How to Register and Title your Vehicle in Utah

You must register the following vehicles:

• General Information
• Where to Go and What to Bring
• First-time Registration
• Titles
• What to Do If You Sell Your Car
• More Information

General Information

What Vehicles Must Be Registered?

• cars
• snowmobiles
• trucks
• watercraft/motorboats/sailboats
• motorcycles
• trailers
• off-highway vehicles
• campers

You may register any trailer for your convenience, but you are only required to register a single-axle trailer if it is:

• A commercial vehicle
• used for hire, or
• a travel, camping or fifth-wheel trailer weighing more than 750 pounds when empty.

Aircraft are registered with the Utah Department of Transportation Aeronautics Division. Visit udot.utah.gov for more information. 

Who Must Register Their Vehicles?

Utah residents must register any of the above vehicles for use in the state.
Nonresidents using their watercraft in Utah for more than 60 days per year, must register in Utah.

Nonresidents using their off-highway vehicle or snowmobile in Utah pay an annual user fee to the Division of Outdoor Recreation. Upon payment of the $30 fee, a user receives a decal for display on the off-highway vehicle or snowmobile. Decals are available from the Division of Outdoor Recreation or their authorized agents.

Exceptions: Nonresident students who pay nonresident tuition, certain military personnel, temporary workers and individuals temporarily in Utah engaged in public or charitable service may be exempt from registering vehicles in Utah.

Where to Go and What to Bring

Bring to the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) the following for each vehicle:

• Title, if not held by lienholder
• Most recent registration
• Serial number (VIN) inspection, where required
• Utah gas or diesel emission certificate, where required
• Utah safety inspection certificate, where required
• Valid government-issued I.D.

Safety Inspection Certificates

Most vehicles do not require a safety inspection for Utah registration. A safety inspection certificate is only required when registering a street-legal ATV for the first time or if you will be changing a salvage title to a rebuilt status.

You are responsible for the safe operation of your vehicle. Inspect your vehicle’s tires, brakes, steering, suspension, lights and other equipment often to make sure your vehicle is in safe operating condition.

Commercial vehicles require an annual safety inspection. An inspection certificate must be kept in the vehicle for review by law enforcement, but does not need to be submitted to the DMV for registration.

For more information about Safety Inspections, contact the Dept. of Public Safety at 801-965-4461.

Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) 
or Hull Identification Number (HIN)

Inspections of identification numbers are required for all vehicles or vessels to be titled in Utah for the first time. VIN or HIN inspections can be completed by a DMV employee of Utah or another state, a designated contractor, a law enforcement agency employee, a licensed dealer, a certified safety inspector, or a person that DMV authorizes in writing. Inspections must be completed using form TC-661 (Certificate of Inspection). Signed safety or emissions inspections are an acceptable means of verification for cars, trucks and motorcycles. The VIN on the inspection certificate must match the VIN on the vehicle.

Emission Certificates

As a prerequisite for registration, emission certificates are required in Cache, Davis, Salt Lake, Utah and Weber counties and are valid for two months from issue date. Emissions tests can be completed at most service stations.

Emission certificates in Davis, Salt Lake, Utah and Weber counties for gas-powered cars and trucks are required every other year for vehicles less than six years old. Vehicles in this category having even-numbered model years must have emission tests in even-numbered years, and vehicles having odd-numbered model years must have emission tests in odd-numbered years. Vehicles less than two years old (based on the model year) are exempt from the emission test requirement. Vehicles with model years six years old and older (to 1967) must pass emission tests every year.

Vehicles registered in Cache County with model years less than six years old are not required to have an emission test. Vehicles six years old and greater that have even-numbered model years must have an emission test in even-numbered years, and vehicles that have odd-numbered model years must have an emission test in odd-numbered years. All vehicles 1968 and older are exempt from emissions.

Farm trucks may apply for an exemption from emissions with their County Health Departments. For county emission requirements for diesels, or for additional information about emission tests and requirements, contact one of the following local health department locations:

• Cache County 435-792-6500
• Davis County 801-525-5100
• Salt Lake County 385-468-3837
• Utah County 801-851-7600
• Weber County 801-399-7140

First-time Registration

To register and title in Utah for the first time, an Application to Register/Title must be completed and required documentation provided. Required documentation may include a vehicle title, bill of sale, previous registration, emission certificate or safety certificate where required.

All vehicles in Utah are subject to either an age-based uniform fee or a 1.5 percent uniform property assessment fee. The appropriate fee must be paid when you register your vehicle. For additional information regarding these fees, see Tax Commission Publication 23, Motor Vehicle Property Assessment Fees.

Plates and/or decals will be issued to you at the completion of your motor vehicle transaction. All plates are issued to the owner of the vehicle and should be removed and returned to a motor vehicle office if the vehicle is sold.

Titles

What Vehicles Must Be Titled?

• Cars
• Trucks
• Motorcycles
• Off-highway vehicles 1988 and newer
• Snowmobiles 1988 and newer
• Watercraft /motorboats/sailboats 1985 and newer
• Trailers 751 pounds or more unladen weight Campers 2015 and newer
• Park Model Recreational Vehicles 2015 and newer

What Is Needed to Title a Vehicle?

• Evidence of ownership
  Documentation showing ownership and vehicle description. A Utah title or an out-of-state title can be provided as evidence of ownership.
• Payment of sales/use tax
  Sales and use tax is imposed on the purchase of a vehicle or watercraft and is calculated using the purchase price. Purchase price should be listed on the title being transferred or on a bill of sale.
• Payment of motor vehicle title fee
  Required title fee must be paid before a Utah title can be issued.
• Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) inspections
  VIN inspections are required on vehicles and watercraft that have been titled in other states and are being titled/registered for the first time in Utah.
• Odometer statements
  When a vehicle ownership change takes place the mileage of the vehicle must be disclosed. Exceptions to this are when the vehicle has gross laden weight rating of more than 16,000 pounds, is 20 years or older, or sold directly by the manufacturer to any agency of the United States government.
• Property tax clearance
  Property tax or age-based fees are paid at the time of vehicle or watercraft registration.

Title/Registration Hints

If an out-of-state lien holder or leasing company holds the title, the vehicle will be registered only. Current registration will be needed as evidence of ownership.

Leased vehicles will need the leasing company’s power of attorney, billing statement, Utah sales tax number, and current registration.

Vehicles, motorboats 50 HP or greater (except airboats) and personal watercraft are required to be insured.

What to Do If You Sell Your Car

Remove your license plates from the vehicle. If you do not you may be liable for any parking or traffic violations, towing, storage, and impoundment fees should the vehicle be ticketed or impounded while your plates remain on the car.

Give the new owner the signed title and a bill of sale. Please ensure that you keep copies of this transaction for future reference or if the need arises to prove you sold the car. The new owner may obtain a temporary permit (dmv.utah.gov/register/temporary-permits) from any Motor Vehicle office by presenting the signed title, proof of insurance, and picture identification and paying all applicable fees.

Notify the Division of Motor Vehicles that your vehicle has been sold. The notification must include the vehicle year, make, and model. You also must include the plate number or vehicle identification number and the owner’s signature. This notification can be sent by fax (801) 297-3570, sent online at mvp.tax.utah.gov, or mailed to:

Division of Motor Vehicles
MVCC – Correspondence
P.O. Box 30412
Salt Lake City, UT 84130

More Information

For DMV office locations, forms or more information, see the DMV website at dmv.utah.gov.

For telephone assistance, call 801-297-7780 or 1-800-368-8824.

Translation

To help visitors understand information on this page in a variety of languages, the Tax Commission has added a link at the top to an automated translation service. This type of service is not perfect, and context or meaning may be inaccurately or incompletely translated. As a result, the Tax Commission cannot guarantee the accuracy of translated information. Anyone relying on translated information does so at their own risk. In the event of any disagreement or ambiguity between a translation and the original English document, the original English document is correct.