Register a Boat or Vessel in Wyoming

Start with the agencies responsible for your boat

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department boating office registers motorboats and administers boating safety requirements. County clerks issue Wyoming watercraft titles, while county treasurers handle applicable sales or use tax and the separate registration of a highway trailer. An aquatic invasive species, or AIS, decal is another requirement unless an exemption or combined registration applies. Arrange these transactions around the actual craft and your planned launch date. A trailer plate cannot establish ownership of the boat it carries, and a registration certificate does not settle an unresolved lien.

Wyoming requires numbering for boats propelled by machinery, including a canoe or kayak fitted with an electric trolling motor. Under Title 41, Chapter 13, a boat with a valid number from a federally approved system in another state generally may visit for up to 90 consecutive days. Longer stays can require Wyoming registration. That visiting privilege does not eliminate AIS obligations. A paddle-only kayak usually avoids motorboat registration, but many nonmotorized craft still require an AIS decal and inspection compliance.

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Establish ownership and identify the hull

For a purchase requiring Wyoming title, ask the county clerk's title office to review the seller's assigned title, any lien release, and your application. The registration name must match the titled owner. Game and Fish requires a title in the applicant's name for first registration or ownership transfer. A seller's expired registration alone is therefore an inadequate purchase plan. Boats acquired before January 1, 2010 may involve different ownership documentation; contact Game and Fish at 307-777-4638 before assuming those older records can be processed in the usual way.

Use the watercraft title and HIN inspection form when the clerk requests it. A boat coming from another state's title system generally needs its hull identification number inspected by an authorized person. Compare the number on the hull with every ownership document before paying for the craft. If the number is missing, altered, or inconsistent, obtain instructions from Game and Fish and the clerk instead of attaching a number yourself. The county title preparation instructions explain why original ownership documents and proper assignments matter.

Arrange proof that sales or use tax due has been paid. The county treasurer's motor vehicle information can help locate the correct county contact for a boat and trailer purchase. Ask the seller to identify both items clearly in the transaction documents. Keep the hull number, trailer VIN, and their respective prices distinguishable so a trailer issue does not delay an otherwise complete boat application.

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Submit the correct registration packet

The watercraft registration application separates new registrations, transfers, outside registrations, renewals, and replacements. For a new Wyoming registration or ownership transfer, supply the signed form, the required title copy showing the applicant and correct hull number, tax proof, and payment. Its outside-state category calls for the outside title and current registration or renewal notice in the applicant's name. Have the department resolve any mismatch between an old owner's papers and your new title before mailing the packet.

Applications can be handled through Game and Fish headquarters and its regional offices. The form advises allowing 10 business days for mailed processing. Eligible renewals and AIS transactions are available through the official watercraft online service. Dealer registrations follow a separate headquarters process. If registration has lapsed more than five years, the boat's former number may have been recycled; retain the old certificate and ask how the record should be reestablished.

Do not treat a purchase receipt as indefinite operating authority. The 2026 Watercraft Regulation defines a limited 30-consecutive-day temporary operating period following purchase and specifies acceptable proof, such as a properly transferred title copy or qualifying bill of sale. That provision does not excuse required safety equipment, AIS compliance, or a missing ownership assignment.

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Registration fees and the November 2026 change

The base registration is $30 for one year or $80 for three years. A replacement certificate generally costs $10 when its loss was not the department's fault. Registration fees are nonrefundable and nontransferable under the statute. Read the dates on the certificate rather than assuming a purchase always provides 12 months from the payment day.

The department's fall 2026 registration announcement closes 2026 registration processing during October and reopens it November 1. Registrations sold at reopening run through 2027 for the one-year choice or 2029 for the three-year choice. The announced combined registration and AIS prices are $50 and $140, respectively. Boats already registered for the current season can still obtain a needed 2026 AIS decal during October.

Under the AIS rule in effect before November 1, 2026, the motorized AIS charge is $10 for Wyoming-registered boats and $30 for boats registered elsewhere. The replacement Chapter 62 effective November 1, 2026 raises those amounts to $20 and $50. The nonmotorized charges remain $5 for Wyoming residents and $15 for nonresidents. Check which year's decal you are purchasing and whether your registration already includes AIS payment; buying a separate decal should not be necessary merely because a combined decal looks different.

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AIS decals, inspections and launch restrictions

The AIS decal guidance explains display requirements and the distinction between registration and invasive species fees. Nonmotorized inflatable craft no longer than 10 feet, paddleboards regardless of length, and specified swimming or fishing aids are exempt under Chapter 62. Adding a motor can change a craft's treatment. A standard rigid kayak is not exempt merely because its owner paddles it instead of using an engine.

Plan inspections through the official inspection location directory. Watercraft entering Wyoming by land from March through November generally must be inspected before contacting state waters. The rule contains a limited exception involving recent water history, no encountered mandatory check station, and an inspection receipt. From November 1, 2026, the receipt must establish inspection after the craft's last water contact. Do not bypass an open mandatory station because you have another state's sticker or a previous inspection.

Use the watercraft inspection instructions to prepare compartments, ballast tanks, bilges, and equipment for examination. Drain water and remove vegetation when leaving a waterbody; drainage plugs must remain out or open during overland transport as the rule requires. The November regulation also creates prohibited-launch seals and requires 30 days of drying or authorized decontamination before a craft removed from a positive or infested Wyoming waterbody contacts another Wyoming waterbody. A sealed boat needs the corresponding receipt and clearance appropriate to that seal.

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Finish the launch and ownership checklist

Display the assigned number on both sides of the bow using contrasting, upright block characters at least three inches high, with the required separation between parts. Place current registration decals aft of and in line with the number, and carry the certificate aboard. Consult the watercraft regulation page for current updates before installing numbers on an unusual hull or relying on an old registration layout.

The 2026 boating regulations booklet covers required equipment and water-specific restrictions. Carry a properly sized approved wearable life jacket for each occupant. Children 12 and younger must wear one while underway unless riding in an enclosed cabin. Personal watercraft riders have separate wearing and engine cut-off requirements. An operator younger than 16 must have a responsible adult aboard. Review the rules for navigation lights, fire extinguishers, throwable devices, engine cut-off use, and the particular lake or river.

Keep the watercraft accident reporting form available with your boating documents, and follow immediate notification requirements after an accident. Before a later sale, organize the title, lien release, and hull information for the buyer; the old owner's registration is not transferable registration credit. Check the AIS prevention notices again when changing destinations, because a completed registration does not override a waterbody closure or decontamination restriction.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does an electric trolling motor require Wyoming boat registration?
A boat powered by an electric motor is motorized for these rules, including a kayak or canoe that otherwise would be paddled. Resolve registration and any title requirements before using that setup.

Can I use my current registration from another state?
A qualifying, currently numbered visiting boat generally has a 90-consecutive-day allowance. AIS decals, inspections, and Wyoming operating requirements still apply during that visit.

What changes on November 1, 2026?
Motorized AIS charges increase to $20 for Wyoming registration and $50 for outside registration. The department announces combined registration and AIS prices of $50 for one year and $140 for three years, with revised inspection and seal rules also taking effect.

Is a paddleboard treated like a motorboat?
An ordinary nonmotorized paddleboard is exempt from the specified AIS decal and inspection provisions regardless of length and does not need motorboat numbering. A motorized configuration requires a new assessment under the applicable definitions.

May I register a boat using only the previous owner's registration?
First registration and ownership transfer require the title documentation specified by Game and Fish, normally in the applicant's name. Older purchases may need individual review, so contact the department before submitting an incomplete ownership packet.

Does a Wyoming boat registration cover its highway trailer?
The trailer has its own VIN, ownership documents, and county registration requirements. Handle that transaction with the clerk and treasurer independently of Game and Fish boat numbering.

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More Wyoming DMV guides

The other Wyoming DMV guides, 52 of them:

The records side of the same subject, state by state on SearchSystems: the Wyoming property records guide.