Boat Purchases and Sales

Treasurer

Contact Us

Locations: County Courthouse & Treasurer Satellite - South Lawrence Office
Hours: Mon-Fri | 8am - 5pm
Phone: 785-832-5273
Fax:
785-832-0226
Contact: Treasurer

Boat Purchases and Sales

Boat purchases and sales in Douglas County, Kansas.

Boat Purchases - Frequently Asked Questions

You’ll need to register your new or used boat with the Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks. To make the process faster, please make sure you have:
  • Bill of Sale
  • Sales tax receipt (if required)
  • KA # if your boat already has one (write it on your Bill of Sale)
  • Driver's License
  • Registration fee (cash, check, Visa, or MasterCard)
  • Your social security # or KDWP # are mandatory

You must pay sales tax before registering your boat.
  • If you bought your boat from a Kansas Dealer, we need a copy of the STD-8 form (sales tax receipt)
  • If you bought your boat from an out of state dealer, take your invoice or bill of sale to the County Treasurer's Office in the county you plan to store your boat to receive a Sales Tax Paid receipt.
We will need your bill of sale and your Sales Tax Paid receipt to register your boat.

You will need a bill of sale. A bill of sale may be: The sellers current registration signed over to the buyer, or a written statement including all of the following:
  • Buyer and seller names and addresses
  • KA #, Hull ID # (all boats manufactured after Nov. 1972 are required to have one)
  • Date of sale and purchase amount
  • Signatures of both buyer and seller

You can register your boat at any Park Office

By going to any of these locations you’ll get it registered, the expiration stickers to display, and know what your KA # is, and be ready to go out on the water in a matter of minutes.

If you don’t need it right away or those places aren’t convenient for you, go to your County Clerk and they’ll be able to issue you a temporary permit. You’ll be able to put your boat on the water the same day. Your registration, stickers, and KA # will come in the mail to you in about 90 days. Your temporary permit will be valid until you receive your permanent registration and expiration stickers in the mail. Visit the Douglas County Clerk, 1100 Massachusetts St. or call their office with any questions 785-832-5167.

Boat Sales

Sold Your Boat?

When selling your boat, please notify the Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks at the information below so it can be listed as SOLD.

Then, contact your County Appraiser to remove your name from the property tax log.

Tips

  • If your boat has a motor or sail, then you must register it to use it on public waters.
  • Kansas DOES NOT title boats.
  • If you purchased your boat from a state that does have a title, bring it with you. It will have numbers and information on it that might make the process smoother. Keep these titles for your records in case you sell to someone out of state in the future.
  • Once you’ve been to register your boat, you’ll have 30 days to go to the County Appraiser and show your registration. They assess your property tax and enter your name on the tax log. (Douglas County: 785-832-5289)
  • In THREE YEARS, about 2 months before your registration is due, you’ll receive a reminder to either mail in your payment to Pratt or take it to one of our locations to renew for another 3 years.
  • If your boat is over 2000 lbs., you’ll have to go to the County Treasurer in the county where you’ll be storing your boat to TAG your trailer.
  • If you’re planning on traveling out of state and your boat is under 2000 lbs., find an RV Dealer or purchase online, a tag that says “KANSAS (under 2000 lbs.)” It will help those officers in other states know that our state doesn’t require a tag.

KA #s stay with the boat!

If your boat already has a KA# you won’t have to change numbers. If you have a new boat or you're transferring from another state, one will be issued to you before you leave the office.