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A Florida boat bill of sale is proof that a boat changed owners. Florida vessel titling guidance asks for a bill of sale that shows the purchase of the boat and/or trailer.[1] This page shows what it records, how to complete it and how title transfer works.
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A Florida boat bill of sale lists the parties, the boat, the price and the date in one signed document, the same details a buyer's title application asks for. The document also names any trailer or motor that goes with the boat, so nothing in the deal is left unrecorded.
The Florida title application sets the core contents of a boat bill of sale. Each row below names the statute section behind it.
| Detail | What Florida law says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Seller details | If the application is made in connection with a transfer of ownership, it asks for the seller's name, street address and, if different, mailing address. | Florida Statutes § 328.01(2)(j) |
| Sale price | If the application is made in connection with a transfer of ownership, it asks for the sales price, if any. | Florida Statutes § 328.01(2)(j) |
| Date of sale | If the application is made in connection with a transfer of ownership, it asks for the date of the transfer. | Florida Statutes § 328.01(2)(j) |
| Boat identification | The application asks for the hull identification number, or, if none, an application for one. | Florida Statutes § 328.01(2)(c) |
| Signed title | The application must be accompanied by a certificate of title signed by the owner shown on it, where the boat already has a title. | Florida Statutes § 328.01(4)(a) |
A complete boat bill of sale goes past the title application and records the whole deal. The FormsPal Florida form has a field for each item below:
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles publishes its own Notice of Sale and/or Bill of Sale for a Motor Vehicle, Mobile Home, Off-Highway Vehicle or Vessel, form HSMV 82050. The state form covers vessels along with cars, mobile homes and off-highway vehicles. A boat-only bill of sale adds room for the HIN, the motors, the trailer and the payment terms.
A boat bill of sale in Florida covers the boat and/or trailer sold in one deal, since that is the purchase Florida vessel titling guidance asks the bill of sale to show. The document lists each part of the sale on its own line.
A boat and trailer bill of sale describes the trailer by its make, plate number, color, VIN and year. The boat's own lines stay separate, so each item can be matched to its paperwork. A trailer sold without a boat takes the Florida trailer bill of sale instead.
A kayak or canoe bill of sale records the same parties, price and date as a boat bill of sale. Under Fla. Stat. § 328.48(2), each vessel operated, used or stored on Florida waters must be registered as a commercial or recreational vessel unless it falls in one of these groups:
Titling follows its own section. Each vessel operated, used or stored on Florida waters must be titled, except as subsections (2) and (3) of Florida Statutes § 328.03(1) provide.[3] This page does not summarize those exceptions, so a kayak seller reads the section before skipping a title.
A Florida boat title transfer moves ownership on the state's books, and the signed certificate of title carries it from seller to buyer. The bill of sale is the record of the sale. The title is what moves ownership on the state's books.
The certificate of title passes from seller to buyer when the seller signs it. For a written certificate of title that notes the seller's interest, Florida Statutes § 328.22(1)(a) says, if the transferor's interest is noted on it:
If the certificate is a written certificate of title and the transferor's interest is noted on the certificate, the transferor shall promptly sign the certificate and deliver it to the transferee.
In plain words, if the title is a written certificate showing the seller's interest, the seller (the transferor) signs it promptly and hands it to the buyer (the transferee), under Florida Statutes § 328.22(1)(a).[4]
Florida law also addresses a seller who transfers a vessel that needs a title without delivering to the buyer a certificate of title duly assigned to the buyer, in Florida Statutes § 328.21(1).[5]
The title application deadline is 30 days: when Florida is the boat's state of principal use, the owner delivers the application and the applicable fee not later than 30 days after the later of two dates, under Florida Statutes § 328.03(1).[3]
When the transfer is the later of the two dates, the 30 days run from the date of the transfer of ownership, under Florida Statutes § 328.03(1). On the bill of sale, that is usually the purchase date, which can differ from the date line at the top of the form. You can count the days with our deadline calculator.
A bill of sale alone does not complete a Florida title transfer when the boat already has a title. Where a title exists, the buyer's application must be accompanied by a certificate of title signed by the owner shown on it, under Florida Statutes § 328.01(4)(a).[2] The two documents travel together: the bill of sale shows the purchase, and the signed title shows the owner's release.
Registration is a separate step from the title. Registration follows Fla. Stat. § 328.48(2), which applies unless the boat is in one of the exempt groups listed above, and titling follows Florida Statutes § 328.03(1), except as its subsections (2) and (3) provide.
The Florida boat bill of sale form fills out in 14 steps, from the date line to the acknowledgment block. The steps cover the date, the parties, the boat, any trailer or motors, the price, taxes, signatures and the acknowledgment block. The form works on screen in our PDF editor or on paper by hand.
The screenshots under each step show the FormsPal Florida boat bill of sale template filled with sample entries in blue, so you can see where each answer goes. The names, addresses, dates and amounts are examples only.
The handover of a Florida boat sale pairs the signed bill of sale with the signed title, in this order:
A boat bill of sale should match the boat, the title and each other before anyone signs. A small mismatch between the bill of sale and the title is easy to fix before signing and harder to fix afterwards. These checks are practical habits for any bill of sale template, not legal requirements.
These are common questions about a boat bill of sale in Florida. Each legal answer names the Florida statute or state guidance it rests on.
Florida vessel titling guidance asks for a bill of sale that shows the purchase of the boat and/or trailer.[1] The guidance is published on the Palm Beach County Tax Collector's vessel titles page. A bill of sale belongs in the paperwork for every boat sale.
No, not when the boat already has a title: the application must be accompanied by a certificate of title signed by the owner shown on it, under Florida Statutes § 328.01(4)(a).[2] The bill of sale goes with the signed title, not in place of it.
A handwritten boat bill of sale works when it records what the title application asks for. If the application is made in connection with a transfer of ownership, that is the seller's name and address, the sales price, if any, and the date of the transfer, under Florida Statutes § 328.01(2)(j).[2] The boat's HIN, or an application for one if it has none, comes from Florida Statutes § 328.01(2)(c). Add the buyer's details and a description of the boat.
Two documents come up in Florida's rules:
A used boat changes owners in two moves. First, if the title is a written certificate noting the seller's interest, the seller signs it and delivers it to the buyer, under Florida Statutes § 328.22(1)(a).[4] Second, when Florida is the state of principal use, the buyer delivers a title application and the fee within 30 days after the later of the transfer or the date Florida becomes that state, under Florida Statutes § 328.03(1).[3]
General information, not legal or tax advice.
