(1) Except as provided in subsections (2) and (3) of this section and sections 37-1249 and 37-1250, every motorboat on the waters of this state shall be numbered and no person shall operate or give permission for the operation of any vessel on such waters unless the vessel is numbered in accordance with the State Boat Act or in accordance with the laws of another state if the commission has by regulation approved the numbering system of such state and unless the certificate of number awarded to such vessel is in full force and effect and the identifying number set forth in the certificate of number is displayed and legible on each side of the forward half of the vessel.

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Terms Used In Nebraska Statutes 37-1211

  • Commission: shall mean the Game and Parks Commission. See Nebraska Statutes 37-1209
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Motorboat: shall mean any watercraft propelled in any respect by machinery, including watercraft temporarily equipped with detachable motors, but shall not include a vessel which has a valid marine document issued by the Bureau of Customs of the United States Government or any federal agency successor thereto. See Nebraska Statutes 37-1204
  • Operate: shall mean to navigate or otherwise use a motorboat or vessel. See Nebraska Statutes 37-1208
  • Owner: shall mean a person, other than a lienholder, having the property in or title to a motorboat. See Nebraska Statutes 37-1205
  • Person: shall mean an individual, partnership, limited liability company, firm, corporation, association, or other entity. See Nebraska Statutes 37-1207
  • Personal watercraft: shall mean a class of motorboat less than sixteen feet in length which uses an internal combustion engine powering a jet pump as its primary source of motive propulsion and is designed to be operated by a person sitting, standing, or kneeling on the watercraft rather than in the conventional manner of boat operation. See Nebraska Statutes 37-1204.01
  • State: when applied to different states of the United States shall be construed to extend to and include the District of Columbia and the several territories organized by Congress. See Nebraska Statutes 49-801
  • Vessel: shall mean every description of watercraft, other than a seaplane on the water, used or capable of being used as a means of transportation on water. See Nebraska Statutes 37-1203
  • Waters of this state: shall mean any waters within the territorial limits of Nebraska. See Nebraska Statutes 37-1206

(2) The owner of each motorboat may operate or give permission for the operation of such vessel for thirty days from the date the vessel was acquired in anticipation of the vessel being numbered. A duly executed bill of sale, certificate of title, or other satisfactory evidence of the right of possession of the vessel as prescribed by the Department of Motor Vehicles must be available for inspection at all times from the operator of the vessel.

(3) The owner or his or her invitee who operates a personal watercraft on any body of water (a) which is entirely upon privately owned land owned by only one person or one family and, if leased, leased by only one person or one family, (b) which does not connect by any permanent or intermittent inflow or outflow with other water outside such land, and (c) which is not operated on a commercial basis for profit may operate any personal watercraft on such body of water without complying with subsection (1) of this section.