46 U.S.C. § 12105 — Issuance of documentation

(a) In General Except as section 12152 of this title provides, the Secretary, on receiving a proper application, must issue a certificate of documentation or a temporary certificate of documentation for a vessel that satisfies the requirements of section 12103 of this title. The certificate must contain each endorsement under subchapter II of this chapter for which the owner applies and the vessel is eligible. (b) Temporary Certificates for Recreational Vessels The Secretary may delegate, under the Secretary's supervision and control and under regulation, to qualified private entities the authority to issue a temporary certificate of documentation for a recreational vessel eligible under section 12103. Such a temporary certificate is valid for no more than 30 days. (c) Information To Be Included in Certificate A certificate of documentation must: (1) identify and describe the vessel; (2) identify the owner of the vessel; and (3) contain additional information the Secretary prescribes. (d) Procedures To Ensure Integrity and Accuracy The Secretary must prescribe procedures to ensure the integrity of, and accuracy of information in, certificates of documentation. (e) Effective Period (1) In general. Except as paragraphs (2) and (3) provide, a certificate of documentation issued under this part is valid for a 1-year period and may be renewed for additional 1-year periods. (2) Recreational vessels. (A) In general. The owner or operator of a recreational vessel may instead choose a period of effectiveness between 1 and 5 years, for issuance or renewal of the certificate. (B) Fees. (i) Requirement. The Secretary must assess and collect a fee (I) for issuing a recreational vessel's certificate, equivalent to the fee for issuance under section 2110; and (II) for renewing it, equivalent to the number of years of effectiveness multiplied by the section 2110 renewal fee. (ii) Treatment. Fees collected under this subsection (I) are credited to the account that paid the costs of the issuance or renewal, and (II) may remain available until spent. (3) Notice of change in information. (A) Requirement. The owner must notify the Coast Guard of each change in the information underlying the certificate, no later than 30 days after the change, before the certificate expires. (B) Termination of certificate. The certificate terminates upon the expiration of that 30-day period if the owner has not notified the Coast Guard of the change before the period ends. (4) State and local authority to remove abandoned and derelict vessels. Nothing in this section limits a state or local authority's power to remove an abandoned or derelict vessel.