Hey all! I was just wondering if anyone could help me out… I live in North Carolina where I do not have to register my kayak. However, I plan on visiting my hometown soon and was planning on bringing the yak but in Ohio i believe I need to register my kayak? So… should I try to register my kayak in NC or since I’m a resident here will I be good in Ohio not registering it? Didn’t know if anyone here would have an idea. I’ll be talking to a boat registrar down here tomorrow hopefully. Thanks. 
Wish I could help more than to say this is a good question. I would expect the answer to be what is legal in your home state but that is just a guess. Jim.
Talk to Ohio, but in most cases you do not have to register a kayak in a state you are visiting for a short time. You just have to honor the rules of your home state, in your case no registration. I would make sure to carry a driver’s license though especially if you are launching from a state facility.
Here is what I found on a USA Today site about it. My recollection is that this came up about another state which requires registration in the last year and they had similar arrangements.
“Registering a Kayak
All kayaks utilizing Ohio waters are required to register with the state. Proof of ownership is required to register your kayak. The state-issued Alternative Registration sticker must be displayed on the vessel, and the paper copy of the registration must be with you whenever paddling Ohio waters. **If the craft is registered in another state and you are visiting for less than 60 days, you are exempt from having to register. **Registration is also not needed if you are competing in a sanctioned kayaking competition or are temporarily visiting from outside the U.S.”
Generally if visiting you do not need a local registration. That period is usually 30 days. As long as you have home state I’d, drivers license, car registration from NC you should be ok.
You usually can find it on the state web site …in the fine print section.
Thanks all! I will keep my fingers crossed I don’t have to register but will call Ohio Dnr today 
“Visiting from out-of-state?
You are welcome to use your out-of-state boat in Ohio as long as it is legally registered for your current state of residence. You need to abide by all Ohio boating laws and should have proof of residency.”
Yep gotta call Ohio 
@MorganOBX said:
“Visiting from out-of-state?
You are welcome to use your out-of-state boat in Ohio as long as it is legally registered for your current state of residence. You need to abide by all Ohio boating laws and should have proof of residency.”Yep gotta call Ohio
Isn’t that a wonderful answer? Here in Maine there is no way to register a human powered craft unless you put a motor on it… And then it becomes taxable every year just as property tax. I have taken my unregistered boat a few times to OH but maybe just got lucky no one noticed a lack of registration…
A somewhat related question has to do with invasive species registration (no, you aren’t the invader, but your boat may be). There are states that may require inspection upon entry at an inspection site, perhaps some require purchase of a sticker etc. Even specific lakes may have such requirements e.g. Lake Whatcom near Bellingham, WA offers a 1-day, 3-day, or annual sticker.
A state might require AIS inspection but not vessel registration. In CO, the state exempts seven classes of nonmotorized vessels, including kayaks, from the normal inspection required of all other vessels. These vessels do not have to be registered. However, individual managing organizations at some lakes might ask a set of questions pertaining to places paddled within a certain amount of time. Depending on your answers, they may or may not require a visual inspection.
Some bodies of water both in and out of state are known to be contaminated, so if I were bringing in a boat that had been in any of them, I would do a thorough decontamination of it myself—rather than risk being subject to the state’s decon process, which is targeted towards much sturdier craft.
The states will differ on invasive species inspection. From the Idaho web site we find:
“Idaho law requires the owner of any boat and any non-motorized vessel to buy and display an Idaho Invasive Species Fund sticker to legally launch and operate the boat in Idaho.
This includes:
motor boats,
jet boats,
canoes,
kayaks,
rafts,
drift boats
This does not include:
inflatable, non-motorized vessels less than 10 feet long”
@rsevenic said:
The states will differ on invasive species inspection. From the Idaho web site we find:“Idaho law requires the owner of any boat and any non-motorized vessel to buy and display an Idaho Invasive Species Fund sticker to legally launch and operate the boat in Idaho.
This includes:
motor boats,
jet boats,
canoes,
kayaks,
rafts,
drift boats
This does not include:
inflatable, non-motorized vessels less than 10 feet long”
LOL… In Washington and Idaho if you have a boat on top of your car you MUST stop at an inspection station, Don’t even need to be near water. in 2017 we learned this… We did not have to buy a sticker. We did have to fill out paperwork.
As far as registration goes, why would you even consider it? I would not do it, just on principle, as registering kayaks is ridiculous. We’ve been fighting battles against it nearly every year in the New England states and fortunately, we’ve been winning.
If NC doesn’t require it, screw Ohio! The likelihood that you’ll be stopped on the water is probably minuscule and the fact that you’re visiting from out of state should quickly resolve any questions (just carry ID with you). Go on your trip and don’t worry about it.
I split time between Ohio and Maine. Ohio requires kayak registrations and Maine does not so I have researched this when I want to use one of my Maine kayaks in Ohio. The “Frequent Questions” here: watercraft.ohiodnr.gov/ give the following answer:
I will be visiting Ohio and bringing my boat. Do I need to register it in Ohio?
The short answer is: No.
States have a reciprocation agreement about boat registrations, just like with automobile registrations. Just because you drive your car in another state doesn’t mean you have to get license plates in that state.If your boat is legally and currently registered in the state of primary use (the state that you use it most often) and you are not a resident of Ohio, then you can use your boat on Ohio waters for up to 60 days without getting an Ohio registration for it. You must carry your primary-use-state registration with you onboard the vessel, and you are bound by all Ohio boating laws and rules.
If your boat is not required to be registered in your state of residence, then you need to carry proof of residency with you, to prove that you live out of state. You still are bound by all Ohio operating laws and rules.
I keep a photocopy of a Maine tax bill with me as proof of Maine residency. But I’ve only been stopped by a ranger once, and he didn’t ask to see any proof of out-of-state residency.
There you go!