Section 1548.032. Physical certificate not required in private sale to dealer

(A)

(1) If a person who is not an electronic watercraft dealer owns a watercraft or outboard motor for which a physical certificate of title has not been issued by a clerk of a court of common pleas and the person sells the watercraft or outboard motor to a watercraft dealer registered under section 1547.543 of the Revised Code, the person is not required to obtain a physical certificate of title to the watercraft or outboard motor in order to transfer ownership to the dealer. The person shall present the dealer, in a manner approved by the chief of the division of watercraft, with sufficient proof of the person's identity and complete and sign a form prescribed by the chief attesting to the person's identity and assigning the watercraft or outboard motor to the dealer. Except as otherwise provided in this section, the watercraft dealer shall present the assignment form to any clerk of a court of common pleas together with an application for a certificate of title and payment of the fees prescribed by section 1548.10 of the Revised Code.

In a case in which an electronic certificate of title has been issued and either the buyer or seller of the watercraft or outboard motor is an electronic watercraft dealer, the electronic watercraft dealer instead may inform a clerk of a court of common pleas via electronic means of the sale of the watercraft or outboard motor and assignment of ownership of the watercraft or outboard motor. The clerk shall enter the information relating to the assignment into the automated title processing system, and ownership of the watercraft or outboard motor passes to the applicant when the clerk enters this information into the system. The dealer is not required to obtain a physical certificate of title to the watercraft or outboard motor in the dealer's name.

(2) A clerk shall charge and collect from a dealer a fee of five dollars for each watercraft or outboard motor assignment sent by the dealer to the clerk under division (A)(1) of this section. The fee shall be distributed in accordance with section 1548.10 of the Revised Code.

(B) If a person who is not an electronic watercraft dealer owns a watercraft or outboard motor for which a physical certificate of title has not been issued by a clerk of a court of common pleas and the person sells the watercraft or outboard motor to a person who is not a watercraft dealer registered under section 1547.543 of the Revised Code, the person shall obtain a physical certificate of title to the watercraft or outboard motor in order to transfer ownership of the watercraft or outboard motor to that person.

Effective Date: 04-06-2007; 2008 SB271 06-13-2008