Indiana Boat History Reports

Indiana boats on three different kinds of water. In the northwest the Lake Michigan shoreline runs from the Hammond Marina through Portage and the Burns Waterway to Michigan City, where Trail Creek and Washington Park hold cruisers, sportfishers, and charter salmon boats that take real weather. Across the northern tier the natural lakes region carries the state's densest recreational fleet: Lake Wawasee, Lake Maxinkuckee, Lake James and the Barbee chain, Sylvan Lake, Lake Tippecanoe, and Webster Lake, plus Lake Freeman and Lake Shafer on the dammed Tippecanoe River at Monticello. Central and southern Indiana run to reservoirs and rivers instead: Geist and Morse near Indianapolis, Lake Monroe, Patoka Lake, Brookville Lake, Cagles Mill, Raccoon Lake, and the long Ohio River frontage from Lawrenceburg through Jeffersonville, Tell City, and Evansville. All of it is titled and registered by one agency that surprises most out-of-state buyers: the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles, not the Department of Natural Resources, under Indiana Code title 9, article 31. DNR writes and enforces the operating rules under IC 14-15, but the paperwork is a BMV transaction at a license branch.

The detail that makes Indiana unusually good to buy in is how much of the fleet is titled. Indiana spent a decade closing its title exemptions. Effective July 1, 2016 the state removed the exemptions for watercraft purchased before January 1, 1986, homemade watercraft, and watercraft valued under $3,000 when new. Effective January 1, 2021 it removed three more: non-residents whose boat is operated, used, stored, or docked in Indiana for 60 consecutive days or more in a calendar year, non-motorized sailboats, and any watercraft being voluntarily registered. What is left is close to a universal titling rule. IC 9-31-2-2 requires a certificate of title for any watercraft required to be registered in Indiana, IC 9-31-2-3 makes it a Class A infraction to transfer ownership without delivering an assigned certificate of title, and IC 9-31-2-4 goes further than most state codes: a person acquiring a watercraft does not acquire any right, title, claim, or interest in it until that person has obtained a certificate of title, and a court may recognize an interest in a boat only where it is evidenced by a certificate of title, a manufacturer's or importer's certificate, or an admission in the pleadings. On a used Indiana boat, the title is not a formality. It is the ownership.

That makes the lien check unusually clean here. IC 9-31-2-24(a) provides that a security agreement covering a security interest in a watercraft that is not inventory held for sale can be perfected only if the BMV indicates the security interest on the certificate of title or duplicate, with IC 26-1-9.1 otherwise applying, and subsection (b) has the secured party present the completed title application and fee to have the notation made on the face of the certificate. Subsection (c) then makes the holder note the discharge on the title over a signature. So the face of the Indiana title is the state lien record, and the assignment form on the reverse carries a warranty under IC 9-31-2-12(b) that there is no mortgage, lien, or encumbrance except as noted on the front. Two gaps remain. Owners whose boats were exempt before July 1, 2016 or January 1, 2021 are not required to title before selling and may hand over a bill of sale instead, which leaves a hull with no title and therefore no lien notation, and a federally documented vessel keeps its preferred ship mortgages with the National Vessel Documentation Center. Indiana also records no condition history at all: there is no salvage or rebuilt brand on a watercraft title, and IC 14-15-4-2 accident reports go to DNR rather than into any public per-hull file. A HullTrace report works from the HIN instead, surfacing USCG-reported accident records, NVDC lien and mortgage filings, salvage events, and open CPSC recalls. See our guides on how to check boat history and what a HIN is for the step by step process.

• +Insist on the certificate of title, not just a bill of sale. IC 9-31-2-4(a) says a person acquiring a watercraft does not acquire any right, title, claim, or interest in it until a certificate of title is obtained, and IC 9-31-2-3(a) makes it a Class A infraction for a seller to transfer a post-1986 boat without delivering an assigned title. Check that the hull identification number on the title matches the number stamped on the starboard transom, and check the assignment on the reverse, which under IC 9-31-2-12(b) carries the seller's warranty that no lien or encumbrance exists except as noted on the face.
• +Know the grandfather gap. Indiana removed the pre-1986, homemade, and under-$3,000 title exemptions on July 1, 2016, and the non-resident, non-motorized sailboat, and voluntary-registration exemptions on January 1, 2021, but a person who owned a boat that was exempt before those dates is not required to title it before selling. That seller only has to give you a bill of sale. If the boat you are looking at is an older hull that never got titled, there is no state ownership file and no place a lienholder could ever have been listed.
• +Read the front of the title for the lien notation. Under IC 9-31-2-24(a) a security interest in a non-inventory watercraft is perfected only if the BMV indicates it on the certificate of title or duplicate, so an unnoted bank interest generally is not perfected against you, and subsection (c) requires the holder to note the discharge on the title over a signature when the loan is paid. If the seller is handing you a duplicate title, ask why, since IC 9-31-2-20(d) voids the previous certificate when a duplicate issues. On anything large enough to be federally documented, order an abstract of title from the National Vessel Documentation Center instead.
• +Budget the whole Indiana bill, not just the sale price. The BMV wants a title application within 45 days of purchase (60 days if you are a new Indiana resident) or an administrative penalty applies, and IC 9-31-2-17 sets a late title fee. Registration is charged on every change of ownership and is the sum of a length fee ($15.00 up to 12 feet, $18.00 for 13 to 25 feet, $21.00 for 26 to 39 feet, $24.00 for 40 feet and over) plus an excise-class fee of $5.00 to $25.00. Renewals run $15.00 to $60.00 by excise class, annual boat excise tax under IC 6-6-11 is set by class and age, and IC 6-6-11-12(b) adds a lake and river enhancement fee of $5.00 to $25.00 by boat value.
• +Do not expect Indiana to tell you what happened to the hull. Indiana brands no salvage or rebuilt designation on a watercraft certificate of title: IC 9-31-2-19 only requires the owner to surrender the title for cancellation if the boat is dismantled, destroyed, or changed so it is no longer the watercraft described, so a sunk or storm-damaged boat that was repaired instead of scrapped carries ordinary paperwork. IC 14-15-4-2 only triggers a report at injury, death, or apparent damage of at least $750, and that report goes to the sheriff, state police, or a conservation officer immediately with a written report mailed to DNR within 24 hours, never into a public per-hull record you can pull.
• +Inspect for the damage Indiana water actually causes. On a Lake Michigan boat, look for slip and storm damage, corrosion, and hard-running fatigue in the drivetrain. On the Ohio River, look for strikes on submerged debris and prop and skeg damage from commercial-traffic wake and shifting bars. Anywhere in the state, look for freeze cracks in blocks, manifolds, and raw water systems from an incomplete winterization, and check for zebra mussel fouling in raw water plumbing and outdrives on any boat that has lived on the northern natural lakes or Lake Michigan. If the HIN looks restamped or is missing, treat it as a stop: IC 9-31-2-8 makes the BMV assign a special identification number on application (State Form 12907), and IC 9-31-2-7.5 requires an inspection before the bureau accepts most title applications.

Indiana vessel data is sourced from the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV), Indiana Code title 9, article 31 (Watercraft Titling and Registration), IC 6-6-11 (the boat excise tax), IC 14-15 (Regulation of Water Recreation) administered by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, and the USCG National Vessel Documentation Center.

Every recorded ownership transfer in the federal and state systems.

Active and released liens — know if there's a secured creditor claim on the hull.

USCG-reported incidents including collisions, groundings, and sinkings.

Any record of total-loss or salvage operations tied to this hull.

Cross-referenced against the NCIC national stolen vessel database.

Active CPSC safety recalls tied to this HIN or model configuration.

Does Indiana require a title for a boat?

Almost always, yes, and Indiana has spent a decade making that more true. IC 9-31-2-2(a) requires a certificate of title for any watercraft that is required to be registered in Indiana. The BMV removed three title exemptions effective July 1, 2016 (watercraft purchased before January 1, 1986, homemade watercraft, and watercraft valued under $3,000 when new) and three more effective January 1, 2021 (non-residents whose watercraft is operated, used, stored, or docked in Indiana for 60 consecutive days or more in a calendar year, non-motorized sailboats, and any watercraft being voluntarily registered). An Indiana resident must apply for a title within 45 days after the date of purchase, a new Indiana resident within 60 days, and an administrative penalty applies after that, with IC 9-31-2-17 adding a late title fee. The one carve-out that still matters to buyers: a person who owned a boat that was exempt before July 1, 2016 or January 1, 2021 is not required to title it before selling, and may transfer it on a bill of sale instead.

How do I register a boat in Indiana?

Registration is a Bureau of Motor Vehicles transaction, not a DNR one, and can be done at any BMV branch, with renewals and duplicate cards available online. Every watercraft operating on Indiana waterways must be registered and display valid decals unless exempt, and you must show proof of ownership, normally the certificate of title, or affirm ownership on a Watercraft Ownership Affidavit (State Form 55100) where the boat is not required to be titled. The BMV issues a certificate of registration, a registration number, and two decals, and the certificate must be aboard and available for inspection whenever the boat is in operation. Under IC 9-31-3-11 the registration number is painted on or attached to each side of the bow so it is legible and clearly visible, and where 33 CFR 173 applies it is displayed in the manner required by 33 CFR 173.27. The decals go within three inches to the right of the number. Registrations renew annually. The registration fee is a length fee ($15.00 up to 12 feet, $18.00 for 13 to 25 feet, $21.00 for 26 to 39 feet, $24.00 for 40 feet and over) plus a fee of $5.00 to $25.00 by excise class, renewals run $15.00 to $60.00 by class, and boat excise tax under IC 6-6-11 plus the lake and river enhancement fee under IC 6-6-11-12(b) are paid at the same time. A boat kept in storage rather than used pays a flat $12 excise storage tax on proof of a storage contract.

How do I check an Indiana boat for liens?

Start with the face of the Indiana certificate of title, because in this state that is the lien record. IC 9-31-2-24(a) provides that a security agreement covering a security interest in a watercraft that is not inventory held for sale can be perfected only if the bureau indicates the security interest on the certificate of title or duplicate, with IC 26-1-9.1 otherwise applying to watercraft security interests, and subsection (b) has the secured party present a completed title application and the fee to get the notation entered on the face of the title and in the bureau's files. Subsection (c) requires the holder to note the discharge on the title over a signature when the debt is paid, so a title showing a lienholder without a signed release should stop the sale. IC 9-31-2-12(b) backs that up by making the assignment form on the reverse carry the seller's warranty that no mortgage, lien, or encumbrance exists except as noted on the front. Two hulls fall outside it: an older boat still riding a pre-2016 or pre-2021 exemption that was never titled has no notation to check, and a federally documented vessel keeps its preferred ship mortgages with the National Vessel Documentation Center, where an abstract of title is the right search. A HullTrace report checks the HIN against the records we hold: the HIN lookup is free and the full report is $15.

Do you need a boating license in Indiana?

Indiana does not issue a standalone recreational boating license, but it does require an operator credential, which is unusual. Under IC 14-15-11-9, an individual may not operate a motorboat on public waters unless the individual holds a valid driver's license, meaning an Indiana driver's license or a license to operate a motor vehicle issued by another jurisdiction. The alternative in subsection (b) is for an individual at least 15 years of age without a driver's license, who may operate a motorboat only after completing a boating education course approved by the Department of Natural Resources and obtaining an identification card issued by the BMV under IC 9-24-16. IC 14-15-11-6 defines motorboat for this chapter to include personal watercraft and a sailboat under power, and excludes a boat propelled by a single motor rated at not more than ten horsepower. Beyond the credential, IC 14-15-3 regulates conduct: section 8 caps speed at ten miles per hour between sunset and sunrise, section 17 bars a motorboat from approaching within 200 feet of a lake or channel shoreline where the water is at least 500 feet wide except to troll or to reach a dock or shore, and requires idle speed inside 200 feet of shore, and sections 15, 16, and 24 cover hazardous wake, circling swimmers and anglers, and riding on gunwales or bow decking.

What should I watch for when buying a used boat in Indiana?

Indiana gives you a strong ownership record and almost no condition record, so split the check in two. On ownership, get the certificate of title in hand: IC 9-31-2-4(a) says you acquire no right, title, claim, or interest in the boat until you have obtained one, IC 9-31-2-24 puts any perfected lien on the face of that title, and IC 9-31-2-12(b) makes the assignment on the reverse a warranty that nothing else is owed. Confirm the HIN on the title matches the transom, since IC 9-31-2-7.5 requires an inspection before the bureau accepts most title applications and IC 9-31-2-8 covers bureau-assigned numbers where a factory HIN is missing or obliterated. Ask directly whether the boat rode a pre-2016 or pre-2021 exemption and was never titled, because that hull will come to you on a bill of sale with no lien history behind it. Then apply within 45 days to avoid the administrative penalty and the IC 9-31-2-17 late fee. On condition, assume the state file is silent: there is no Indiana salvage or rebuilt brand on a watercraft title, IC 9-31-2-19 only cancels the title of a boat actually dismantled or destroyed, and IC 14-15-4-2 reports at the $750 damage threshold go to DNR rather than into any public per-hull lookup. Inspect for Lake Michigan slip and storm damage, Ohio River debris and prop strikes, freeze cracks from a bad winterization, and zebra mussel fouling in raw water systems on northern lakes boats, then run a USCG accident and lien search under 33 CFR 173.55 on the HIN.