Arkansas OHV Permit: Fees, Deadline, and Application Steps

Arkansas OHV registration is a one-time process handled through the Department of Finance and Administration. Every three-, four-, or six-wheeled all-terrain vehicle owned in the state must be registered within 30 days of purchase, and the cost is a $5 registration fee, a $10 title fee, and sales tax on the purchase price.¹ After that, you never renew. The registration covers the vehicle for its entire life in Arkansas.² The rule applies whether you ride on public trails or only on your own land.

Which Vehicles Have to Be Registered

Arkansas law splits off-highway vehicles into two categories that both go through the same registration. A standard all-terrain vehicle has three, four, or six wheels, measures 50 inches or less in width, uses off-road tires, and runs an engine of 1,000cc or less. A recreational off-highway vehicle — the side-by-side or UTV — can be up to 75 inches wide with four or six wheels, and shares the same 1,000cc cap.³ Golf carts, riding mowers, and lawn tractors are not included.

Two-wheeled dirt bikes fall outside this scheme entirely. The statutes address vehicles with three or more wheels, so a dirt bike follows a different titling and registration path.

Fees and the 30-Day Deadline

At registration you pay three separate charges:

A $5 registration fee, paid one time and never renewed.¹
A $10 title fee.⁴
Arkansas gross receipts tax of 6.5% on the purchase price, plus any applicable local tax.

You have 30 calendar days from the date you acquire the vehicle to complete the registration.⁵ Miss that window and the DFA adds a $3 penalty for every 10-day period you’re overdue, capped at $5.⁶ The cap matches the base fee itself, but there’s little reason to pay twice for a $5 transaction.

Documents You Need

Pull the following together before you go to a revenue office or drop your application in the mail:

Proof of ownership. For a new vehicle, that’s usually the manufacturer’s statement of origin. For a used purchase, a bill of sale or the previous title. If there’s an outstanding lien, bring the lien documentation.¹
Vehicle details: the VIN, make, model, and year.
Owner information: your full name, address, and contact details.
Form 10-381, the DFA vehicle registration application. It’s available at any State Revenue Office or on the DFA website.⁷

If you can’t produce satisfactory proof of ownership, the DFA lets you post a bond equal to at least one and a half times the vehicle’s market value. The bond lasts three years and covers any ownership dispute during that period.¹

Older machines get a shortcut. If your three- or four-wheeled ATV was manufactured on or before December 31, 1992, you don’t need formal proof of ownership. Fill out the DFA’s All-Terrain Vehicle Affidavit with your name, a description of the vehicle, a statement that it was built before that cutoff, and your signature.⁸ The affidavit route does not apply to six-wheeled vehicles.

How to Submit the Application

You can register in person at any State Revenue Office or by mail. In person is faster. Bring your paperwork, proof of ownership, and payment for the fees and sales tax, and you can usually leave the same day with your numbered license decal.

To register by mail, send the completed Form 10-381, proof of ownership, any required affidavit, and payment for all fees and taxes to the DFA Office of Motor Vehicle. Processing by mail generally takes one to three weeks. Either way, the DFA issues a certificate of title showing the owner, vehicle details, and any lienholder.⁹

Once you’re registered, the DFA gives you a numbered license decal. It must be attached to the left front side of the vehicle and kept visible — this is your proof of legal registration.¹⁰

What Registration Doesn’t Cover

Registration makes the vehicle legal to own and operate in Arkansas, but a few operational rules run alongside it and are worth knowing before you ride.

Every ATV must have a working muffler and a U.S. Forest Service–qualified spark arrester. Removing the arrester, adding an exhaust cutout, or modifying either component is prohibited outside of closed-course competition.⁶ A USFS-qualified arrester traps exhaust particles down to 0.023 inches and must reach at least 80 percent effectiveness on cold testing.¹¹ Most factory exhausts on modern ATVs already meet it; aftermarket systems sometimes don’t.

The minimum age for independent operation is 12. A rider younger than 12 can only ride under the direct supervision of someone at least 18, on land owned, leased, or controlled by a parent or legal guardian, or on private property with the owner’s permission.⁶

Public roads are largely off-limits. Riding an ATV on an Arkansas street or highway is unlawful except in a handful of narrow situations, including direct trail-to-trail road crossings, farm and hunting use between fields, certified walking-disability accommodations, and on-duty work by law enforcement, emergency responders, and utility crews.¹² A valid driver’s license does not turn casual road riding into a legal exception.

1
FindLaw. Arkansas Code 27-20-202 – Registration Required
2
Justia. Arkansas Code 27-20-207 – No Renewal of Registration
3
Justia. Arkansas Code 27-21-102 – Definitions
4
Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. Arkansas Motor Vehicle Registration Fee Schedule
5
Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. Vehicle Tag Renewal
6
Arkansas General Assembly. Arkansas Code Title 27 – Motor Vehicles
7
Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. Vehicle Registration Application
8
Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. Affidavit for Title and Registration
9
Justia. Arkansas Code 27-20-205 – Certificate of Title
10
Justia. Arkansas Code 27-20-206 – Numbered License Decal
11
USDA Forest Service. Spark Arrester Guide FAQ
12
Justia. Arkansas Code 27-21-106 – Operation on Public Streets and Highways Unlawful – Exceptions – Definition