NASBLA Public Library

Interstate Reports

Rick Barrera, NASBLA

Interstate transfer happens when a vessel that is registered in one state/territory, then moves and is registered in another state/territory. In 2017, the NASBLA Vessel Identification, Registration & Titling (VIRT) Committee surveyed all 50 states and the six U.S. Territories regarding notification of interstate transfer for vessels.

The survey found that only nineteen (19) states, or 35% of the states/territories, provide this notification in some form. Though this notification is not required by law at the current time, the NASBLA VIRT Committee recognizes the benefits of providing Interstate Notifications which include:

• 77 – Aids in compliance with CODE of Federal Regulations section 173.77 – Validity of Certificate of Number
• Aids states in more accurately tracking vessel ownership history
• Provides a mechanism for fraud prevention
• Provides greater ability to track/trace stolen vessels
• Provides law enforcement officers with greater ability to identify abandoned/capsized vessels
• Provides states with information when a vessel has been destroyed
• Provides for a more effective use of limited marketing and directing funds & resources

Based on this fact, the NASBLA VIRT Committee produced a “Best Practice Document for Program Uniformity – Interstate Notification” in 2017.  It states that, “All states should notify one another when a vessel is currently registered/titled in one state and then gets registered/titled in another state.”

Click here to view the complete Best Practice Document for Program Uniformity – Interstate Notification.

Program uniformity is a priority for the U. S. Coast Guard and NASBLA and this is just one example of that.

For more information on how to produce an interstate notification report, or why these are important, please reach out to Rick Barrera, NASBLA Staff Contact for the VIRT Committee.