VA Registration Requirements - Pontoon Boat Requirements

[Frank Hagan]

I was contacted by a boat builder who is starting to build a pontoon boat in Virginia.  We have very brief information in our FAQ on Registering Your Home Built Boat in Virginia, but its not very complete.

Anyone here been through registering a home built boat in Virginia?  Did you have to show receipts for sales tax purposes?  Did you only need the two forms mentioned in our FAQ (Hull ID Number Application and Registering a Boat that has Never Been Registered Before)?  Any other tips?

Finally, does anyone know if VA has specific requirements for pontoon boats, or do they require you to build to USCG standards (even for personal use)?

[Bill Jones]

Frank,

In Virginia, boat registration is handled by the Dept. of Game & Inland Fisheries. There is a pretty good explanation of the process at their site:

http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/boating/registration/procedure.asp

From that site: "If watercraft was homemade by you, an affidavit must be provided stating this fact in lieu of a Manufacturer's or Importer's Certificate of Origin. Copies of receipts from building materials must be submitted with the Application. (Your watercraft may be subject to inspection by a law enforcement officer.)"

It has been a few years, but I recall that the process took a few weeks by mail but was not particularly difficult, and no one asked to inspect the boat. The affidavit is just a signed statement, I don't recall needing to get it notarized. The receipts are used to calculate the 2% sales tax as well as proof of being home built.

As a separate issue, I did go rounds with our Hanover County tax assessor, but finally convinced them to use the building material receipts as the tax basis (rather than some generic and inflated valuation that they came up with!). So definitely keep copies of the receipts!

Bill