A. For each record relating to a certificate of title submitted to the Department, the Department shall:

Terms Used In Virginia Code 29.1-733.11

  • Certificate of title: means a record, created by the Department under this article or by a governmental agency of another jurisdiction under the law of that jurisdiction that is designated as a certificate of title by the Department or agency and is evidence of ownership of a watercraft. See Virginia Code 29.1-733.2
  • Hull identification number: means the alphanumeric designation assigned to a watercraft pursuant to 33 C. See Virginia Code 29.1-733.2
  • Owner: means a person that has legal title to a watercraft. See Virginia Code 29.1-733.2
  • Person: means an individual, corporation, business trust, estate, trust, statutory trust, partnership, limited liability company, association, joint venture, public corporation, government or governmental subdivision, agency or instrumentality, or any other legal or commercial entity. See Virginia Code 29.1-733.2
  • Record: means information that is inscribed on a tangible medium or that is stored in an electronic or other medium and is retrievable in perceivable form. See Virginia Code 29.1-733.2
  • Registration number: means the alphanumeric designation for a vessel issued pursuant to 46 U. See Virginia Code 29.1-733.2
  • State: means a state of the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, or any territory or insular possession subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. See Virginia Code 29.1-733.2
  • Watercraft: means any vessel that is used or capable of being used as a means of transportation on water and is propelled by machinery, whether or not the machinery is the principal source of propulsion, except:

    1. See Virginia Code 29.1-733.2

1. Ascertain or assign the hull identification number for the watercraft;

2. Maintain the hull identification number and all the information submitted with the application pursuant to subsection B of § 29.1-733.7 to which the record relates, including the date and time the record was delivered to the Department;

3. Maintain the files for public inspection subject to subsection E; and

4. Index the files of the Department as required by subsection B.

B. The Department shall maintain in its files the information contained in all certificates of title created under this article. The information in the files of the Department shall be searchable by the hull identification number of the watercraft, the registration number, the name of the owner of record, and any other method used by the Department.

C. The Department shall maintain in its files, for each watercraft for which it has created a certificate of title, all title brands known to the Department, the name of each secured party known to the Department, the name of each person known to the Department to be claiming an ownership interest, and all stolen-property reports the Department has received.

D. Upon request, for safety, security, or law-enforcement purposes, the Department shall provide to federal, state, or local government the information in its files relating to any watercraft for which the Department has issued a certificate of title.

E. Except as otherwise provided by the law of the Commonwealth other than this article, the information required under § 29.1-733.9 is a public record. The information provided under subdivision B 3 of § 29.1-733.7 is not a public record.

2013, c. 787.

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