Illinois Boat Registration Help

Registering a pontoon, tritoon or boat in illinois when purchased from Wisconsin:

If you live in Illinois and you purchased a new pontoon, tritoon, fishing boat or deck boat from our dealership in Wisconsin, the registration process is pretty straightforward with the Illinois DNR. Note: If you do finance with us we will facilitate this process for you with the DNR. If you are paying for your new boat out of pocket or financing through your own bank these are the steps you follow to get your boat registered. 

As a dealership, we will collect 5% tax and the residual amount will be collected by the Ilinois DNR when you register the boat. For example, if you live in Lake County Illinois and you’re registering your new pontoon there you will pay the difference in tax between what your local vehicle tax rate is and your local rate. So if it’s 7%, you’ll pay 2% at the time of registration because we have collected the first 5%. You do not pay tax twice. The RUT-25 form is used to calculate this tax difference between Wisconsin and Illinois. So if you purchase your pontoon for $20,000 and we collected 5% ($1,000), you will write a check to the Illinois DNR for $400 when you register your new boat. Here’s a link to figure out your local vehicle tax rate, when you land on the page below click on the link next to; “Vehicle Use Tax (RUT-25 and RUT-25-LSE)”: 

As a general rule of thumb here’s some of the northern counties in Illinois vehicle tax rates. Please check tax.illinois.gov/research/taxrates/use.html to make sure this is the most up to date vehicle tax rate. 

Lake County Illinois Boat Tax Rate: 7%

Cook County Illinois Boat Tax Rate: 7.25% 

(If the vehicle or trailer is titled and registered to a Chicago address, a Chicago Home Rule Tax of 1.250% is imposed in addition to the vehicle rate listed above, making the rate 8.5%)

Winnebago County Illinois Boat Tax Rate: 6.25%

Boone County Illinois Boat Tax Rate: 6.25%

McHenry County Illinois Boat Tax Rate: 7% 

(If the vehicle or trailer is titled and registered to a Chicago address, a Chicago Home Rule Tax of 1.250% is imposed in addition to the vehicle rate listed above, making the rate 8.25%)

Du Page County Illinois Boat Tax Rate: 7% 

(If the vehicle or trailer is titled and registered to a Chicago address, a Chicago Home Rule Tax of 1.250% is imposed in addition to the vehicle rate listed above, making the rate 8.25%)

Kane County Illinois Boat Tax Rate: 7% 

(If the vehicle or trailer is titled and registered to a Chicago address, a Chicago Home Rule Tax of 1.250% is imposed in addition to the vehicle rate listed above, making the rate 8.25%)

Dekalb County Illinois Boat Tax Rate: 6.25%

A couple tips here: if you are using the boat at your second home in Wisconsin you may want to register it with the Wisconsin DNR instead to pay the lower tax rate. For any Wisconsin pontoon or boat registration we will facilitate the paperwork for you. 

In illinois both your boat or pontoon trailer will need to be registered with the whereas in Wisconsin it does not. Here’s where you can find information on registering your boat trailer: www.ilsos.gov/departments/vehicles/home.html

These are the items required to register your boat or pontoon in Illinois with the Illinois DNR. For the most recent rules when buying a boat in Wisconsin and registering it Illinois please check their website at www2.illinois.gov/dnr/boating/Pages/Registering.aspx

These are the items you’ll need when registering your new boat in Illinois after purchasing it in Wisconsin

  • Completed Watercraft Application, open a new account
    • www.exploremoreil.com
  • Original Manufacturer’s Statement of Origin (Boat title from manufacturer provided by Keith’s Marina)
  • Copy of Bill of Sale or Purchase Agreement (Provided by Keith’s Marina)
  • Check or money order payable to Dept of Revenue for tax amount due
  • Check or money order payable to IDNR for registration fees (Provided on IL DNR Website)
    • New and Transfer Renewal
    • Class 1 - All powered Watercraft less than 16 ft. except non-powered - $28.00
    • Class 2 - 16 ft. to less than 26 ft. - $60.00
    • Class 3 - 26 ft. to less than 40 ft. - $160.00
    • Class 4 - 40 ft. and over - $210.00
  • RUT-25 tax form (form detailing difference of your local vehicle tax rate - the 5% you will pay in the state of Wisconsin. You can obtain the RUT25 form from the following sources:
  • Requesting them from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, where you are applying for title
  • Calling the IL Dept. of Revenue 24-hour Forms Order Line at 1-800-356-6302
  • Writing the IL Dept. of Revenue, PO Box 19010, Springfield IL 62794-9010

To reach the Illinois DNR for boat registrations here is their contact information for more information or refer to the website at www2.illinois.gov/dnr/boating/Pages/Registering.aspx

IL DNR Phone Number: 217-782-6302

IL DNR Address: One Natural Resources Way, Springfield IL 62702