2024 Boat Reg
 

Received the 2024 Boat Reg Renewal Form in the mail today. I've never received one so early...the boat was barely put away for the season a couple weeks ago! (I'm not complaining, mind you!)

1. They're trying to get money in sooner so the treasurer can earn interest
2. They want to encourage you to register with the state so your local town doesn't get any of the fees, it all goes to the state.

At least, that's what I'd do.

Same
 

Got all mine today too!

Dan

I am in Massachusetts and had mine, Tuesday in the mail.... of course I only check the mail once a week or so, so it could have been sitting in there longer.... No to put it somewhere, so that I have it in the spring...

That's why I always wait until I can get to the town hall to register mine.

To confirm: 1. Registering at a town hall adds $5 for the town's service? 2. The town in which you register it gets the fee?

For example, if I choose to register in my hometown (Merrimack) rather than where my camp and boat are (Moultonborough), Merrimack will charge me $5 extra and it goes to them?

What happens if I register directly at Marine Patrol in Gilford? At the marina where my boat is picked up?

I think I've asked these before but forget and always end up taking care of it at Melvin Village Marina when I pick up the boat.

Sent from my SM-S911U using Tapatalk

Registering in a town adds a $5 fee which goes to the town. If you feel guilty for not having already paid enough to the town, then by all means register there.

Not being burdened by such guilt, I register at Marine Patrol which does not add a fee.

Alan

That is great if getting to Marine Patrol is easy for you. But for me it's a case of which devil would I rather have my $5, the state or the town. I prefer the town get it.

So registering at Marine Patrol is essentially the same as going through the state (mailing it in)?

Also, what happens if registering at a marina?

Sent from my SM-S911U using Tapatalk

It is not an either or. The towns add $5 for themselves so if you register directly with the state it is $5 less.

I often wonder why a town couldn't forgo the extra $5 "agent fee" (aka tax) if doing so provided incentive to registering locally to let the town keep the tax part. By imposing the extra fee, the town loses that plus the tax part when boaters just plan ahead and register directly with the state. One could argue that having the town collect the agent fee prevents the town from having an unfair competitive advantage over local businesses, but the state already does that, so why couldn't a town?

Interesting concept.

One would need to ponder, would more boaters choose to register in that town, to save the $5? Would it be enough in the town portion to offset the loss of the incremental $5 to increase the town revenue?

We register ours at Melvin Village Marina. They are so helpful and make it easy. Most of the time I don't get all my registrations in the mail but with MVM I don't have to worry about it. So paying the 5 for each boat is worth it to me.

Complicated?
 

There are some complications, mostly constitutional. An amendment to our state constitution, Part I, Article 28-a, says that the state cannot require political subdivisions (towns) to perform duties unless they are compensated ("Unfunded Mandates'). Passed in 1984:"The state shall not mandate or assign any new, expanded or modified programs or responsibilities to any political subdivision in such a way as to necessitate additional local expenditures by the political subdivision unless such programs or responsibilities are fully funded by the state ..." This says to me that the town can't waive the fee because the state is required to provide funding. What about...XYZ? If XYZ was in place before 1984, , 28-a may not apply. One way around this is to make bills "enabling legislation" so your town is allowed, but not required to...If you register at a marina, they get the $5 and the tax goes to the town. The registration fee goes to the state and is split up to Navigation Safety fund, F & G etc per the biennial budget. Towns around the lake get considerable funds which mostly they put back into public docks and other waterfront amenities.

28-a is regularly ignored by the Legislature... both parties.
That is why the school systems spend so much time on lawsuits against the State.

But it would not be a ''mandate'' in that the town/city would need to choose that direction. A mandate is a must, not a choice. I believe that the local municipality can forgo any fees that it chooses to.

But would $5 be enough of an incentive over the ease of mail. Some have stated yes, but that is because the option of the marina means a type of one-stop shopping. Until the modern advent of on-line payment, town hall hours were an inconvenience.

Registration Facts
 

The DMV is mailing 2024 renewals 3000 per day to last year's registration holders. The state and town locations have all been sent their 2024 decals and should be prepared to renew at this time.

Non-state locations are allowed to charge an additional $5.00 agent fee. This fee remains with the town or marina owner for their service.

The registration fees (set fees for every boat with few exceptions) found in RSA 270-E:5 are returned to the state and dispersed to the various agencies (including Marine Patrol) as required by law.

The boat fees found in RSA 72-A (vary based upon boat type/age/length/engine) are retained by the state and go to the Marine Patrol's Navigation Safety Fund when the person registers at the DMV, Marine Patrol, or through the mail.

The boat fees are retained by the town when the renewal occurs at the town hall or marina within that town.

While some towns use the revenues to provide boaters with various services (parking, docking, aquatic invasive treatments, etc), many simply direct the dollars to their general fund for any purpose they choose.

As a boater, I prefer my fees go to buoys and patrol coverage on the water rather than another pickleball court in Hudson!

Well this thread has helped me. I never paid enough attention to realize that the town was adding $5 when I registered there. As someone stated earlier, they get enough from me already. I'll be going through the mail and the state from now on.

I wish the state had the means to direct the major portion of the fees for use on the body of water where the boat is docked or sees the majority of use (I.e., Winni to Winni, Merrymeeting to Merrymeeting, saltwater to saltwater, trailered boats to general use, etc.). If Winni has, in fact, 10,000 registered boats then Winni MP should have those revenues to supply services.


Sent from my iPhone using Winnipesaukee Forum mobile app