Free Arkansas Boat Bill of Sale
Arkansas boat paperwork turns on the boat's birth year: hulls manufactured in 2020 or later get an Arkansas title through the DFA Office of Motor Vehicles (the requirement started January 1, 2020), while older boats — still the majority on Arkansas lakes — transfer on the registration and a solid bill of sale. Everything happens at the same DFA revenue office that handles car titles; the Game and Fish Commission runs boating safety, not ownership. The tax treatment rewards used-boat buyers: below $4,000 the sale is exempt, and from $4,000 to under $10,000 a reduced 3.5% rate applies — paid by the buyer straight to DFA at registration, not to the seller.
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Arkansas Boat Bill of Sale — What You Need to Know
Sales Tax Details
Arkansas gives used-boat buyers a break: a REDUCED 3.5% sales tax applies to used motorboats priced from $4,000 to under $10,000 (below $4,000 is exempt, mirroring the state's used-vehicle threshold). The tax is paid by the buyer directly to DFA at or before registration — the seller does not collect it.
Inspection Requirements
No safety or emissions inspection applies to boat sales in Arkansas. The HIN on the hull is checked against the paperwork at the DFA counter.
Arkansas Boat Sale — Step-by-Step Checklist
- Check the boat's model year first: manufactured 2020 or later means a title changes hands; older hulls transfer on registration + bill of sale.
- Verify the HIN on the transom against the title (2020+) or the current registration card (older boats).
- Write the bill of sale with HIN, make, model, year, length, engine HP, sale price, date, and both signatures — on a pre-2020 boat this document carries the ownership weight.
- Seller signs over the title (2020+ hulls) or the registration, and hands over the bill of sale.
- Buyer applies at the DFA revenue office within 30 days — the same office that does car titles; $10 title fee on titled vessels.
- Buyer pays the tax to DFA at registration: exempt under $4,000, reduced 3.5% from $4,000 to under $10,000.
- Registration fees run $7.50–$105 depending on vessel length and type.
Common Pitfalls
- Taking title paperwork to the Game and Fish Commission — AGFC handles boating safety and licensing; ownership runs through the DFA Office of Motor Vehicles.
- Expecting a title on a 2015 bass boat — the titling requirement only reaches boats manufactured in 2020 or later; older hulls have no Arkansas title to sign.
- Paying sales tax to the seller — Arkansas requires the buyer to pay DFA directly at or before registration.
- Skimping on the bill of sale for a pre-2020 boat — with no title in play, that document plus the registration IS the ownership chain.
Pro Tip
Arkansas boats: 2020-and-newer hulls have titles, older ones ride on registration + bill of sale, everything transfers at the DFA counter within 30 days — and used boats under $10,000 pay 3.5% or nothing.