Boat Registration Kayaks and canoes must be registered in the state of Illinois. The initial fee for registration is $ 13.00 for 3 years. Renewal is then $6 (for 3 years). The fine for getting caught with no registration is $75, so registration makes fiscal sense. Note also that Illinois uses the registration process to enforce collection of sales tax, which may complicate the procedure. Many paddlers have reported that the registration process takes 6-9 months to complete. Out of state paddlers do not have to register boats in Illinois, but must have their boats registered in their home state, if the home state requires registration. IL DNR Boats Page is the main information page. Scrolling down will show links to other info, including the registration form, sales tax payment info, online registration renewal, etc. If you already know all this stuff and are just looking for the direct links see the following: Print Application (pdf) Online Registration Renewal DNR watercraft Digest for the actual text of the law (625 ILCS 45)