Vehicle Industry Registration Procedures Manual

Driver Education illustration

Section 25 of 38

Chapter 24: Vessels

24.075 Hull Identification Numbers (HIN) (VC §§9857, 9871, 9871.5)

The HIN is a unique combination of letters and/or numbers affixed to the vessel. California law requires all registered vessels to have a HIN. Federal regulations effective November 1, 1972, require vessel manufacturers to assign a HIN to each vessel the manufacturer builds. Noncomplying manufacturers will be investigated by the U.S. Coast Guard. In 1978, DMV assigned HINs to the vessels without a HIN on DMV records.

Current Manufacturer HIN Format—Since August 1984, a manufacturer’s HIN must consist of a combination of 12 letters and numbers as follows:

XXX12345A393
XXX3 letters identify the manufacturer’s identification code123455 letters or numbers (serial #)A3Month represented by a letter and year of manufacture or date of certification93Last 2 numbers of model year

1972 to 1984 Manufacturer HIN Formats—HINs were formatted as follows:

XXX123451280X
XXX3 letters identify the manufacturer’s identification code123455 letters or numbers (serial #)1280Month and year of manufacture or date of certificationXAdditional optional characters for builder’s purpose
XXX12345M73EX
XXX3 letters identify the manufacturers’ identification code123455 letters or numbers (serial #)MLetter code indicates information to follow73EMonth and year of certificationXAdditional optional characters for builder’s purpose

Homemade Vessels/Vessels without a Valid HIN (CFZ) Format—The U.S. Coast Guard assigned California a HIN format to use when assigning a HIN to homemade vessels and vessels without a valid number. The HIN must be:

CFZ1234AH191
CFZAlways CFZ for California1234AFirst 5 characters of the vessel CF numberH1Letter code for month and year of manufacture or year fees paid if year of manufacture is unknown91Last 2 digits of the year model or year fees paid if year model is unknown

If DMV records do not show a HIN but the vessel has a HIN, the following must be submitted:

  • The Certificate of Ownership.
  • A completed Statement of Facts REG 256 (PDF) showing a HIN.

HIN Assignments—In addition to any other requirements, the following must be submitted:

  • The Certificate of Ownership.
  • A REG 256 (PDF) stating the vessel does not have a HIN and the name of the builder, if known.

Refer to the Quagga/Zebra Mussel Fee section in this chapter for additional/exemption information.

The procedures below must be followed:

Process as a correction if not submitted with another transaction that the HIN can be changed on.

  • Record the assigned HIN on the application.
  • Refer fiberglass homemade boats, 15 feet or longer, to a licensed vessel verifier or peace officer for verification.
  • Give the applicant an ABCs of California Boating (BOAT 3) booklet.
  • Instruct the applicant to affix the HIN number as explained in the BOAT 3.

At the owner’s request, a HIN may be assigned for no fee to a vessel which does not have a HIN.

Exceptions—Do not assign a HIN to a vessel:

  • That is 1973 or newer vessel which already has less than a 12-character HIN.
  • Commercially manufactured after 1972.
  • If documentation indicates an existing HIN.