New Arizona Offroad Law

What You Need To Know Before Riding This Season

Jennifer Rails (August 2023)

Millions of visitors make Arizona their temporary home during the winter months. Sunny skies and mild temperatures make it one of the premier destinations to escape the harsh northern winters. But in addition to the great weather, “The Grand Canyon State” has an abundance of off-road trails on public land that boast some of the best and most unique scenery you can find anywhere. From colorful desert 4x4 trails to unique box canyons with seasonal streams, Arizona has trails for all types of riders and vehicles.

But before you head out this season, you need to be familiar with a new off-road law for nonresidents.

New Law

In the past, Arizona used to honor out of state registrations, but beginning September 1, 2019 this will no longer be the case. This means regardless if the machine is registered in your home state, non-residents who wish to ride on any public land or state trust land in Arizona must purchase a decal for each OHV (this includes street legal vehicles that weigh 2,500 pounds or less). There is no grace period, which means you can be fined if caught riding without the sticker. The sticker can be obtained online through Arizona Game and Fish, and is good for one year from date of purchase. An address is required since the sticker is sent through the mail but you can temporarily operate the OHV for 30 days if you have a screenshot of the receipt on your phone.

Why the change?

For years Arizona honored out of state registrations for up to 30 days. There was an option for a temporary registration, but the process for nonresidents was cumbersome, which meant most visitors opted out. The Arizona Nonresident OHV decal solves that problem by making it easy to get while making sure the various state agencies get the money needed to maintain trails and amenities.

So who gets the money?

Thirty percent goes into the state’s Highway User Revenue coffer, which gets distributed for road and highway maintenance. The remaining 70 percent goes to:

• Arizona State Parks - 60%
• Arizona Game and Fish Department - 35%
• Arizona State Land Department - 5%

Overall it’s not that much money and every dollar goes a long way toward keeping Arizona one of the top winter destinations for off-road riding.