Move a Boat and Trailer to Minnesota

A watercraft currently registered in another state may operate in Minnesota for up to 90 consecutive days before Minnesota registration is required. That foreign-watercraft exception is distinct from the phased operator-permit rule, whose nonresident exception can apply for no more than 60 days, and from the 60-day new-resident registration window for the road trailer.

Minnesota generally requires a title for a watercraft longer than 16 feet when it is kept in the state for more than 90 consecutive days. The title definition excludes a single-hull row-type fishing boat with oar locks and an outboard-motor capacity rating under 40 horsepower, plus canoes, kayaks, rowing shells or sculls, ship's lifeboats, certain documented vessels, and seaplanes. Separate exemptions cover temporary use, government craft, seasonal waterfowl and rice boats, qualifying resort craft, and watercraft manufactured before August 1, 1979. Bring the original signed out-of-state title whenever the prior jurisdiction issued one. Minnesota does not title an outboard motor separately.

Match the hull identification number to the ownership documents before filing; a homemade craft or a missing, destroyed, or obliterated HIN needs the DNR's assigned-number process. AIS duties remain separate: clean aquatic plants and prohibited invasive species from the boat, trailer, and gear; drain water; and remove drain plugs and keep them out while transporting the watercraft on a public road.

To operate on Minnesota waters, register every motorized watercraft regardless of length and generally every nonmotorized watercraft longer than 10 feet. Exemptions include qualifying nonmotorized craft 10 feet or shorter, ship lifeboats, certain duck boats during the season, and visiting watercraft within the 90-day rule. Apply through the DNR or a deputy registrar with the ownership record, hull identification number, fees, and any sales-tax documentation.