625 ILCS 45/3-9
Every certificate of number awarded pursuant to this Act shall continue in full force and effect for approximately 3 years unless sooner terminated or discontinued in accordance with this Act. All new certificates issued will bear September 30 expiration dates in the calendar year 3 years after the issuing date. Provided however, that the Department may, for purposes of implementing this Section, adopt rules for phasing in the issuance of new certificates and provide for 1, 2 or 3 year expiration dates and pro-rated payments or charges for each registration.
All certificates shall be renewed for 3 years from the nearest September 30 for a fee as prescribed in Section 3-2 of this Act. All certificates will be invalid after October 15 of the year of expiration. All certificates expiring in a given year shall be renewed between January 1 and September 30 of that year, in order to allow sufficient time for processing.
The Department shall issue "registration expiration decals" with all new certificates of number, all certificates of number transferred and renewed and all certificates of number renewed. The decals issued for each year shall be of a different and distinct color from the decals of each other year currently displayed. The decals shall be affixed to each side of the bow of the watercraft, except for federally documented vessels, in the manner prescribed by the rules and regulations of the Department. Federally documented vessels shall have decals affixed to the watercraft on each side of the federally documented name of the vessel in the manner prescribed by the rules and regulations of the Department.
The Department shall fix a day and month of the year on which certificates of number due to expire shall lapse and no longer be of any force and effect unless renewed pursuant to this Act.
No number or registration expiration decal other than the number awarded or the registration expiration decal issued to a watercraft or granted reciprocity pursuant to this Act shall be painted, attached, or otherwise displayed on either side of the bow of such watercraft. A person engaged in the operation of a licensed boat livery shall pay a fee as prescribed under Section 3-2 of this Act for each watercraft used in the livery operation.
A person engaged in the manufacture or sale of watercraft of a type otherwise required to be numbered hereunder, upon application to the Department upon forms prescribed by it, may obtain certificates of number for use in the testing or demonstrating of such watercraft upon payment of $10 for each registration. Certificates of number so issued may be used by the applicant in the testing or demonstrating of watercraft by temporary placement of the numbers assigned by such certificates on the watercraft so tested or demonstrated.
Non-powered watercraft are exempt from this Section.
625 ILCS 45/3-9