Official fees
Arkansas boat registration fee chart
Motorboat under 16 ft
$7.50
3-year registration
Motorboat 16 ft to under 26 ft
$15.00
3-year registration
Motorboat 26 ft to under 40 ft
$51.00
3-year registration
Motorboat 40 ft and over
$105.00
3-year registration
Title fee (boats model year 2020+)
$10.00
Casual (individual-to-individual) sale
$0 sales tax
Dealer sale
6.5% + local
local tax capped at first $2,500 of price
Figures verified July 2026 against official sources (listed below). Always confirm the final amount with your local Arkansas DFA Revenue Office - counties can add small local fees.
Step by step
How to register a boat in Arkansas
- 1
Get the signed-over registration (and title, if the boat is model year 2020 or newer) from the seller.
- 2
Bring proof of purchase and ownership documents to any DFA Revenue Office within 30 days of the sale - boats have a shorter window than cars.
- 3
If it was a dealer sale, pay 6.5% state tax plus local tax on the first $2,500 of the price; casual sales owe no tax.
- 4
Pay the length-based registration fee (and $10 title fee, if applicable) for a 3-year term.
- 5
Display your Arkansas registration numbers and validation decal on the bow as required.
- Register at
- DFA Office of Motor Vehicle
- Term
- 3 years
- Registration
- $7.50–$105 by length
- Private-party sale
- No sales tax at all
- Dealer sale
- 6.5% + local (capped $2,500)
Overview
The sales tax picture is where boats diverge sharply from cars. A casual sale - one individual selling directly to another - owes no Arkansas sales tax at all, no price threshold required, unlike the tiered rules on used vehicles. Buy from a dealer, though, and the standard 6.5% state rate applies, with local city/county tax capped at the first $2,500 of the price, same as it is for motor vehicles. Boats built in model year 2020 or later also require an Arkansas title, at the same $10 fee as a car.
Same state, other costs
More Arkansas vehicle costs
Common questions
Arkansas boat registration FAQ
- Which Arkansas agency actually handles boat registration?
- The Department of Finance and Administration's Office of Motor Vehicle - the same office that titles and registers cars and trucks. Arkansas Game and Fish Commission handles fishing licenses and wildlife regulation, not boat titling or registration.
- How much does it cost to register a boat in Arkansas?
- For a 3-year term: $7.50 under 16 feet, $15 from 16 up to 26 feet, $51 from 26 up to 40 feet, and $105 at 40 feet and beyond. A first-time buyer of a 2020-or-newer boat also pays the $10 title fee.
- Do I owe sales tax buying a used boat from a private seller?
- No - Arkansas exempts casual, individual-to-individual boat sales from sales tax entirely, with no price cutoff at all. That's a meaningfully better deal than buying a used car privately, which still owes tax once the price crosses $4,000.
- Why did I get taxed on my boat when I bought it from a dealer?
- Dealer sales aren't 'casual' sales, so the standard 6.5% state rate applies to the full price, plus local city/county tax - capped at the first $2,500 of the price, the same cap that applies to cars, aircraft, and manufactured housing.
- Does my boat need a title in Arkansas?
- Only if it was manufactured in model year 2020 or later - that requirement took effect January 1, 2020. Older boats register without a separate title, though they still need registration numbers and a validation decal.
- What about the trailer I haul my boat on?
- That's registered separately as a vehicle, not part of the boat's paperwork - a boat trailer falls under Arkansas's standard trailer weight tiers ($7, $21, or $31 a year) through the same DFA office.
Receipts
Official sources
Every number on this page comes from these documents - check them yourself.
