8.13.4

off-highway vehicle

Effective Date: January 01, 2025 Review Due: January 01, 2027

Summary of Changes

Added Section H to include that an owner of an ATV or OHV is required to complete a Safe & Ethical Riding in Arizona course in order to purchase an OHV decal.

Purpose

To provide guidelines for titling variations of Off-Highway Vehicles.

Authority

Laws 2024, Chapter 240, SB1567, A.R.S. §§ 28-101, 28-1171, 28-1177,  28-2053, 28-2058, 28-2061, 28-2153 and 28-5801.

Policy

  1. The Division is authorized to issue a Certificate of Title (title) for an off-road recreational motor vehicle, All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) or Off-Highway Vehicle.

Off-Road Recreational Motor Vehicle

  1. An off-road recreational motor vehicle is defined as a motor vehicle designed, modified or purpose built primarily for recreational non-highway all-terrain travel and that is not operated on a public highway. Exception: A motor vehicle that is used for construction, building, trade, mining or agricultural purposes is not considered to be an off-road recreational motor vehicle.

  1. An Off-Road Recreational Motor Vehicle may be titled without requiring registration.

  2. An Off-Road Recreational motor vehicle may be properly equipped for highway use and registered at the customer’s request.

  1. An Off-Road License Plate is issued to off-road recreational motor vehicles only for identification purposes; see Policy 8.16.7 Distinctive Vehicle License Plates. The Off-Road plate does not authorize a person to operate the vehicle on a public roadway.

Off-Highway Vehicle

  1. An off-highway vehicle is defined as a motorized vehicle that is operated primarily off of highways and that is designed, modified, or purpose built primarily for recreational non-highway all-terrain travel. An off-highway vehicle may be a (an):

  1. Recreational or utility side by side vehicle.

  2. All-terrain vehicle.

  3. Motorcycle.

  4. Dirt bike.

  5. Dune buggy.

  6. Sand Rail.

All-Terrain Vehicle

  1. An all-terrain vehicle is defined as a motor vehicle designed primarily for recreational non-highway all-terrain travel that travels on three or more non-highway tires.

OHV Decal

  1. An OHV decal is required for lawful Arizona off-highway operation of an All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) or Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) that meets the following criteria:

  1. Is designed by the manufacturer primarily for travel over unimproved terrain.

  2. Has an unladen weight of 2,500 pounds or less.

  3. Declared usage of “Exclusively Off-Highway”, “Primarily Off-Highway”, or “Primarily On-Highway”.

Note:    Please see OHV Registration Chart and the Unique Vehicle Guide for more information.

  1. A reduced VLT may be given to vehicles with a declared usage of Primarily Off-Highway and an unladen weight of 2,500 pounds or less; see Policy 8.15.3 Reduced Vehicle License Tax Rates.

  2. Beginning January 01, 2025, a representative of an organization or the owner of an ATV or OHV is required to complete the Safe & Ethical Riding in Arizona course in order to purchase an OHV decal.

  1. There is no fee for this course.

  2. Only one owner is required to complete the course.

  3. If multiple ATV's and/or OHV's are owned by the same person or organization, the course is only required once.

Title and Registration

  1. Arizona residents who purchase an untitled OHV must obtain a title in their name(s) before transferring the vehicle to a new owner. Exception: Ownership may be transferred by a bill of sale when the owner purchased the vehicle prior to August 7, 1985, or when the vehicle was brought to Arizona from a jurisdiction that does not title off-road vehicles.

Uncommon Title Transactions

  1. When the Manufacturer’s Certificate of Origin (MCO) is not available, has been lost or was never issued, and/or the owner is unable to obtain a duplicate MCO, or proper ownership documents, the owner must follow the bonded title process, see Policy 8.7.1 Bonded Title.

  1. The customer must apply for a title within 15 days after acquiring the vehicle or pay an additional title penalty fee, see Policy 8.14.2 Late Title Transfer Penalty. Exception: the customer is given 30 days in which to apply for a title when purchasing a vehicle acquired by operation of law.