California OHV Sticker: Green vs Red, Renewal, and Fines

The California OHV sticker is the off-highway vehicle identification tag the DMV issues for any non-street-registered dirt bike, ATV, side-by-side, snowmobile, dune buggy, or similar vehicle ridden on California public lands. It costs $54 for two years, expires on June 30 of the second calendar year after issuance, and funds trail maintenance and the State Parks Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division. If your vehicle already carries standard street plates, you don’t need one.¹

Green Sticker or Red Sticker

California issues Green Stickers to any OHV built in 2002 or earlier, to 2003-or-newer models that meet California Air Resources Board emissions standards, and to snowmobiles, dune buggies, golf carts, and amphibious vehicles regardless of year. Green Sticker vehicles ride year-round on all public lands open to OHV use.¹

Red Stickers went to model year 2003 through 2021 motorcycles and ATVs that failed CARB exhaust standards. Those vehicles used to have seasonal restrictions. As of January 1, 2025, the seasonal rule is gone: model year 2003–2021 Red Sticker vehicles can now ride year-round in public OHV areas, subject to any local land-manager restrictions.²

Starting with model year 2022, the DMV stopped issuing Red Stickers entirely. A 2022-or-newer OHV that doesn’t meet CARB standards is classified as a Competition vehicle and can be used only on private land or at sanctioned competition events. It won’t get a public-lands sticker of any color.²

How to Register

Initial registration happens at a DMV field office or through an authorized private registration service. Bring:

Application for Title or Registration (REG 343), the main form for original OHV registration.¹
Proof of ownership: a Manufacturer’s Certificate of Origin, out-of-state title, or a bill of sale showing a clear chain of ownership.
Vehicle information: VIN, make, model, and year. The DMV uses this to decide whether the vehicle qualifies for a Green Sticker.
Verification of Vehicle (REG 31), completed by an authorized verifier, when the vehicle lacks standard documentation.³

The $54 biennial fee breaks down as a $33 registration fee, a $10 CHP fee, a $7 service fee, and a $4 license fee.⁴

If you’re riding before the physical sticker arrives, carry the registration paperwork. Rangers and law enforcement accept it as proof until the sticker shows up.⁵

Renewal and the June 30 Deadline

OHV identification expires on June 30 of the second calendar year after issuance. Your renewal payment has to be received by the DMV or postmarked by that date. Miss it and a 50 percent late penalty is added to the $54 fee.¹

Where to Put the Sticker

Vehicle Code section 38170 sets the placement rules, and improper display is one of the easier ways to draw a citation. The sticker has to be securely fastened, clearly visible, and free of any covering material.⁶

Motorcycles: mount it on the left fork leg, horizontal or vertical, visible from the left side.
ATVs and side-by-sides: place it on the left rear quadrant on a permanent surface.

The sticker must also show “California” or “CAL” and the validation year. A new validation device comes with each renewal.⁶

Equipment Rangers Also Check

The sticker on its own doesn’t make a vehicle trail-legal. Three other things get checked regularly.

Helmets

Every operator and passenger in a recreational off-highway vehicle (side-by-side) on public land has to wear a helmet meeting Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 218, identifiable by a DOT label.⁷

Spark Arrestors

Any OHV operated on forest-covered, brush-covered, or grass-covered land needs a working spark arrestor that captures flammable particles over 0.0232 inches or is qualified and rated by the U.S. Forest Service. Aftermarket exhausts are the usual place this fails.⁸

Noise

Exhaust noise is capped at 96 decibels for OHVs manufactured on or after January 1, 1986 (January 1, 1998, for competitive vehicles) and 101 decibels for older vehicles. Measurements are taken at 20 inches using SAE Standard J-1287. Sound checks happen at popular staging areas.⁹

If You’re Visiting From Another State

An out-of-state OHV still needs California authorization to ride on public land. If your vehicle is registered in your home state, buy a California Nonresident OHV Use Permit for $30, plus a $1.95 service fee online. The permit runs the calendar year; 2026 permits are valid January 1 through December 31, 2026.¹⁰

One point that catches visitors: California does not recognize street-licensed OHVs from other states as highway-legal here. If your home state plates a side-by-side for road use, you can still ride it in designated California OHV areas, but not on public roads.¹¹

What Riding Without a Sticker Costs

Operating an unregistered OHV on public land is an infraction under Vehicle Code section 38020. The first offense carries a minimum $50 fine, and later offenses can reach $250.¹² Separate citations can stack for a missing spark arrestor, excessive noise, or improper sticker display. Rangers on Forest Service and BLM land enforce California registration alongside federal rules, so one stop can produce more than one ticket if the paperwork and equipment aren’t right.⁵

1
California State Department of Motor Vehicles. Off-Highway Vehicle Registration
2
California State Parks. OHMVR Frequently Asked Questions
3
California Department of Motor Vehicles. 1.165 Vehicle Verifications
4
California State Department of Motor Vehicles. Registration Fees
5
USDA Forest Service. OHV/Mountain Bike Rules and Regulations – Kern River Ranger District, Sequoia National Forest
6
California Legislative Information. California Code VEH 38170
7
California State Parks. FAQs for ROVs
8
California Legislative Information. California Code VEH 38366
9
California State Parks. OHV Sound Regulations
10
California State Parks. Nonresident OHV Use Permits
11
California State Parks. OHV Registration
12
California Legislative Information. California Code VEH Division 16.5 Chapter 2 Article 1 – Section 38020