Watercraft registration services expanded

Lorain County Clerk of Court Tom Orlando announced that effective June 1, all County Auto Title offices will offer one stop titling and registration services for watercraft.

In mid-2015, Orlando began offering watercraft registrations along with existing boat titling services at the Lorain Title office, 611 Broadway, next to the Lorain Palace Theater, according to a news release.

In addition to the Lorain Title office, one stop watercraft registration and titling will be offered in these locations: Lorain County Administration Building, 226 Middle Ave. in Elyria; Mills Creek Plaza, 33121 Center Ridge Road in North Ridgeville; and Mayflower Square, 2290 Kresge Drive in Amherst.

“Customers seeking to title and register their boats now have the convenience of doing so at any of our four Lorain County Title office locations,” Orlando said in the release. “People are busy. Saving them the hassle of titling their watercraft at one office, and then registering it at another, is just good customer service.”

In Ohio, all recreational boats are required to be registered. This includes vessels such as canoes, sailboats, and jet skis.

Exceptions are sailboards, paddleboards, belly floats, float tubes and kiteboards, the release said.

Fees are dependent upon the type of watercraft being registered, according to the release.

While all boats require registration, only some require titling pursuant to Ohio law as proof of ownership.

Watercraft that generally require titles include those with outboard motors of 10 horsepower or greater; those that are less than 14 feet in length but have a permanently affixed mechanical means of propulsion of 10 horsepower or greater; and those that are 14 feet or greater in length, the release said.