsequent renewals are available online.

Boat registrations are processed by the Utah State Tax Commission/Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV). You will need to complete the correct application form, and pay the fee. Boat registrations have to be renewed annually and may be done online after the initial registration.

If the boat is being titled in the state of Utah for the first time, you will need a vehicle identification number (VIN) and hull identification number (HIN) inspection. You can do this by accessing this form and making an appointment with your local law enforcement agency.

Every 1985 or newer watercraft operated in Utah waters must be titled except:

• Canoes: no canoes, regardless of model year, can be titled, but canoes powered with motors over 25 HP must be registered. If the motor is over 25 HP and is 1985 or newer, the motor itself must be titled.
• Inflatable watercraft powered by a outboard motor of 25 HP or less
• Sailboards
• A ship's lifeboat
• Outboard motors with a manufacturer's listed horsepower of 25 or less
  
  
• Watercraft owned and operated by non-residents of Utah, or watercraft with valid marine documents issued by the US Coast Guard, or watercraft owned and operated by the Federal Government, or a state or subdivision thereof, or a motorboat or sailboat from a country temporarily using the waters of this state.

Decals must be displayed on each forward side of the boat and numbers/letters must be at least 3 inches in height, a block design, and a solid contrasting color from the hull. Numbers must be read left to right on the front half of the boat. For inflatable boats, consider using an attachable backing plate to mount the decals.
Refer to the Utah Boating Laws and Rules

All boaters must remove all drain plugs when leaving any water body and when transporting watercraft.

Self-certification process is recommended for all watercraft and required for boats exiting a mussel-infested body of water (if they are not having a professional decontamination performed)

• Clean all plants, fish, mussels, and mud from the vessel. Remove, rinse out, and leave your sea strainer out to dry.
• Drain all water from ballasts, bilge, livewells, and motors.
• Observe the recommended dry times
  • Spring: 18 days (March - May)
  • Summer: 7 days (June - August)
  • Fall: 18 days (September - November)
  • Winter: 30 days (December-February)
  • Or freeze your properly winterized equipment for 72 consecutive hours (3 days)

All complex boats (vessels containing inboard motors, inboard/outboard motors, ballast tanks, bilges, live wells, generators, AC units and any other raw water systems) are subject to a 30-day dry time regardless of season.

You must stop at every open AIS station you encounter while transporting your vehicle.

You must have a properly sized and serviceable US Coast Guard-approved life jacket for everyone onboard a vessel. Life jackets must be readily accessible - not in an out-of-reach location or in original packaging.

Life jackets must be worn at all times by youth under 13 years of age when on the water. 

Life jackets must be worn at all times by everyone both adults and youth, regardless of age when on river sections not designated as flatwater, and also while operating a Personal Watercraft (PWC) or engaging in any towed sports. The life jacket must be suitable for the specific water sport.

* Causey Reservoir is the only body of water in the State of Utah where everyone on the water (both swimming or on a boat) is required to wear a life jacket. 

Please refer to this page for more information on life jacket requirements, including how to properly size one.

• US Coast Guard approved
• Check the label and make sure it matches your weight and chest size and is approved for the activity you will be participating in
• Make sure the fit is secure, comfortable, and adjustable. Ask yourself is it comfortable enough that you will want to wear it?

The State of Utah will allow reciprocity of a NASBLA approved course for the mandatory youth personal watercraft course. 

The State of Utah will not allow reciprocity of a NASBLA approved course for the mandatory watercraft operator course.

“Personal Watercraft” means a motorboat that is:

• Less than 16 feet in length;
• Propelled by a water jet pump or other machinery as the motorboat’s primary source of motive power; and
• Designed to be operated by a person sitting, standing, or kneeling on the vessel, rather than sitting or standing inside the vessel.
• Personal watercraft includes a water jet device as part of the personal watercraft vessel if the water jet device is connected to the personal watercraft. 

Examples of personal water crafts include Jet Skis, Wave Runners, Sea-Doos, and E-Foils.

The mandatory youth personal watercraft (PWC) course certificate does not expire and is good for life. 

However, the mussel-aware boater education certification and decal must be renewed annually. 

Beginning January 1, 2027, the mussel-aware course will be combined with the mandatory watercraft operator course. This course will need to be completed each calendar year.