(a) Issuance.--Upon receipt of a signed application and upon the payment of the annual registration fee, the commission shall issue to the applicant owner a certificate of registration for his boat. The certificate of registration shall be pocket size.
(b) Carrying on boat.--The certificate of registration shall be available at all times for inspection on the boat for which issued whenever the boat is in operation, and shall be carried in such manner that it can be handed to any Federal, State or local law enforcement officer authorized to inspect it. The commission may, by regulation, exempt certain classes of boats from this requirement or prescribe alternate compliance requirements.
(c) Retention on shore.--The certificate of registration for boats less than 26 feet long, leased or rented for noncommercial use of less than seven days, may be retained on shore by the owner of the boat or his representative at the place from which the boat departs or returns to the possession of the owner or his representative. A boat that does not have the certificate of registration on board shall be identifiable while in use and shall comply with all other requirements.
(d) Duplicates.--The commission may issue a duplicate certificate of registration to the owner of a properly registered boat upon application by the owner on a form prescribed by the commission together with payment of the applicable fee.
(e) Penalty.--Any person violating any provision of this section commits a summary offense of the fourth degree.
(Dec. 22, 1989, P.L.735, No.102, eff. Jan. 1, 1990; Dec. 12, 1991, P.L.368, No.39, eff. imd.)
1991 Amendment. Act 39 amended subsecs. (a), (b) and (c). Section 6 of Act 39 provided that Act 39 shall apply to boat registrations issued for the calendar year 1992 and each year thereafter.
Structure Pennsylvania Consolidated & Unconsolidated Statutes
Pennsylvania Consolidated & Unconsolidated Statutes
Chapter 53 - Registration and Titling of Boats
Section 5301 - Registration of motorboats required
Section 5303 - Voluntary and special registrations
Section 5305 - Application for registration
Section 5306 - Certificate of registration
Section 5307 - Dealer registration
Section 5308 - Period of registration
Section 5309 - Change of address of registrant
Section 5310 - Display of registration number
Section 5311 - Tampering with identification numbers or capacity plates
Section 5312 - Transfer, destruction or abandonment of boat
Section 5313 - Records open to public
Section 5321 - Certificate of title required
Section 5322 - When certificate of title not required
Section 5323 - Content and effect of certificate of title
Section 5324 - Refusing issuance of certificate of title
Section 5325 - Rules and regulations
Section 5326 - Offenses relating to titling
Section 5331 - Scope of subchapter
Section 5334 - Notice for boats and related equipment
Section 5335 - Notice for watercraft trailers
Section 5336 - Responsibility of commission
Section 5337 - Publication for boats and related equipment
Section 5338 - Publication for watercraft trailers