{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/29.1-700.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/29.1-700.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/29.1-700.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/29.1-700.html"}],"law_id":60710,"edition_id":1,"section_id":60710,"structure_id":15481,"section_number":"29.1-700","catch_line":"Definitions","history":"Code 1960, c. 500, \u00a7 62-174.2; 1962, c. 626; 1968, c. 659, \u00a7 62.1-167; 1972, c. 412; 1987, c. 488; 1998, cc. 84, 443, 512, 514, 515, 533, 537, 563.","full_text":"As used in this chapter, unless the context clearly requires a different meaning:\n\t\t“Motorboat” means any vessel propelled by machinery whether or not the machinery is the principal source of propulsion.\n\t\t“No wake” means operation of a motorboat at the slowest possible speed required to maintain steerage and headway.\n\t\t“Operate” means to navigate or otherwise control the movement of a motorboat or a vessel.\n\t\t“Owner” means a person, other than a lien holder, having the property in or title to a motorboat. The term includes a person entitled to the use or possession of a motorboat subject to an interest in another person, reserved or created by agreement and securing payment of performance of an obligation, but the term excludes a lessee under a lease not intended as security.\n\t\t“Personal watercraft” means a motorboat less than sixteen feet in length which uses an inboard motor powering a jet pump, as its primary motive power and which is designed to be operated by a person sitting, standing, or kneeling on, rather than in the conventional manner of sitting or standing inside, the vessel.\n\t\t“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.\n\t\t“Waters of the Commonwealth” means any public waters within the territorial limits of the Commonwealth, the adjacent marginal sea and the high seas when navigated as a part of a journey or ride to or from the Virginia shore.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":221923,"text":"As used in this chapter, unless the context clearly requires a different meaning:\n\t\t“Motorboat” means any vessel propelled by machinery whether or not the machinery is the principal source of propulsion.\n\t\t“No wake” means operation of a motorboat at the slowest possible speed required to maintain steerage and headway.\n\t\t“Operate” means to navigate or otherwise control the movement of a motorboat or a vessel.\n\t\t“Owner” means a person, other than a lien holder, having the property in or title to a motorboat. The term includes a person entitled to the use or possession of a motorboat subject to an interest in another person, reserved or created by agreement and securing payment of performance of an obligation, but the term excludes a lessee under a lease not intended as security.\n\t\t“Personal watercraft” means a motorboat less than sixteen feet in length which uses an inboard motor powering a jet pump, as its primary motive power and which is designed to be operated by a person sitting, standing, or kneeling on, rather than in the conventional manner of sitting or standing inside, the vessel.\n\t\t“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.\n\t\t“Waters of the Commonwealth” means any public waters within the territorial limits of the Commonwealth, the adjacent marginal sea and the high seas when navigated as a part of a journey or ride to or from the Virginia shore.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":15481,"edition_id":1,"name":"Boat Registration and Identification","identifier":"1","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13227,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:55:23","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:55:23","permalink":{"id":193455,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":15481,"identifier":"1","token":"29.1\/7\/1","url":"\/29.1\/7\/1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13227,"edition_id":1,"name":"Boating Laws","identifier":"7","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12934,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:29","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:29","permalink":{"id":193453,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13227,"identifier":"7","token":"29.1\/7","url":"\/29.1\/7\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12934,"edition_id":1,"name":"Wildlife, Inland Fisheries and Boating","identifier":"29.1","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:03","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:03","permalink":{"id":192277,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12934,"identifier":"29.1","token":"29.1","url":"\/29.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":60710,"structure_id":15481,"section_number":"29.1-700","catch_line":"Definitions","url":"\/29.1-700\/","token":"29.1\/7\/1\/29.1-700","metadata":false},{"id":58984,"structure_id":15481,"section_number":"29.1-701","catch_line":"Department to administer chapter; Motorboat Committee; funds for administration; records; rules and regulations","url":"\/29.1-701\/","token":"29.1\/7\/1\/29.1-701","metadata":false},{"id":63668,"structure_id":15481,"section_number":"29.1-701.1","catch_line":"Authority of Board to set fees","url":"\/29.1-701.1\/","token":"29.1\/7\/1\/29.1-701.1","metadata":false},{"id":82074,"structure_id":15481,"section_number":"29.1-702","catch_line":"Registration requirements; display of numbers; cancellation of certificate; exemption","url":"\/29.1-702\/","token":"29.1\/7\/1\/29.1-702","metadata":false},{"id":68716,"structure_id":15481,"section_number":"29.1-702.1","catch_line":"Making false affidavit or swearing falsely, perjury; penalty","url":"\/29.1-702.1\/","token":"29.1\/7\/1\/29.1-702.1","metadata":false},{"id":62216,"structure_id":15481,"section_number":"29.1-703","catch_line":"Identification numbers required; decals","url":"\/29.1-703\/","token":"29.1\/7\/1\/29.1-703","metadata":false},{"id":60690,"structure_id":15481,"section_number":"29.1-703.1","catch_line":"Temporary registration certificate; fee; application","url":"\/29.1-703.1\/","token":"29.1\/7\/1\/29.1-703.1","metadata":false},{"id":77420,"structure_id":15481,"section_number":"29.1-703.2","catch_line":"Designation of agents; compensation to agents; deposit of temporary registration certificate moneys","url":"\/29.1-703.2\/","token":"29.1\/7\/1\/29.1-703.2","metadata":false},{"id":59559,"structure_id":15481,"section_number":"29.1-704","catch_line":"Recording previously awarded numbers","url":"\/29.1-704\/","token":"29.1\/7\/1\/29.1-704","metadata":false},{"id":77500,"structure_id":15481,"section_number":"29.1-705","catch_line":"Change of ownership of motorboat; lost certificates","url":"\/29.1-705\/","token":"29.1\/7\/1\/29.1-705","metadata":false},{"id":74187,"structure_id":15481,"section_number":"29.1-706","catch_line":"Agents awarding numbers","url":"\/29.1-706\/","token":"29.1\/7\/1\/29.1-706","metadata":false},{"id":66251,"structure_id":15481,"section_number":"29.1-707","catch_line":"Records","url":"\/29.1-707\/","token":"29.1\/7\/1\/29.1-707","metadata":false},{"id":73391,"structure_id":15481,"section_number":"29.1-708","catch_line":"Transfer, destruction or abandonment of motorboat","url":"\/29.1-708\/","token":"29.1\/7\/1\/29.1-708","metadata":false},{"id":81488,"structure_id":15481,"section_number":"29.1-709","catch_line":"Change of address of certificate holder","url":"\/29.1-709\/","token":"29.1\/7\/1\/29.1-709","metadata":false},{"id":65019,"structure_id":15481,"section_number":"29.1-710","catch_line":"Exemption from numbering requirements","url":"\/29.1-710\/","token":"29.1\/7\/1\/29.1-710","metadata":false},{"id":64507,"structure_id":15481,"section_number":"29.1-711","catch_line":"Dealers and manufacturers of motorboats","url":"\/29.1-711\/","token":"29.1\/7\/1\/29.1-711","metadata":false}],"next_section":{"id":58984,"structure_id":15481,"section_number":"29.1-701","catch_line":"Department to administer chapter; Motorboat Committee; funds for administration; records; rules and regulations","url":"\/29.1-701\/","token":"29.1\/7\/1\/29.1-701","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/29.1-700\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 1960. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 500 of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year. Unfortunately, the 1960 \u201cActs\u201d aren\u2019t available online. It has been modified 5 times. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 1962, chapter 626; in 1968, chapter 659; in 1972, chapter 412; in 1987, chapter 488; in 1998, chapters 84<\/a>, 443<\/a>, 512<\/a>, 514<\/a>, 515<\/a>, 533<\/a>, 537<\/a>, and 563<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":69625,"section_number":"2.2-4002","catch_line":"Exemptions from chapter generally","order_by":null,"url":"\/2.2-4002\/"},{"id":56161,"section_number":"29.1-205","catch_line":"Power to make arrests","order_by":null,"url":"\/29.1-205\/"}],"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":193457,"object_type":"law","relational_id":60710,"identifier":"29.1-700","token":"29.1\/7\/1\/29.1-700","url":"\/29.1-700\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/29.1-700\/","token":"29.1\/7\/1\/29.1-700","dublin_core":{"Title":"Definitions","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 29.1-700","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

As used in this chapter, unless the context clearly requires a different meaning:\n\t\t“Motorboat<\/span>” means any vessel<\/span> propelled by machinery whether or not the machinery is the principal source of propulsion.\n\t\t“No wake<\/span>” means operation of a motorboat<\/span> at the slowest possible speed required to maintain steerage and headway.\n\t\t“Operate<\/span>” means to navigate or otherwise control the movement of a motorboat<\/span> or a vessel<\/span>.\n\t\t“Owner<\/span>” means a person, other than a lien<\/span> holder, having the property in or title to a motorboat<\/span>. The term includes a person entitled to the use or possession<\/span> of a motorboat<\/span> subject to an interest in another person, reserved or created by agreement and securing payment of performance of an obligation, but the term excludes a lessee under a lease not intended as security.\n\t\t“Personal watercraft<\/span>” means a motorboat<\/span> less than sixteen feet in length which uses an inboard motor powering a jet pump, as its primary motive power and which is designed to be operated by a person sitting, standing, or kneeling on, rather than in the conventional manner of sitting or standing inside, the vessel<\/span>.\n\t\t“Vessel<\/span>” means every description of watercraft, other than a seaplane on the water, used or capable of being used as a means of transportation<\/span> on water.\n\t\t“Waters of the Commonwealth<\/span>” means any public waters within the territorial limits of the Commonwealth, the adjacent marginal sea and the high seas when navigated as a part of a journey or ride to or from the Virginia shore.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nDEFINITIONS (\u00a7 29.1-700)\n\nAs used in this chapter, unless the context clearly requires a different\nmeaning:\n\t\t“Motorboat” means any vessel propelled by machinery whether or not\nthe machinery is the principal source of propulsion.\n\t\t“No wake” means operation of a motorboat at the slowest possible\nspeed required to maintain steerage and headway.\n\t\t“Operate” means to navigate or otherwise control the movement of a\nmotorboat or a vessel.\n\t\t“Owner” means a person, other than a lien holder, having the\nproperty in or title to a motorboat. The term includes a person entitled to the\nuse or possession of a motorboat subject to an interest in another person,\nreserved or created by agreement and securing payment of performance of an\nobligation, but the term excludes a lessee under a lease not intended as\nsecurity.\n\t\t“Personal watercraft” means a motorboat less than sixteen feet in\nlength which uses an inboard motor powering a jet pump, as its primary motive\npower and which is designed to be operated by a person sitting, standing, or\nkneeling on, rather than in the conventional manner of sitting or standing\ninside, the vessel.\n\t\t“Vessel” means every description of watercraft, other than a\nseaplane on the water, used or capable of being used as a means of\ntransportation on water.\n\t\t“Waters of the Commonwealth” means any public waters within the\nterritorial limits of the Commonwealth, the adjacent marginal sea and the high\nseas when navigated as a part of a journey or ride to or from the Virginia\nshore.\n\nHISTORY: Code 1960, c. 500, \u00a7 62-174.2; 1962, c. 626; 1968, c. 659, \u00a7\n62.1-167; 1972, c. 412; 1987, c. 488; 1998, cc. 84, 443, 512, 514, 515, 533,\n537, 563.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}