Title 46, ShippingRelease 119-110
§12106 Surrender of Title and Number
Title 46 › Subtitle II — Vessels and Seamen › Part H — Identification of Vessels › CHAPTER 121 — DOCUMENTATION OF VESSELS › SUBCHAPTER I — GENERAL › § 12106
Summary
Documented vessels cannot have State titles or show chapter 123 numbers; surrender follows Secretary rules. If covered by a preferred mortgage under section 31322(d), surrender needs lender's consent.
Full Legal Text
Title 46, §12106
Shipping, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)In General.—
A documented vessel may not be titled by a State or required to display numbers under chapter 123 of this title, and any certificate of title issued by a State for a documented vessel shall be surrendered as provided by regulations prescribed by the Secretary.
(b)Vessels Covered by Preferred Mortgage.—
The Secretary may approve the surrender under subsection (a) of a certificate of title for a vessel covered by a preferred mortgage under section 31322(d) of this title only if the mortgagee consents.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Historical and Revision Notes
Revised SectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 1210646:12124.
Editorial Notes
Prior Provisions
A prior section 12106, Pub. L. 98–89, Aug. 26, 1983, 97 Stat. 586; Pub. L. 98–454, title III, § 301(b), Oct. 5, 1984, 98 Stat. 1734; Pub. L. 100–239, § 6(a)(2), (3), Jan. 11, 1988, 101 Stat. 1781; Pub. L. 101–225, title III, § 301(a)(6), Dec. 12, 1989, 103 Stat. 1921; Pub. L. 101–380, title IV, § 4205, Aug. 18, 1990, 104 Stat. 533; Pub. L. 104–324, title VII, § 743, title XI, § 1113(d), Oct. 19, 1996, 110 Stat. 3942, 3971; Pub. L. 108–293, title VI, § 608(a), Aug. 9, 2004, 118 Stat. 1054, originally derived from section 65i of former Title 46, Shipping, related to coastwise endorsements, prior to the general amendment of this chapter by Pub. L. 109–304. See section 12102, 12112, 12116, 12117, and 12119 of this title.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
46 U.S.C. § 12106
Title 46, Shipping
Last Updated
Sep 22, 2026
Release point: 119-110