COLUMBUS, OH - Many Ohio boaters will now find it easier to obtain titles for their watercraft as the State of Ohio is now allowing titles for vehicles, including watercraft, to be issued in any Ohio county, regardless of where boat buyers reside or in which county they purchased their boat.
Under the previous law, Ohio residents were required to have their boats and personal watercraft titled in only the county where they resided, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).
This new flexibility in titling watercraft will be beneficial to Ohio boat owners and dealers, said Ken Alvey, deputy chief in charge of titling and registration for the ODNR Division of Watercraft.
The new law resulted from passage last year of Substitute Senate Bill 59, sponsored by Senator Ron Amstutz (R-Wooster), and signed by Governor Bob Taft.
In a recent announcement, the Ohio Department of Public Safety Bureau of Motor Vehicles (OBMV) made it possible through provisions of Senate Bill 59 to research the status and history of any motor vehicle, watercraft and outboard motor title issued in Ohio since March, 1993 through its new Online Title Inquiry, which is available on the OBMV web page at www.ohiobmv.com Use of the web page and title search is free of charge.
The ODNR Division of Watercraft administers Ohios boating program. The division oversees boat registration and titling operations, enforces boating laws on Ohios waterways, educates the public, and provides funding to local communities for education, enforcement and boating facilities. These programs are user-funded through boat registration fees and through a portion of state and federal motor fuel taxes.
For Further Information Contact:
John Wisse, ODNR Division of Watercraft
(614) 265-6695
-or-
Andy Ware, ODNR Media Relations
(614) 265-6882