How to Register a Car in North Dakota: Taxes, Fees, and Filing

To register a car in North Dakota, file an Application for Certificate of Title and Registration of a Vehicle (SFN 2872) with the North Dakota Department of Transportation within 30 days of receiving the title, pay the 5 percent motor vehicle excise tax on the purchase price, and pay a registration fee based on the vehicle’s weight and age. Passenger-vehicle registration fees range from $49 to $274 per year, plus a $5 title fee and a $5 transfer fee.¹

Documents to Gather Before You File

The main form is SFN 2872, a downloadable PDF on the NDDOT website. It asks for your legal name, mailing address, driver’s license number, and vehicle details including year, make, model, body style, and VIN.²

You also need the current title, signed over to you by the previous owner with the selling price noted. The seller has 30 days from the sale to deliver the signed title, and you then have 30 days from receiving it to submit everything to NDDOT with the $5 transfer fee.¹ For a brand-new vehicle that has never been titled, the Manufacturer’s Certificate of Origin takes the place of the title.

Page two of SFN 2872 includes an odometer disclosure, which is required for any vehicle model year 2011 or newer. You will mark whether the reading is actual mileage, exceeds the odometer’s mechanical limits, or is not the actual mileage.²

If the title does not have a field for the sale price, add a Statement of Fact (SFN 60689) confirming what you paid. NDDOT uses that figure to calculate the excise tax.³ A bill of sale is useful backup if there is any question about the amount.

Liability Insurance You Must Have First

North Dakota will not register a vehicle that is not covered by liability insurance meeting the state minimums:

Bodily injury: $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident
Property damage: $25,000 per accident

This is commonly called 25/50/25 coverage. Bodily injury liability covers claims against you when someone else is injured in a crash you caused; property damage covers harm to another person’s vehicle or property.⁴ These are floors. If a loss exceeds the limits, you are personally responsible for the difference.

What You Will Pay

5 Percent Excise Tax

North Dakota charges a 5 percent excise tax on the purchase price of any motor vehicle bought inside or outside the state for use on North Dakota roads.⁵ A $20,000 vehicle generates $1,000 in excise tax. If the vehicle was a gift or you paid well below market, the tax is calculated on the average value of comparable vehicles as determined by NDDOT.

Trade-ins reduce the taxable amount. Pay $25,000 and trade in a vehicle worth $8,000, and the tax is 5 percent of $17,000. You identify the traded vehicle by year, make, and VIN on your application.⁶

Registration Fee by Weight and Age

The registration fee depends on the vehicle’s gross weight and how long it has been registered. Fees fall as the vehicle ages, through brackets at years 1–6, 7–9, 10–12, and 13 and older. Annual passenger-vehicle fees look like this at the extremes:

Under 3,200 lbs: $73 in years 1–6, dropping to $49 at year 13 and beyond
3,200–4,499 lbs (where most midsize sedans sit): $93 in years 1–6, dropping to $57
5,000–5,999 lbs (typical full-size SUV territory): $142 in years 1–6, dropping to $76
9,000 lbs and over: $274 in years 1–6, dropping to $128

Registration runs on a calendar year. Register mid-year and the fee is prorated at one-twelfth of the annual rate for each remaining month or partial month, rounded to the next even dollar, with a $5 minimum.⁷⁸

Title and Processing Fees

A few small fees round out the bill:

Certificate of title fee: $5
Title transfer fee: $5
Abandoned motor vehicle disposal fee: $1.50, charged on initial title applications

The title fee applies any time a new certificate is issued; the transfer fee applies when an existing title is reassigned.⁶

When the Excise Tax Does Not Apply

Several transfers are fully exempt from the 5 percent tax, including:

A vehicle acquired through a decedent’s estate or trust
Transfers between former spouses within one year of the divorce becoming final
Transfers to or from a person within 30 days of entering or leaving the armed services, or during active service, when the transfer is made because of military obligations
Vehicles acquired under federal provisions for disabled veterans, covering up to two vehicles at a time with a registered gross weight of 26,000 pounds or less

You have to document the exemption at the time you file.⁹

Extra Fee for Electric and Plug-In Hybrid Vehicles

Because they do not pay fuel taxes that fund road maintenance, electric vehicles owe an additional annual road-use fee on top of the regular registration fee:

Fully electric vehicles: $120 per year
Plug-in hybrid vehicles: $50 per year
Electric motorcycles: $20 per year

The road-use fee is collected at the start of each registration period alongside the standard fee.¹⁰ A new fully electric SUV at 5,500 pounds would run $142 in base registration plus $120 in road-use fee, or $262 before excise tax.

If You Are Bringing a Car From Another State

The process looks the same with a few additions. Submit the out-of-state title with your completed SFN 2872, pay the $5 title fee, the $1.50 disposal fee, and the weight-based registration fee. The 5 percent excise tax applies to vehicles purchased outside North Dakota for use in the state, calculated on the purchase price minus any trade-in allowance.⁶

A clean out-of-state title needs no inspection. If the title carries a salvage brand, NDDOT requires a physical VIN inspection before processing. Any lien listed on the old title must be released before filing or it will carry over to your new North Dakota title.

Where to File and What Arrives After

You can file at any NDDOT motor vehicle office. All locations run by appointment, and walk-ins are accepted with the understanding that appointments take priority.¹¹ Many offices also accept mailed paperwork, and some have drop boxes during business hours.

Mailed applications go to the Motor Vehicle Division, 608 East Boulevard Avenue, Bismarck, ND 58505-0780. Pay by check or money order made out to the North Dakota Department of Transportation. Certified mail gives you a tracking record if anything goes wrong.

Once NDDOT processes the application, you should receive your registration card and plates within five to ten business days. Attach the plates, apply the validation decals showing the month and year the registration expires, and keep the registration card in the vehicle. Law enforcement will ask for it during traffic stops.

No Safety or Emissions Inspection Required

North Dakota does not require safety inspections or emissions testing for passenger vehicles as part of registration. The one inspection situation is the VIN verification for an out-of-state vehicle with a salvage-branded title.

1
North Dakota Legislative Branch. North Dakota Code Title 39 – 39-05-17 Transfer of Title of Vehicle
2
North Dakota Department of Transportation. Application for Certificate of Title and Registration of a Vehicle SFN 2872
3
North Dakota Department of Transportation. Statement of Fact SFN 60689
4
North Dakota Insurance Department. Auto Insurance
5
North Dakota Legislative Branch. Chapter 57-40.3 Motor Vehicle Excise Tax
6
North Dakota Department of Transportation. Motor Vehicle Registration Manual
7
North Dakota Legislative Branch. North Dakota Code Title 39 – 39-04-21 Proration of Registration Fees
8
North Dakota Legislative Branch. North Dakota Code Title 39 – 39-04-19 Motor Vehicle Registration Fees and Mile Tax
9
North Dakota Legislative Branch. North Dakota Code Title 57 – 57-40.3-04 Exemptions
10
North Dakota Legislative Branch. North Dakota Code Title 39 – 39-04-19.2 Electric Vehicle Road Use Fee
11
North Dakota Department of Transportation. Motor Vehicle Locations