Arkansas OHV Permit: Cost, Equipment, and Road Use Rules

Arkansas OHV registration is a one-time process handled through the Department of Finance and Administration (DFA): you have 30 days from the date you acquire a three-, four-, or six-wheeled ATV or side-by-side to pay a $5 registration fee, a $10 title fee, and sales tax on the purchase price.¹ Once that’s done, the registration stays with the vehicle for life. There is no annual renewal.² The requirement applies whether you plan to ride on public trails or only on your own land.

Which Vehicles Need to Be Registered

Arkansas law covers two overlapping categories. A standard all-terrain vehicle has three, four, or six wheels, is 50 inches or less wide, runs on off-road tires, and has an engine of 1,000cc or less. A recreational off-highway vehicle (the side-by-side or UTV class) can be up to 75 inches wide, has four or six wheels, and shares the same 1,000cc engine cap.³ Both go through the same registration process.

Two-wheeled dirt bikes are not part of this scheme. The statute addresses vehicles with three or more wheels, so a dirt bike follows different titling rules. Golf carts, riding mowers, and lawn tractors are excluded as well.

What It Costs

Three charges apply at registration:

$5 registration fee, paid once and never renewed¹
$10 title fee⁴
Arkansas gross receipts tax of 6.5% on the purchase price, plus any applicable local sales tax

If you miss the 30-day window, the DFA tacks on a $3 late penalty for every 10 days you’re overdue, capped at $5.⁵ Small money, but there’s no reason to double your base cost when the fee itself is only $5.

Documents to Bring

Pull the following together before you go to a revenue office or mail your packet:

Proof of ownership. For a new vehicle, that’s the manufacturer’s statement of origin. For a used purchase, a bill of sale or the previous title works. Bring lien paperwork if the vehicle isn’t paid off.¹
Vehicle details: VIN, make, model, year.
Owner information: full name, address, contact details.
Form 10-381, the DFA’s vehicle registration application, available at any State Revenue Office or on the DFA website.⁶

If you cannot document ownership, the DFA will let you post a bond equal to at least one and a half times the vehicle’s market value. The bond runs for three years and protects against competing ownership claims.¹

Older machines get a shortcut. If your three- or four-wheeled ATV was built on or before December 31, 1992, you can skip the ownership documents and instead complete the DFA’s All-Terrain Vehicle Affidavit, listing your name, a description of the vehicle, a statement that it was manufactured before the cutoff, and your signature.⁷ Six-wheeled vehicles don’t qualify for this exception.

How to Submit

Walking into a State Revenue Office is the fastest route. Bring your paperwork, proof of ownership, and payment for fees and sales tax, and you can usually leave the same day with your numbered license decal.

To register by mail, send Form 10-381, your proof of ownership, any required affidavit, and payment for all fees and taxes to the DFA Office of Motor Vehicle. Mail processing generally runs one to three weeks. Either way, the DFA issues a certificate of title showing the owner, vehicle details, and any lienholder.⁸

Your decal must be attached to the left front side of the vehicle and kept visible. It is your proof of legal registration.⁹

Where You Can Ride After Registering

Registration makes the vehicle legal to own and operate under state law. It does not open up any public road or any public land you want. On public land, OHV use is restricted to designated trails and riding areas; operating off-trail or in undesignated zones is prohibited. National forest trails are managed by the U.S. Forest Service, and Wildlife Management Areas fall under the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Each agency can set its own rules on seasons, trail permits, and group size, so check before you go.

When OHVs Can Use Public Roads

Riding on a public street or highway in Arkansas is illegal except in a few narrow situations.¹⁰ A valid driver’s license does not change that. The exceptions:

Direct road crossings. You can cross a road to move between riding areas if you come to a complete stop, yield to traffic, and cross at roughly a 90-degree angle. On a divided highway, crossings are allowed only at intersections. After dark or in low visibility, front and rear lights must be on.
Agricultural use. If you’re farming or hunting, you can ride on a public road to move between fields.
Serious walking disability. A person who has lost a leg above the ankle or has a physician-certified walking disability may use an ATV on unpaved roads, highway shoulders, and public streets when those are the most reasonable route between trails or between home and a trail. The vehicle must display a red flag at least 6 inches wide and 12 inches tall on a pole extending at least 36 inches above the seat. Interstates and fully controlled-access highways are off-limits even under this exception.
Emergency and utility personnel. On-duty law enforcement, firefighters, EMTs, and utility or telecom workers can operate ATVs on public roads while performing their official duties.

Casual road riding on a quiet rural road is not one of the exceptions. This is the rule that catches the most owners by surprise.

Required Equipment

Every ATV operated in Arkansas must have a working muffler and a spark arrester that meets U.S. Forest Service standards.⁵ Removing the spark arrester, installing an exhaust cutout or bypass, or modifying either component is prohibited outside of closed-course competition. Most factory exhaust systems on modern ATVs already comply; look for a USFS stamp. Aftermarket exhausts sometimes omit the arrester, which makes the vehicle illegal to ride on any public land in the state.

Age Rules and Insurance

A rider has to be at least 12 to operate an ATV on their own. A child under 12 may ride only under the direct supervision of someone at least 18, on land owned, leased, or controlled by a parent or legal guardian, or on private land with the owner’s permission.⁵ Many managed trail systems and WMAs require helmets as a condition of entry even where the state statute doesn’t require one for adults.

Arkansas does not require liability insurance for off-road ATV use. Many homeowner’s policies exclude motorized recreational vehicles, so don’t assume existing coverage follows the vehicle. Standalone ATV liability policies are widely available if you want protection against an at-fault accident.

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 General Assembly. Arkansas Code Title 27 – Motor Vehicles
6
Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. Vehicle Registration Application
7
Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. Affidavit for Title and Registration
8
Justia. Arkansas Code 27-20-205 – Certificate of Title
9
Justia. Arkansas Code 27-20-206 – Numbered License Decal
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Justia. Arkansas Code 27-21-106 – Operation on Public Streets and Highways Unlawful – Exceptions – Definition