(A) Except as otherwise provided in this section, the owner of a vessel required to be numbered and to display a decal shall file an application for a certificate of number with the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State shall prescribe and furnish certificate of title application forms. If a vessel requiring a certificate of title under M.C.L.A. §§ 324.80301 et seq. part 803 is sold by a dealer, that dealer shall combine the application for a certificate of number that is signed by the vessel owner with the application for a certificate of title. The dealer shall obtain the certificate of number in the name of the owner. The owner of the vessel shall sign the application. A person shall not file an application for a certificate of number that contains false information.
(B) A dealer who submits an application for a certificate of number as provided in division (A) above may issue to the owner of the vessel a 15-day temporary permit, on forms prescribed by the Secretary of State, for the use of the vessel while the certificate of number is being issued.
(C) A dealer may issue a 15-day permit, on a form prescribed by the Secretary of State, for the use of a vessel purchased in this state and delivered to the purchaser for removal to a place outside of this state, if the purchaser certifies by his or her signature that the vessel will be registered and primarily used and stored outside of the state and will not be returned to the state by the purchaser for use or storage. A certificate of number shall not be issued for a vessel holding a permit under this division (C).
(D) A 15-day temporary permit issued under divisions (B) or (C) above shall not be renewed or extended.
(E) A person shall operate or permit the operation of a vessel for which a 15-day temporary permit has been issued under this section only if the temporary permit is valid and displayed on the vessel as prescribed by rule promulgated in the state’s Administrative Code.
(F) Upon receipt of an initial application for a certificate of number in approved form and payment of the required fee, the Secretary of State shall enter the information upon the official records and issue to the applicant a certificate of number containing the number awarded to the vessel, the name and address of the owner and other information that the Secretary of State determines necessary. The Secretary of State shall issue a certificate of number that is pocket size and legible. Except as provided in division (G) below, a person operating a vessel shall present that vessel’s certificate of number to a peace officer upon the peace officer’s request.
(G) The owner or authorized agent of the owner of a vessel less than 26 feet in length that is leased or rented to a person for non-commercial use for not more than 24 hours may retain, at the place from which the vessel departs or returns to the possession of the owner or the owner’s representative, the certificate of number for that vessel if a copy of the lease or rental is on the vessel. Upon the demand of a peace officer, the operator shall produce for inspection either the certificate of number or a copy of the lease or rental agreement for that vessel. The lease or rental agreement shall contain each of the following:
(1) The vessel number that appears on the certificate of number;
(2) The period of time for which the vessel is leased or rented;
(3) The signature of the vessel’s owner or that person’s authorized agent; and
(4) The signature of the person leasing or renting the vessel.
(H) Upon receipt of a certificate of number for a vessel, the owner of that vessel shall paint on or attach in a permanent manner to each side of the forward half of the vessel the number identified in the certificate of number, in the manner prescribed by the rules contained in the state’s Administrative Code. The Secretary of State shall assign to the owner of vessels for rent or lease a block of numbers sufficient to number consecutively all of that owner’s rental or lease vessels. The owner shall maintain the numbers in a legible condition. A vessel documented by the United States Coast Guard or a federal agency that is the successor to the United States Coast Guard is not required to display numbers under this chapter, but shall display a decal indicating payment of the fee required by law, and shall otherwise be in compliance with this chapter. This division (H) does not apply to a non-powered vessel 12 feet or less in length.
(I) Upon receipt of an application for a certificate of number in an approved form and payment of the fee required by law, the Secretary of State shall issue a decal that is color-coded and dated to identify the year of its expiration and the decal shall be displayed as required by state law or administrative rule.
(Prior Code, § 21.5-23) (Ord. 1048, passed 5-18-1998; Ord. 1118, passed 6-11-2001)