(a) General rule.--Except as otherwise provided in subsection (b):
(1) Registrations issued under this subchapter to owners and dealers shall be valid from April 1 of one year to March 31 of the succeeding year and shall be renewable. A registration for any year shall be valid and may properly be displayed prior to April 1 within that year.
(2) The commission may determine to issue registrations valid for a period not to exceed three years upon payment of a fee equal to the annual registration fee times the number of years for which the multiple-year registration is valid. A multiple-year registration shall be valid from April 1 of the year of its issuance until March 31 of the last year of its validity, but a multiple-year registration issued prior to April 1 of any year is valid and may be displayed at any time within that year.
(3) The commission may, by regulation, provide for the transfer of multiple-year registrations upon the sale or conveyance of a boat upon payment of the fee provided in section 5104(8) (relating to fees).
(b) Calendar-year registrations.--Registrations issued on or after the effective date of this subsection shall be subject to the following provisions:
(1) Registrations issued under this subchapter to owners and dealers shall be valid from January 1 through December 31 of the calendar year and shall be renewable. A registration for a calendar year shall be valid and may properly be displayed at any time through December 31 of the calendar year of its issuance.
(2) The commission may determine to issue registrations valid for a period not to exceed three years upon payment of a fee equal to the calendar year registration fee times the number of calendar years for which the multiple-calendar-year registration is valid. A multiple-calendar-year registration shall be valid from January 1 of the calendar year of its issuance until December 31 of the last calendar year of its validity and may be displayed at any time through December 31 of the last calendar year of its issuance.
(3) The commission may, by regulation, provide for the transfer of multiple-calendar-year registrations upon the sale or conveyance of a boat upon payment of the fee provided in section 5104(a)(8).
(Dec. 22, 1989, P.L.735, No.102, eff. Jan. 1, 1990; July 2, 1996, P.L.467, No.73; Nov. 1, 2012, P.L.1716, No.211, eff. 60 days; June 27, 2022, P.L.386, No.28)
2022 Amendment. Section 3(2) of Act 28 provided that the amendment of section 5308 shall take affect upon publication in the Pennsylvania Bulletin of the final regulations under section 2 of Act 28. Section 2 of Act 28 provided that within 18 months of the effective date of section 2, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission shall promulgate and transmit to the Legislative Reference Bureau for publication in the Pennsylvania Bulletin final regulations to implement the amendment of section 5308.
1996 Amendment. Section 4(3) of Act 73 provided that the amendment of section 5308 shall take effect six months after the effective date of regulations promulgated under the authority of section 5325.
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