All boats should be registered in the State of Tennessee. Boats are registered only at our 700 2nd Ave South, Suite 101, Nashville, TN 37210. Boat registrations cannot be handled at our other County Clerk satellite offices. We collect the sales tax and complete the necessary Boating Registration documents for the State. To read more about boating in Tennessee click here.
Boat Registration Fees shown on form APPLICATION FOR BOAT CERTIFICATE OF NUMBER and are made payable to: TENNESSEE WILDLIFE RESOURCES AGENCY. Fees cannot be transferred or refunded.
If boat and/or trailer are purchased from a Tennessee dealer, the Office of the Davidson County Clerk does not collect the Tennessee State Sales Tax. The dealer will issue form APPLICATION FOR BOAT CERTIFICATE OF NUMBER to customer upon dealer certifying payment of sales tax on the said form. If the dealer does not have the form in stock, please contact the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency at (615) 781-6522 or the form may be obtained from the Davidson County Clerk’s office at 700 2nd Ave South, Suite 101, Nashville, TN 37210. Please note that the Davidson County Clerk does not complete the certification€¦only the dealer in this instance.
To register a boat bought from an individual, please submit the previous owner’s Boat Registration Card (if possible) and a Bill of Sale. The Bill of Sale must include the make, year, hull number, manufacturer’s number, length and must also specify whether the boat is made of fiberglass, aluminum or etc. When you purchase a boat from an individual you will need to bring a Bill of Sale signed by both the seller and the purchaser to our office. We will collect the applicable tax and certify to T.W.R.A. that sales tax was paid. If you purchased your boat from a Tennessee boat dealer, they will make the certification to the T.W.R.A.
If you do not have the previous owner’s Boat Registration card you will need the previous owner’s name and complete address. Also, if you have Tennessee registration numbers affixed to the boat you will need to give us that information.
Tennessee State Sales Tax will be collected by the County Clerk. Contact the office for sales tax fees at 615-862-6266. Once the sales tax and the $7.00 certification fee has been paid to the Davidson County Clerk, the boat owner will be required to mail form APPLICATION FOR BOAT CERTIFICATION NUMBER to the following address with the appropriate registration fees as noted on the form: Boat Registration P. O. Box 41729 Nashville, Tennessee 37204-1729
The State of Tennessee does not require boat trailers to be registered or licensed; however, other states may require boat trailer owners to do so. Because of the differences in laws from state to state, it is strongly recommended that all boat trailers be titled and registered if the boat trailer will be traveling outside the boundaries of the State of Tennessee. It is also strongly recommended that all boat trailers be titled and registered due to theft problems. A boat trailer can be traced much easier if titled and registered.
Dealers or manufacturers may apply for registration which can be transferred from one vessel to another. A copy of the business license and sales tax number must accompany the application for a dealer or manufacturer number. Such vessels are to be used for demonstration purposes only and more than one vessel may not be operated simultaneously with the same number. In addition, vessels being demonstrated must have the Certificate of Number on board and the registration number must be correctly displayed. However, such vessels may display the number by having it attached to removable signs which can be temporarily but firmly attached to the vessel.
To title and register a boat trailer purchased from an individual that has previously been titled, please submit the title signed on the back by the previous owner to the Davidson County Clerk. The new boat trailer owner will also be required to pay Tennessee State Sales Tax and a fee of $25.25 up to $93.25 (depending on the length).
Boat renewals are not done through the County Clerk’s office. The Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency authorized the main County Clerk’s office to register all boats but not to renew those prior registrations. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency will mail the renewal form €œAPPLICATION FOR BOAT CERTIFICATE OF NUMBER€ to the current boat owner to complete and then return along with the boat registration fee to the following address: Boat Registration P. O. Box 41729 Nashville, Tennessee 37204-1729 Renewal form €œAPPLICATION FOR BOAT CERTIFICATE OF NUMBER€ may also be obtained by calling the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency at (615) 781-6522 or to renew your boat registration online, please visit https://www1.tn.wildlifelicense.com/index.php If you have questions about renewing your boat registration, you may call the local middle state TWRA office at 1-800-624-7406.