1. (a) Except as provided in subsection (b), a watercraft may not be operated, used, docked, or stored in Indiana during any part of a calendar year unless the watercraft:

   1. (1) is registered under this chapter; and
   2. (2) displays proof of registration under this chapter.

2. (b) Registration is not required for the following watercraft:

   1. (1) A watercraft that is from a country other than the United States temporarily using the waters of Indiana.
   2. (2) A ship's lifeboat, when used solely as a lifeboat of another boat and for no other recreational purpose.
   3. (3) Except as provided in subdivision (4), a watercraft that is registered outside of Indiana and operated, used, stored, or docked in Indiana for a combined total of not more than sixty (60) consecutive days during a calendar year.
   4. (4) A watercraft that is registered outside of Indiana and docked on the Indiana part of Lake Michigan for a combined total of not more than one hundred eighty (180) consecutive days.

   5. (5) A watercraft that belongs to a class of boats that has been exempted from registration and numbering by the bureau after the bureau has found the following:

      1. (A) That an agency of the federal government has a numbering system applicable to the class of watercraft to which the watercraft in question belongs.
      2. (B) That the watercraft would also be exempt from numbering if the watercraft were subject to federal law.

   6. (6) A watercraft, the operator of which has in the operator's possession a bill of sale from a dealer licensed under IC 9-32 or private individual that includes the following:

      1. (A) The purchaser's name and address.
      2. (B) A date of purchase that is not more than forty-five (45) days preceding the date that the operator is required to show the bill of sale.
      3. (C) The make, model, and identification number of the watercraft provided by the manufacturer.
   7. (7) A watercraft held by a watercraft manufacturer, distributor, or dealer for sale in the ordinary course of business.
   8. (8) A watercraft subject to the commercial vessel tonnage tax under IC 6-6-6 .
3. (c) A person that fails to register a watercraft that is required to be registered under this chapter commits a Class C infraction.

As added by P.L.164-2020, SEC.38.