Does a Boat Trailer Need a Tag in Florida?

The boat's registration does not cover the trailer

This is the one people get wrong. The boat has its numbers and its decal, so the whole rig must be legal. It is not. The boat is a vessel. The trailer under it is a vehicle, and Florida treats it like one.

Section 320.02 of the Florida Statutes says every owner of a motor vehicle operated on the roads of this state shall register it, and the chapter's definition of a motor vehicle names trailers in its first line. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) procedure for trailers starts from the same place: chapter 320 provides the registration requirements for all types of trailers.

So the boat gets registered, and the trailer gets registered separately, with its own plate on the back.

The weight that matters is the empty trailer

Florida uses two different weights for trailers, and mixing them up gets people in trouble both ways. Section 320.01 defines net weight as the actual scale weight with complete catalog equipment. Gross weight is the net weight plus the weight of the load.

Title and registration go by net weight: the trailer alone, no boat. Brakes go by gross weight: the trailer, the boat, the motor, the fuel and the gear. Our post on Florida boat trailer brake requirements covers that rule, which applies over 3,000 pounds gross.

So a single-axle trailer that weighs well under 2,000 pounds empty can skip the title and still need brakes on every wheel once a center console is sitting on it. Check each rule against the right number.

If you do not know what the trailer weighs empty, the manufacturer's paperwork may say. If it does not, take it to a public scale with nothing on it.

Under 2,000 pounds: a tag, no title

The FLHSMV procedure says a trailer with a net weight of 1,999 pounds or less is not required to be titled or insured, and is exempt from the initial registration fee. It still has to be registered, and you still have to show you own it.

Without a title, ownership is shown with paper. For a new trailer, that is the manufacturer's certificate of origin or a bill of sale. For a used one, it is a bill of sale with a complete description of the trailer and the previous owner's Florida plate number. If the used trailer has never been registered in Florida, expect to bring a certified weight slip too, unless your documents already show its net weight.

The procedure calls this a complete chain of ownership. If a light trailer has passed through three owners on handshakes, each bill of sale in the chain may be asked for. When you buy one, get a written bill of sale with the plate number on it before you hook up.

Two smaller points. Under Section 320.02, VIN verification is not required for a trailer with a net weight under 2,000 pounds. And if the trailer has no VIN at all, the state's system assigns it a trailer identification number when it is registered.

2,000 pounds and up, and homemade trailers

At 2,000 pounds net or more, the trailer has to be titled as well as registered. Buy one used and you should be getting the title signed over to you, not just a bill of sale.

Homemade trailers at that weight take an extra step, and so do trailers assembled from parts. The FLHSMV procedure says to contact the Division of Motorist Services regional office for your area. The office can issue a temporary plate so you can move the trailer to be weighed or inspected. If it checks out, a compliance examiner assigns an identification number with the prefix FLT, which has to be die-cut or welded onto the trailer in a permanent, visible spot, usually on the tongue or near the front.

That matters to anyone building a trailer here, or putting a new tongue and axles under an old frame. Find out what you will need before the welding is done, not after.

Where the plate goes, and the light on it

Section 316.605 says the plate goes on the rear, between 12 and 60 inches off the ground and no more than 24 inches left or right of center. It has to be fastened so it cannot swing, plainly visible and legible from 100 feet, and kept free of grease and anything else that hides it. It cannot be mounted upside down.

Section 316.221 says a taillamp or a separate lamp has to light the rear plate with a white light, legible from 50 feet, and it has to come on with the headlights. On a boat trailer, that small lamp sits low on the frame and goes under at every launch. It is often the first light to quit.

A plate violation under 316.605 is a noncriminal traffic infraction, punishable as a nonmoving violation. It is still a reason for a deputy to pull you over on SR 19 with the boat behind you, and a dead plate lamp after dark is easy to see.

Getting it registered

The FLHSMV procedure says license plates may be purchased from any county license plate agency, which in Florida means the county tax collector's offices and the license plate agents. Fees come from the state's license plate rate chart, so ask the office what yours will be. We do not quote them here.

Bring the title if the trailer is 2,000 pounds or more, or the bill of sale chain if it is lighter, and the weight if the paperwork does not show it. If the trailer is homemade and heavy, start with the regional office instead.

We are a repair shop, not the tax collector, and the agency has the final word on your paperwork. What we can do is the trailer itself. Our towing and trailer prep page covers the lights, wiring, brakes and hitch, and our boat towing setup guide goes through the 7-pin side of it.