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All motor vehicles and trailers used on Arizona highways are required to be registered and to carry license plates with the exception of farm tractors or trailers used solely in the operation of a farm for transporting unprocessed fiber or forage products.
Registration fees include a gross weight fee, highway use fee, and a motor carrier fee. The gross weight fee is based upon the declared gross weight of the trailer, semitrailer, motor vehicle or vehicle combination. A farm vehicle with a farm vehicle license plate must pay a gross weight fee that is 50 percent of the gross weight fees listed below. Farm-plated vehicles are exempt from the highway use fee.
Motor carrier registration is staggered on a quarterly basis.
Motor vehicles and trailer or semitrailers display plates on the rear.
Vehicles issued two plates may display plates either:
Arizona is a member of the International Registration Plan (IRP). The IRP is a base state system for vehicle registration fees, allowing a carrier to apply for vehicle registration and pay fees to a single jurisdiction.
Arizona law now allows for a facsimile of the registration cab card in lieu of the original registration card being carried in the vehicle at all times.
Arizona law assigns license plates to a vehicle’s owner. When a vehicle is sold, the vehicle owner must remove the license plate and:
Provisions for registration credit:
The owner will need to obtain a restricted use three-day permit for private sales or a temporary registration plate (TRP) for vehicles purchased from a licensed motor vehicle dealer.
Temporary Permit: Arizona issues a 90-day temporary permit authorization to carriers with existing fleets registered under IRP. Temporary permits may be issued only if an IRP carrier is adding a vehicle to a new or existing fleet, but cannot complete the title transaction. The fee is in addition to the applicable apportioned registration fee.
Hunter's Permit: This permit is issued to an owner-operator (lessor) who has surrendered his license plate and cab card to the lessee, allowing travel in all jurisdictions for the purpose of finding a new job. The unladen weight permit is valid for vehicles operating at unladen weight only, and is non-transferable. The permit is valid for 30 days.
See Regulatory Agencies.
Fees include:
Motor carrier fees are prorated monthly.
All commercial trailers greater than 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight will be permanently registered and must display a “PERM” tab on the license plate.