KY boat trailer in IN

[bassmanic1]

Just wondering - Im getting to use my father-in-laws 16' river Jon until duck season and went to get it last week . He lives in Beech Grove KY and the trailer dosent have plates . He said in KY you dont have to get plates for trailers which kind of threw me . I will be using it at Bluegrass & Patoka so I will be pulling it on IN highways . Whats to keep the cops from pulling me over all the time ? Does everyone in KY with a trailer stay in state and never travel ? I got the boat reg. but I dont want to have to deal with law if I dont have to . Any suggestions ?

[Moose1am]

I'll say that you should have some type of license plate on the boat trailer. If not a KY boat trailer plate then you need to get one from IN license bureau.

If you use the boat at Patoka make sure that you have boat registration on the boat with you.

I got a ticket one year at Patoka when I didn't have my boat registered. I now registered my boat every year.

I would call the IBMV and ask them to make sure though. That's the best advice I can give to you.

Just wondering - Im getting to use my father-in-laws 16' river Jon until duck season and went to get it last week . He lives in Beech Grove KY and the trailer dosent have plates . He said in KY you dont have to get plates for trailers which kind of threw me . I will be using it at Bluegrass & Patoka so I will be pulling it on IN highways . Whats to keep the cops from pulling me over all the time ? Does everyone in KY with a trailer stay in state and never travel ? I got the boat reg. but I dont want to have to deal with law if I dont have to . Any suggestions ?

[MsgMills]

No wait, have the boat licensed in KY, now that Indiana has a new .7 cent tax rate. They will try and stick you for the extra .1 cent in additional taxes to register the boat. Ky use to do the same thing to people who came to KY from Indiana, since the tax rate was cheaper in Indiana at the time. The boat can then be taken any where you want to go. But according to KY. Law the boat and trailer are 1 item. So for your F-I-L to travel with the trailer around, shouldn't be a problem if stopped by Police. But as long as you have the registration for the boat and trailer, you should be fine...But check with the KY DMV on this one.....

[raporter]

Wont he still need a launch permit on the boat?

[LJWrench]

Wont he still need a launch permit on the boat?

It's now called a "Lake Permit". Make sure you have it on your boat if your at Patoka or any other lake in Indiana. I was on Hardy last month during the week and DNR stopped me for a safety check and the first thing he looked for was the "lake permit".

[TR21Bassin]

Lake Permits will be needed but just have a copy of the boat registration showing that it is your dad's showing the boat is his. No need for the tags on the trailer.

Charlie

[MsgMills]

Yep everyone who fishes in Indiana waters will need the $ 20.00 Lake permit.......

[Roostertail]

You don't need plates in KY. But an Indiana vehicle pulling a KY boat?? I don't know what they would say? I don't think they could say anything. But you may still get pulled over. I guess as long as you have the registration or title and it is not you, then they only have to check to make sure you didn't steal it.....And make sure everything on the boat is current for KY.

[billm_usa1]

The County excise tax would need to be paid if it's in Indiana for more than 30 consecutive days. Doesn't matter who owns it or where they live. So go fish the souht bank of the Ohio River for 5 minutes or so once a month or drive across the bridge and take a picture.

[Moose1am]

Good idea.

Use a polarid camera and write the date and location on the picture for proof.

I still wonder if you need to have a License plate on the boat trailer when driving though the state of IN? But I don't really know the law on this.

I'd still call the motor vehicle guys in IN and ask them about this. Better to be safe than sorry and end up getting a ticket.

Driving downt the road without a plate on the trailer is just asking for trouble. The Police may not really know what's going on and they may stop you just to check you out. Or maybe not!

I registered my boat in KY when I first bought it. I never had to fool with the IN registration system until about 1990 when I got a ticket at Patoka Lake for not having it registered in IN. All I did was pay property taxes on the trailer so that I could get a license plate. If I had not got stopped that time at Patoka I would still not be registered in IN.

Now it costs me an additional 50 bucks a year to registered my boat. I'll have to do that again this fall.

And if you fish the smaller lakes in IN you won't always need that Lake Permit on your boat. For example you don't need the Lake Permit for Bluegrass F&W area's lakes. But you need it for Monroe and Patoka Lake. Probably for Dogwood also.

The County excise tax would need to be paid if it's in Indiana for more than 30 consecutive days. Doesn't matter who owns it or where they live. So go fish the souht bank of the Ohio River for 5 minutes or so once a month or drive across the bridge and take a picture.

[Fisherjoe]

You do not need to license the trailer if it is registered in KY (or any other state that does not require trailer license). Just be sure to have proof of the KY registration in case you are checked. I verified this with the IN State Police. They could not realistically enforce a license plate law on every out of state vehicle that passes thru IN.

INDNR requires the $20 lake permit on ANY boat on state-owned waters (such as Patoka). They can be purchased online or at any DNR office. The Patoka office is located at the entrance to the state park. Sometimes, they will have someone at the ramp selling them as well.

[Roostertail]

If you were registered in KY then you were good to go. You can fish in any state if your boat is registered with one state. The only thing you have to worry about is fishing license, and boat launching permit.