67-7004. HULL IDENTIFICATION NUMBER. (1) All vessels, except seaplanes, shall have two (2) identical hull identification numbers permanently displayed and affixed in accordance with federal regulations.
(2) A person who builds or imports a vessel for his own use and not for the purposes of sale shall request a hull identification number from the director and affix the number as instructed.
(3) No person shall destroy, remove, alter, or cover a vessel hull identification number.
(4) The director may issue a hull identification number for any vessel in violation of the provisions of this section.
(5) The same hull identification number may not be assigned to more than one (1) vessel.
(6) Each applicant for a hull identification number as prescribed in subsections (2) and (4) of this section shall submit one (1) of the following documents to the department:
(a) The bill of sale from the dealer or a bill of sale from the previous owner of the vessel;
(b) If the vessel is homebuilt, a sworn statement attesting to the identity of the builder, the location or place of construction, the source of the material used for construction, and a description of the vessel. The statement must also be accompanied by any receipts received from the purchase or acquisition of the materials used in the construction of the vessel and a copy of the construction plans, if any;
(c) If the vessel has been rebuilt, a sworn statement attesting to the identity of the building, the location or place of rebuilding, the source of the material used for rebuilding, and a description of the vessel. The statement must also be accompanied by any receipts received for the purchase or acquisition of the materials used in the rebuilding of the vessel, documentation indicating the source of the original hull, and proof of ownership from the previous owner; or
(d) If none of the documents listed in this subsection are available, an affidavit of ownership.
(7) Each hull identification number issued according to subsection (2) of this section shall consist of twelve (12) characters, uninterrupted by slashes, hyphens, or spaces, as follows:
(a) Prefix. The first three (3) characters shall be "IDZ," which denotes Idaho as the issuing authority.
(b) Hull serial number. Characters four (4) through eight (8) shall be the hull serial number assigned by the director in letters of the English alphabet or Arabic numerals, or both, except the letters "I," "O," and "Q."
(c) Date of manufacture. Characters nine (9) and ten (10) shall indicate the month and year of manufacture. The date indicated can be no earlier than the date construction or assembly began and no later than the date construction or assembly is completed or the vessel is imported into the United States. Character nine (9) shall be indicated using letters of the English alphabet. The first month of the year, January, shall be designated by the letter "A," the second month, February, by the letter "B," and so on until the last month of the year, December. Character ten (10) shall be the last digit of the year of manufacture or import and shall be an Arabic numeral.
(d) Model year. Characters eleven (11) and twelve (12) shall indicate the model year using Arabic numerals for the last two (2) numbers of the model year such as "87" for 1987 and "88" for 1988.
(8) Each hull identification number issued according to subsection (2) of this section shall be displayed as follows:
(a) Primary number. The primary hull identification number shall be affixed, on vessels with transoms, to the starboard outboard side of the transom within two (2) inches of the top of the transom, gunwale, or hull/deck joint, whichever is lowest. On vessels without transoms or on vessels on which it would be impractical to use the transom, it shall be affixed to the starboard outboard side of the hull, aft, within one (1) foot of the stern and within two (2) inches of the top of the hull side, gunwale, or hull/deck joint, whichever is lowest. On catamarans and pontoon vessels that have readily replaceable hulls to the aft crossbeam, it shall be affixed within one (1) foot of the starboard hull attachment. If the hull identification number would not be visible because of rails, fittings, or other accessories, the number shall be affixed as near as possible to the location specified in this chapter.
(b) Duplicate number. The duplicate hull identification number shall be affixed in an unexposed location on the interior of the vessel or beneath a fitting or item of hardware.
(c) Permanent placement. Each hull identification number shall be carved, burned, stamped, embossed, molded, bonded, or otherwise permanently affixed to the vessel so that alteration, removal, or replacement would be obvious. If the number is on a separate plate, the plate shall be fastened in such a manner that its removal would normally cause some scarring of or damage to the surrounding hull area. A hull identification number may not be attached to parts of the vessel that are removable.
(d) Size. The characters of each hull identification number shall be no less than one-fourth (1/4) of an inch high.
History:
[67-7004, added 1986, ch. 207, sec. 2, p. 518; am. 1996, ch. 54, sec. 2, p. 162; am. 2022, ch. 218, sec. 2, p. 712.]