48-State Reference
Assigned number format, character height, lettering style, contrast, spacing, hull placement and validation decal position — state by state, across the 48 contiguous states we ship to. Last regulatory review: August 22, 2026.
Or browse every state below — tap any state for its full requirement summary.
AL 1234 AA
Alabama administrative rule expressly specifies the AL prefix. Source: Alabama Law Enforcement Agency / Alabama Administrative Code.
Read full Alabama guideAZ 1234 AB
Arizona guidance specifies the number must be visible from 100 feet in daylight. Source: Arizona Game and Fish Department.
Read full Arizona guideAR 1234 AB
The number must remain legible. Source: Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
Read full Arkansas guideCF 1234 AB
California DMV wording says MORE THAN three inches — not merely 'at least three inches' — and the vessel prefix is CF, not CA. Source: California Department of Motor Vehicles.
Read full California guideCL 3717 ZW
Decal-before-number placement is an important Colorado exception, and the vessel prefix is CL, not CO. Source: Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
Read full Colorado guideCT 1234 AA
Format is two letters, 1–4 numerals, then 1–2 letters. Source: Connecticut DMV / Connecticut DEEP.
Read full Connecticut guideDL 1234 BD
Delaware regulations use DL, not DE, as the vessel prefix. Source: Delaware DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife.
Read full Delaware guideFL 1234 AB
Florida is unusual because the validation decal is specifically displayed on the port side. Source: Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
Read full Florida guideGA 3717 ZW
Decal-before-number configuration. Source: Georgia Department of Natural Resources / Law Enforcement Division.
Read full Georgia guideID 5678 A
Idaho also has separate invasive-species sticker requirements that should not be confused with the registration decal. Source: Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation.
Read full Idaho guideIL 1234 AB
The Illinois state guide illustrates the decal after the suffix. Source: Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
Read full Illinois guideIN 1234 AB
Indiana uses a clearly specified right-of-number decal rule. Source: Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles.
Read full Indiana guideIA 3717 ZW
Iowa uses a specific FOUR-INCH decal offset. Source: Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
Read full Iowa guideKA 123 AA
The Kansas vessel prefix is KA, not KS. Source: Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks.
Read full Kansas guideKY 1234 AA
Remove old registration decals when renewing. Source: Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.
Read full Kentucky guideLA 4002 CS
Border, outline and shadow do not count toward the height or contrast requirement. Source: Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
Read full Louisiana guideME 1234 AB
Separate Lake and River Protection Sticker requirements may apply. Source: Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.
Read full Maine guideMD 1234 AB
Maryland has flexible decal orientation within its 3-inch envelope. Source: Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
Read full Maryland guideMS 1234 AB
Massachusetts uses MS as the vessel prefix, not MA. Source: Massachusetts Environmental Police / Mass.gov.
Read full Massachusetts guideMC 1234 AB
Michigan uses the MC prefix, not MI. Do not apply the recreational MC-number rule to federally documented vessels. Source: Michigan Secretary of State / Michigan DNR.
Read full Michigan guideMN 1234 AB
Minnesota has additional carbon-monoxide sticker rules for certain vessels. Source: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
Read full Minnesota guideMI 1234 AB
The Mississippi vessel prefix is MI, not MS. Source: Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks.
Read full Mississippi guideMO 1234 AB
Missouri expressly specifies TWO-INCH group spacing. Source: Missouri Department of Revenue.
Read full Missouri guideMT 1121 AB
Montana uses permanent registration — confirm current registration- vs validation-sticker terminology before applying. Source: Montana Motor Vehicle Division / Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks.
Read full Montana guideNB 1234 AB
Nebraska uses the NB prefix, not NE. Sequence is validation sticker → NB → space → numerals → space → suffix. Source: Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.
Read full Nebraska guideNV 1120 ZW
A separate Nevada aquatic-invasive-species decal also applies. Source: Nevada Department of Wildlife.
Read full Nevada guideNH 1234 AB
New Hampshire revised its vessel/decal rules recently — check the review date on this page. Source: New Hampshire Division of Motor Vehicles / General Court.
Read full New Hampshire guideNJ 1234 AB
Expired registration decals should not remain visible. Source: New Jersey State Police Marine Services / NJ MVC.
Read full New Jersey guideNM 1234 AB
The state specifically requires registration numbers on each side of the forward half. Source: New Mexico State Parks Division.
Read full New Mexico guideNY 1234 AB
NY DMV also describes registration stickers as positioned approximately 18 inches from the bow. Source: New York Department of Motor Vehicles.
Read full New York guideNC 1234 AB
The state specifically describes solid-color contrast. Source: North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.
Read full North Carolina guideND 1234 AB
The state explicitly excludes decorative outline and shading from the 3-inch measurement. Source: North Dakota Game and Fish Department.
Read full North Dakota guideOH 0000 AA
The suffix excludes the letters I, O and Q. Source: Ohio Department of Natural Resources / Ohio Administrative Code.
Read full Ohio guideOK 1234 AB
Oklahoma also requires a carbon-monoxide warning decal for covered vessels; this is not the registration decal. Source: Service Oklahoma.
Read full Oklahoma guideOR 123 AB
Motorboats and sailboats 12 feet and longer generally require Oregon title/registration. Source: Oregon State Marine Board.
Read full Oregon guidePA 1234 AB
Owners purchase their own letters and numbers. Source: Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.
Read full Pennsylvania guideRI 1234 AB
Rhode Island moved registration renewals into the Rhode Island Outdoors system in 2026. Source: Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.
Read full Rhode Island guideSC 3717 ZW
The registration structure changed with the South Carolina annual-registration system. Source: South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.
Read full South Carolina guideSD 1234 YZ
Certain non-motorized boats also have state registration/display requirements. Source: South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks.
Read full South Dakota guideTN 1234 AB
USCG-documented vessels registered in Tennessee do not display the state registration number; their validation decals are placed near operator-station windows. Source: Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.
Read full Tennessee guideTX 1234 AB
The validation decal number must match the certificate of number. Source: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
Read full Texas guideUT 1234 AB
Utah has separate AIS / mussel-awareness requirements; the AIS decal is not the vessel registration decal. Source: Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation / Utah DMV.
Read full Utah guideVT 3717 ZW
Port and starboard sticker relationships are intentionally different. Source: Vermont vessel-registration program.
Read full Vermont guideVA 1234 AB
Only the current decal may remain visible. Source: Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources.
Read full Virginia guideWN 1234 ZZ
The Washington boat prefix is WN, not WA. Federally documented vessels must not display a WN number. Source: Washington State Department of Licensing.
Read full Washington guideWV 1234 AB
Keep only current registration identification visible. Source: West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles / West Virginia boating regulations.
Read full West Virginia guideWS 9999 ZZ
Wisconsin uses the WS prefix, not WI. Two-toned and camouflage registration numbers are NOT legal. Source: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Read full Wisconsin guideWY 3717 A
Wyoming separately requires an aquatic-invasive-species decal. Source: Wyoming Game and Fish Department.
Read full Wyoming guideEach state record is built from that state's own material, in this order of priority: current statute or administrative rule, the current official state agency page, the current official state boating handbook, and a secondary boating-education source only where official material is unclear. Rules are never copied from one state to another — where a state does not publish an exact decal offset, we say so instead of assuming one. Every state page shows its agency, source quality and review date.
RegistrationDecals.com supplies the registration-number lettering, designed to meet the displayed state size and formatting requirements. Your state issues the official validation/expiration decal, and separately may require aquatic-invasive-species, mussel-awareness, carbon-monoxide or lake and river protection stickers. Those are all different stickers with different rules.
Disclaimer: Registration requirements can change. RegistrationDecals.com summarizes publicly available boating-registration requirements to help boat owners select and display registration numbers. Always compare your registration and decals with the current instructions issued by your state boating or registration agency before applying them to your vessel.
