Michigan Compiled Laws, Chapter 324. Natural Resources and Environmental Protection § 324.80308

Sec. 80308. (1) An application for a watercraft certificate of title shall include a certification. The owner or purchaser of the watercraft shall sign the application or, if the application is filed electronically, provide information requested by the secretary of state to verify the owner's or purchaser's identity. The application shall contain, in the form and together with other information that the secretary of state requires, the following information:

(2) If the watercraft contains a permanent hull identification number placed on the watercraft by the manufacturer of the watercraft, this number shall be used as the hull identification number. If there is not a manufacturer's hull identification number, or if the manufacturer's hull identification number is removed or obliterated, the secretary of state, upon a prescribed application that includes information indicating proof of ownership, shall assign a hull identification number to the watercraft. This assigned hull identification number shall be permanently affixed to, or imprinted by the applicant, at the place and in the manner designated by the secretary of state, upon the watercraft to which the hull identification number is assigned.