Last verified: June 28, 2026
Most registration guides assume you just bought the boat. But plenty of people need to register a boat that is already theirs: decals that lapsed years ago, a hull that has sat in the yard or on private water and was never registered, or a boat you have owned so long the paperwork trail went cold. There is no seller and no sale here, and that one fact changes both what you owe and what the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources asks you to bring.
When “Already Own It” Applies
This path is for any boat where no money is changing hands now and you are the owner. The common versions:
- Your SC registration expired and you want to put the boat back on the water.
- You have owned the boat for a while but it was never titled or registered in South Carolina, maybe because it only ran on a private pond.
- A boat came to you long ago, and you are only now putting it in your own name.
- You only need to title an outboard motor you already own.
If you instead just bought the boat from someone, this is a transfer, not a re-registration, and the documents are different. Start with the SC boat title transfer checklist for that.
The Good News: No Sale Means No Casual Excise Tax
South Carolina’s casual excise tax is 5% of the boat or motor’s value, capped at $500 (SCDNR, Casual Excise Tax). By statute it applies only to the last sale before you apply for the title (SC Code 12-36-1720). That is the part that matters here: the tax attaches to a sale. If you already own the boat and there is no sale behind this application, there is no taxable sale, so titling or re-registering it in your own name does not trigger it.
One honest caveat: if you did buy the boat at some point and never paid the casual excise tax that was due back then, SCDNR can still collect it when you finally bring the boat into the system. The tax follows the purchase, not the calendar. If your purchase was a genuine no-money transfer, or the tax was paid years ago, you are clear.
Renewing Expired Decals: The Most Common Case
If the boat was registered in South Carolina before and the decals simply lapsed, you are renewing, not starting over. Renewal is $10 (SCDNR, Fees). If your county property taxes on the boat are already paid, you can usually renew online or by phone. If taxes are owed, you clear those with your county first, then renew.
Renewing late carries a penalty tied to the expiration date: $15 once you are 31 days past it, and $30 once you are 61 days past (SCDNR, Fees). So a long-lapsed boat owes the $10 renewal plus the $30 late fee, not a fresh registration cost.
Titling a Boat That Was Never in the SC System
If the boat was never titled or registered in South Carolina under anyone, you file the same Watercraft/Outboard Motor Application (BTR-1) a buyer files, but you fill it out as the owner with no seller. Two sections stay empty:
- Section B (Watercraft/Outboard Motor Purchased From) is left blank. There is no seller to list.
- Section H (Bill of Sale) is left blank. There is no current sale.
You still sign Section F, and you still have to prove the boat is yours. Acceptable proof of ownership is your existing title, or your registration card plus a prior bill of sale that shows how you came to own it. The title and registration fee is $20 (SCDNR, Fees). For the paperwork errors that send these applications back, see the 3 most common reasons SC registrations get rejected.
If You Own the Boat but Lost the Title
A missing title is common on a boat you have had for years. You do not need to track the original down. Submit a signed and notarized bill of sale in Section H showing your ownership, and pay the $5 duplicate title fee, and SCDNR issues you a fresh title (SCDNR, Fees). The notary requirement is the part people miss, so check exactly when the SC BTR-1 needs a notary before you sign anything.
The Outboard Motor Has Its Own Title
South Carolina titles the boat and the outboard motor as two separate things. Any outboard of 5 horsepower or greater carries its own title for $10, on top of the $20 that covers the boat (SCDNR, Fees). Outboards under 5 horsepower and inboard engines are not titled. If you are registering a boat you already own, make sure the motor is on the application too, with a pencil tracing or clear photo of its serial and model number.
Quick Reference
- A boat you already own, with no current sale, owes no casual excise tax. There is no purchase price for the 5% to apply to.
- Lapsed SC decals: this is a $10 renewal, plus a $15 late fee at 31 days past expiration or $30 at 61 days. Renew online or by phone if county taxes are paid.
- Never registered in SC: file the BTR-1 with Sections B and H blank, sign Section F, prove ownership with your title or registration card plus a prior bill of sale, and pay $20.
- Lost the title on a boat you own: a notarized bill of sale plus the $5 duplicate title fee gets you a new one.
- An outboard of 5 horsepower or greater is titled separately for $10.
Let BoatForms Fill the BTR-1
Registering a boat you already own is the scenario most form guides skip, which leaves people guessing at which sections to leave blank. BoatForms fills out the SC BTR-1 for an already-owned boat, leaves the previous-owner and bill-of-sale sections empty where they belong, skips the casual excise tax you do not owe, and builds a checklist of exactly what to mail. Free to use, no account required.