Free Arizona Boat Bill of Sale

An Arizona boat bill of sale is a written agreement transferring ownership of a watercraft, and state rules define precisely what it has to list. It is the ownership record the Game and Fish Department works from.

Boats in Arizona go through the Game and Fish Department rather than the motor vehicle division. Anyone expecting the process to resemble buying a car is in for a surprise.

Because the state works from watercraft registration records, a properly signed bill of sale carries real weight in showing who owns the vessel.

Arizona’s definition is unusually specific, so an Arizona boat bill of sale should cover every element by name.

• The name of the buyer and the seller
• The manufacturer of the watercraft, if known
• The hull identification number, unless an exemption applies
• The purchase price, and any sales tax paid
• The signature of the seller

Add the year built, the length, and the AZ number already on the hull, and you have a document that answers every question the counter will ask.

Tip: The state’s definition calls for the seller’s signature specifically. Get the buyer’s signature as well — it costs nothing and makes the document far more useful if the sale is ever disputed.

Motorized watercraft used on Arizona waterways must be registered with the Game and Fish Department.

The clock is short. After a watercraft is sold or transferred, the buyer applies to register it in their name within 15 days.

Sellers carry a matching duty. State law requires the owner to notify the department when they transfer all or any part of their interest in a numbered motorized watercraft, or when it is destroyed or abandoned, within 15 days.

Take your completed application, the bill of sale, and payment to a Game and Fish office. If the boat came from elsewhere, bring the original out-of-state title or registration signed by the previous owner.

Not every boat on Arizona water is an Arizona boat. Non-residents may operate on Arizona waterways using their home-state registration for up to 90 days a year.

Register a watercraft in Arizona as the state of principal operation, though, and the Boating Safety Infrastructure Fee applies before the vessel goes on the water. Proof of payment has to be carried and displayed while the watercraft is underway, moored, or anchored.

Fees change from year to year, so confirm current amounts with the department before you file. Start your Arizona boat bill of sale now and have every required element written down before you meet the seller.