Last verified: June 22, 2026
You found the better deal a state over. Maybe it was a bass boat in Georgia, a center console in North Carolina, or a boat shipped up from Florida. Before you can legally run it on South Carolina public water, it has to be titled and registered here under your name. The process looks a lot like an in-state purchase, but the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources asks for a few extra documents to build a brand new SC title from another state’s records. Two of those documents are the ones people forget, and leaving them out is a common reason the application comes back.
How South Carolina Treats an Out-of-State Boat
Any watercraft moved by a motor has to be titled and registered with SCDNR before you operate it on public water in the state (SCDNR, Titling and Registration). Where you bought it does not change that. If you live in South Carolina and bought a boat anywhere else, you bring that title into the SC system in your name.
The useful part is the timing. SCDNR gives you 60 days from the date of purchase to use the boat and motor while your paperwork is in process, even on expired or out-of-state decals, as long as you carry your temporary certificate number and a copy of the title or bill of sale on board (SCDNR, Titling and Registration). So you are not stuck on the dock waiting for the permanent registration to show up in the mail.
That 60 day window is for operating the boat. The deadline for filing your application is shorter, and missing it adds a fee. Both clocks are covered below.
The Documents SCDNR Wants That an In-State Sale Doesn’t
A clean in-state purchase with an SC title is short: the signed SC title and your county property tax receipt. An out-of-state boat needs more, because there is no SC title to sign over yet. Here is the full list.
| Document | Why SCDNR needs it |
|---|---|
| Completed BTR-1, signed in Section F | The Watercraft/Outboard Motor Application itself |
| Original out-of-state title, signed over to you | Proof of ownership (notarized if that state’s title has a notary line) |
| Written bill of sale | Sets the purchase price for tax, and lists names, date, and HIN |
| Pencil tracing or clear photo of the HIN | SCDNR matches the hull against the title |
| Pencil tracing or clear photo of the motor’s serial and model number | Needed to title the outboard motor |
| Out-of-state registration card, if you have it | Confirms the boat’s history |
| Check or money order to SCDNR (no cash) | Fees and taxes |
Two of these trip people up: the hull number proof and the motor serial proof. SCDNR accepts either a pencil tracing or a clear printed photograph for each (SCDNR, FAQ). The trap is a blurry phone photo. If the reviewer cannot read every character, the application comes back, and a missing or mismatched hull number is one of the most common reasons an SC registration gets rejected. For the others, see our guide to the 3 most common reasons boat registrations get rejected in SC.
This post is the standalone out-of-state walkthrough. For every other transfer scenario in one place, including in-state and family transfers, see the SC boat title transfer checklist.
When the Previous State Doesn’t Issue Titles
Not every state titles boats. A handful, such as Alabama and Alaska, register vessels but do not issue titles for them. If you bought from a non-titling state, you cannot hand SCDNR a title that was never created. Instead, the out-of-state registration card and a written bill of sale become your proof of ownership.
There is one wrinkle worth knowing. When a bill of sale is doing the job of the title, that is, when it is your proof of ownership rather than just a receipt, South Carolina wants it notarized. When you also have a title, the title is the proof and the bill of sale does not need a notary. We cover exactly which situations need a stamp in when the SC BTR-1 needs a notary, and which document proves ownership in bill of sale vs. affidavit vs. title.
The Motor Has Its Own Title in South Carolina
This one surprises out-of-state buyers. South Carolina titles the boat and the outboard motor separately. Any outboard of 5 horsepower or greater gets its own title for $10, on top of the $20 that covers the boat’s registration and title together (SCDNR, Fees; SC Code Title 50, Chapter 21). Outboards under 5 horsepower are exempt and do not get titled.
That separate motor title is why SCDNR asks for the tracing or photo of the motor’s serial and model number. If your boat has an inboard engine or is a personal watercraft, the engine is part of the hull and there is no separate motor to title, so that line does not apply to you.
Taxes: Casual Excise Tax and County Property Tax
An out-of-state boat triggers two separate taxes, and they are billed at different times.
Casual excise tax is 5% of the purchase price, capped at $500, and it is due when you title the boat (SCDNR, Casual Excise Tax). It is figured on the price written on your bill of sale, which is one reason SCDNR wants that document. If you bought from an immediate family member (parent, child, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, or spouse), you are exempt, and you claim the exemption in Section I of the BTR-1.
County property tax is the annual tax your county of residence charges on the boat. For an out-of-state or dealer purchase, you do not pay the county before you register. The county bills you afterward, once the boat is on the SC rolls. That is the reverse of an in-state private sale, where you pay your county property tax first and bring the paid receipt to SCDNR. So for an out-of-state boat, you can file with SCDNR right away and settle the county bill when it arrives.
Deadlines and When You Can Use the Boat
There are two clocks running from your purchase date, and it helps to keep them straight:
- File within 30 days. A $15 late fee is added on the 31st day, and it climbs to $30 on the 61st day (SCDNR, Fees).
- Operate for up to 60 days on your temporary certificate and a copy of the title or bill of sale, as covered above.
The smart order is simple: get the boat home, keep your temporary documents aboard, and get the application in well before day 30 so the late fee never enters the picture. For how long SCDNR then takes to process and mail your permanent title and decals, see the SC boat registration timeline.
If the Boat Is Coast Guard Documented
If the boat you bought is documented with the U.S. Coast Guard instead of titled by a state, South Carolina does not make you register it with SCDNR. Documentation does not erase your state obligations, though. Your county can still charge property tax on the boat, and an outboard of 5 horsepower or greater still has to be titled in SC. For the full picture of what the state still wants from a documented boat, see Coast Guard documented? what your state still wants.
Common Mistakes
Forgetting the motor serial proof. The motor is titled separately, so without a tracing or clear photo of its serial and model number, SCDNR cannot complete the job.
A hull number that does not match. The HIN molded into the boat has to match the title and the bill of sale. One wrong character flags the application.
Skipping the lien check. Before money changes hands, run the boat through SC Boat Facts and ask the seller for a lien release if one shows. An out-of-state lien follows the boat across the state line.
Filing past day 30. It is an avoidable $15, then $30. Mail the application early.
Quick Reference
- File the BTR-1 within 30 days of purchase. The late fee is $15 on day 31 and $30 on day 61.
- You can run the boat for 60 days from purchase with your temporary certificate and a copy of the title or bill of sale aboard.
- Out-of-state extras: original out-of-state title signed over, a written bill of sale, a tracing or clear photo of the HIN, a tracing or clear photo of the motor’s serial and model number, and the out-of-state registration card if you have it.
- From a non-titling state: the registration card plus a notarized bill of sale stand in for the title.
- An outboard of 5 horsepower or greater is titled separately for $10. Under 5 horsepower is exempt.
- Casual excise tax is 5% capped at $500, with immediate family exempt (Section I).
- County property tax is billed after you register, not before.
Let BoatForms Handle the BTR-1
The out-of-state application is the same BTR-1 every SC buyer files, just with more documents riding on it. BoatForms fills it out for an out-of-state purchase, calculates your capped excise tax and the $10 motor title, and builds a checklist of exactly what to mail, including the tracings most people forget. Free to use, no account required.