June 11, 2019
By: Dwayne Page
Tennessee boaters have the month of June to renew their boat registration before the first fee increase in 12 years goes into effect on July 1, pending approval by the Government Operations Committee of the Tennessee General Assembly.
Any boating vessel operated by a gas engine, electric motor or sail is required to be registered. The increase is in line with the rise of the consumer price index since the last fee increase was made.
The current fee for a 16-foot boat and under is $13 for one year, $24 for two, and $35 for three. The new fees will be $15, $28, and $41, respectively. Vessels with a length over 16-feet to 26-feet will increase from $25 to $29 for a year. Those over 26 feet to 40 increases from $38 to $44 and vessels more than 40 feet moves from $51 to $59 for a year.
Boat owners have the option to have their vessels registered for one, two, or three years. The registration term may not exceed three years and 30 days. Boat owners will not see the increase until their current registration expires.
Those vessels that are powered only by paddle such as canoes, kayaks, paddleboards, and rafts are not required to be registered. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency reports there are about 264,000 vessels registered.
Boat registration can be made online 24/7/365 at GoOutdoorsTennessee.com, Monday through Friday 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at any TWRA regional office located in Jackson (Region I), Nashville (Region II), Crossville (Region III), and Morristown (Region IV), or by mail.