(a) Every vessel propelled by sail or machinery, or both, upon the waters of Tennessee shall be numbered for identification in accordance with this chapter and the regulations of the commission except:
Motorboat: means any vessel propelled by machinery, whether or not such machinery is the principal source of propulsion. See Tennessee Code 69-9-204
State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
State of principal use: means the state on whose waters a vessel is used, whether moored or underway, or to be used most during a calendar year. See Tennessee Code 69-9-204
United States: includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
Vessel: means every description of watercraft, other than a seaplane on the water, used or capable of being used as a means of transportation on water. See Tennessee Code 69-9-204
(1) A vessel that has a valid document issued by the bureau of customs of the United States, or any federal agency successor to the bureau of customs must be registered with the agency but is not required to display the identification numbers on the vessel;(2) A vessel with a valid number awarded to it pursuant to federal law or a federally-approved numbering system of another state; unless Tennessee has become the state of principal use and the vessel has been in Tennessee for sixty (60) days;(3) A vessel from a country other than the United States temporarily using the waters of Tennessee;(4) A vessel that is owned by the United States government, a state, or political subdivision of the United States government or a state that is used in the public service;(5) A ship’s lifeboat;(6) A motorboat belonging to a class of boats that has been exempted from numbering by the commission after the agency has found that the numbering of motorboats of such class will not materially aid in their identification; and, if an agency of the federal government has a numbering system applicable to the class of motorboats to which the motorboat in question belongs, after the commission has further found that the motorboat would also be exempt from numbering if it were subject to the federal law; or(7) A vessel that is owned by any volunteer rescue squad and used solely in emergency or rescue work and not for private, personal, recreation, or business use.(b) Every such exempt vessel under subsection (a) shall prominently display identification by name on the vessel.
