Operation Pending Registration: The commission shall furnish ATV dealers with cards bearing the words "registration applied for" and space for the purchase date. An unregistered ATV sold by a dealer shall bear one of these cards, which entitles the purchaser to operate it for 45 days immediately following the purchase.

The purchaser of a current registered ATV may operate it for 30 days immediately following the purchase without having completed a transfer of registration. An ATV dealer shall make application and pay all registration fees on behalf of the purchaser of an ATV.

Licensed ATV dealers are required by law to issue a "registration applied for" card with each machine to allow operation for 45 days immediately following the date of sale until registration is received. ATV's cannot be legally operated unless bearing a valid registration or "registration applied for" card.

If the ownership of an ATV is to be transferred, the owner must complete the form on the back of the current or expired registration certificate and title, then deliver it to the purchaser or transferee. The purchaser or transferee must, within thirty days, file an application for a new registration and title with the county recorder.

The registration certificate shall be carried either in the ATV or on the person operating the machine.

The ATV registration fee is in lieu of personal property tax for the calendar year of the registration.

Where to Register:
Resident: County recorder in county of residence
Nonresident: County recorder in county of principal use or any electronic license vendor where hunting and fishing licenses are sold

Registration Fees:
Annual Registration Fee: $15.00
Annual registration runs from Jan. 1 - Dec. 31. After the first of September, any unregistered ATV may be registered for the remainder of the current year and the subsequent year for a fee of $20.00
Writing fee: $1.25 is charged by the county recorder for each registration.

Other Fees:
Duplicate Registration Fee: $5.00
Title Fee: $10.00

Registration Renewal
Where: County recorder office in the county of residence.

(After September 1, 2007, owners can renew their ATV registrations at their county recorder for the 2008 calendar year using the electronic license system. Following this electronic renewal, owners can renew their registration at any electronic license vendor where hunting and fishing licenses are sold.)

Exemptions to Registration
Registration shall not be required for the following ATVs:

• ATVs owned and used by the United States, another state, or a political subdivision of another state.
  
  

• ATVs being used for agricultural purposes.
  (see current regulations for exemptions)

The decal shall be affixed to the rear of the ATV so that the decal is clearly visible. On an off-road motorcycle the decal should be affixed to the yoke of the steering column so that it is clearly visible without obstructing the VIN number.

Registration of Off-Road Utility Vehicles (ORVs)

• Off-road utility vehicles shall be considered all-terrain vehicles for the purpose of registration but are exempt from the dealer registration requirements and the titling requirements of Iowa Code Chapter 321I.
  
  
• A motorized vehicle that was previously titled or is currently titled under Chapter 321 shall not be registered or operated as an off-road utility vehicle.
  
  
• Registration of an ORV allows the user to ice fish on frozen public water, hunt on designated public land with a disabled hunting permit, and obtain a nonresident user permit in other states to use their trail systems. No other uses are valid. The eight DNR-designated OHV parks are not open to recreational use for ORV's.

Exemptions to Registration:
Registering an ORV in Iowa is optional, unless it is being used for one of the permitted uses (ice fishing, disabled hunting on public land, or obtaining an Iowa registration in order to obtain an out-of-state permit).


Registration shall not be required for the following ORVs:

• ORVs owned and used by the United States, another state, or political subdivision of another state
  
  
• ORVs being used for agricultural purposes

ORVs that are being operated under the provisions of 321.234A, by a licensed engineer, surveyor, utility, or snowmobile club providing trail maintenance, are required to display a valid registration decal. This includes an ORV that is being operated for recreational purposes in a right-of-way area adjacent to the owner's property line under 321.234A, subsection 3.

Registration Decals and Certificates for ORVs:

• The decal shall be affixed on the rear of the ORV so that the decal is clearly visable.
  
  
• Registration certificates shall be carried either in the ORV or on the person operating the machine.

Transfer of an ORV:
ORV registrations are not transferable. In order to maintain a valid registration, the purchaser of a registered ORV must obtain a new registration.