In Oregon, how many trip permits are allowed per year depends on the vehicle. A light vehicle can get two trip permits per 12-month period, each good for 21 consecutive days, for a maximum of 42 days of legal temporary operation. A recreational vehicle is capped at 10 total days per 12 months, split across as many permits as you like. Heavy vehicle trip permits run 10 consecutive days each, and the statute sets no explicit annual cap on how many a single heavy vehicle can receive. The limits attach to the vehicle, not to you.
Light Vehicles: Two Permits, 21 Days Each
A light vehicle trip permit covers passenger vehicles with a combined weight of 10,000 pounds or less and light trailers with a loaded weight of 8,000 pounds or less.1Oregon Driver & Motor Vehicle Services. Vehicle Trip Permits Oregon allows two per vehicle in any 12-month period, and each is valid for 21 consecutive days.2Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Revised Statutes 803.600 – Trip Permits The fee is $35 per permit.3Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Revised Statutes 803.645 – Fees for Trip Permits
Because the count is tied to the vehicle identification number, buying a used car whose previous owner already used both permits in the current window would normally leave you with none. The statute includes an exception for this. When DMV registration records show a complete change in ownership, the new owner can receive permits as if none had been issued before.2Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Revised Statutes 803.600 – Trip Permits A private seller who drove the car around on its permits before selling it does not use up your allotment.
Heavy Vehicles: 10 Days Per Permit, No Stated Annual Cap
Vehicles with a combined or loaded weight over 10,000 pounds use a heavy motor vehicle trip permit instead.1Oregon Driver & Motor Vehicle Services. Vehicle Trip Permits Each permit lasts 10 consecutive days and costs $43.3Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Revised Statutes 803.645 – Fees for Trip Permits Unlike light vehicles, Oregon does not impose an explicit limit on how many of these a single heavy vehicle can receive in a 12-month period.
One boundary matters here. If the vehicle’s gross weight exceeds 26,000 pounds, a trip permit alone is not enough. You also need a weight-mile temporary tax pass, which costs $9 plus weight-mile tax for each mile driven in Oregon, paid up front.4Oregon Department of Transportation. Weight-Mile Temporary Tax Pass Heavy vehicle permits and tax passes go through ODOT’s Commerce and Compliance Division rather than a standard DMV field office.1Oregon Driver & Motor Vehicle Services. Vehicle Trip Permits
Recreational Vehicles: 10 Total Days Per Year
Campers, travel trailers, and motor homes that are not currently registered in Oregon can receive RV trip permits, but the annual window is narrow. The combined days of all permits issued for the same RV cannot exceed 10 in a 12-month period.1Oregon Driver & Motor Vehicle Services. Vehicle Trip Permits You can break that into shorter permits across separate trips, but 10 is the ceiling. The fee is $35 regardless of how many days are covered.3Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Revised Statutes 803.645 – Fees for Trip Permits The RV must also be no more than 45 feet long.
What Happens When You Run Out
Once a vehicle’s permit allowance is exhausted and it still is not registered, it has to stay off public roads. Operating a vehicle that is not registered and lacks a valid trip permit, including one that has expired, is treated as failure to pay the registration fee under Oregon law, a Class D traffic violation.5Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Revised Statutes 803.315 – Failure to Pay Registration Fee Penalty For a light vehicle, that means after 42 days across two permits, your next legal option is full registration, not a third permit, unless a complete change of ownership resets the count.