The Coast Guard wants to charge a $26 fee for annual documentation of recreational and commercial boats. The agency proposed the new fee on Monday, March 4. You can read about it here: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-03-04/html/2013-04866.htm.
The fee would cover renewal or endorsement of the Certificate of Documentation.
The Coast Guard says the fee would cover costs.
It is taking public comments on the proposal until May 3.
The Coast Guard last changed its vessel fee rules in 1993. Costs were much lower then.
The agency says it also plans to review and propose increasing other boat documentation fees.
A separate late fee would apply.
The new fee would increase revenue an estimated $6.1 million a year, enough for the Coast Guard to recoup its costs. The Coast Guard estimates that it costs about $11.3 million to handle the documentation but it only collected about $5.3 million in fees.
In 2010, about 200,000 recreational boats got the documentation.
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