Federal & State Regulations | Vehicle registration requirements - Ohio

All vehicles driven within Ohio must be registered unless otherwise exempt.

Commercial trailers and semitrailers can be registered from one to eight years. Permanent registration isn't eligible for a class transfer from commercial trailer to non-commercial trailer. Multi-year registrations may also be purchased for commercial trailers for two to seven years.

Staggered registration assigns a new primary expiration month for commercial vehicles based on the last two numbers of the carrier's tax identification number (TIN) or social security number (SSN). Staggered registration allows carriers to choose the best plan for their company. he carrier may split fleets into predetermined months.

Agency: Bureau of Motor Vehicles; see Regulatory Agencies for address(es).

Fees

Ohio law requires a motor vehicle to be registered and display one distinctive license plate on the rear of the vehicle. If the license plate is also displayed on the front of the vehicle, it must be identical to the license plate on the rear.

Commercial tractors must display one license plate on the front of the vehicle. An apportioned vehicle receiving an apportioned license plate under the IRP must display the license plate on the rear of the vehicle, unless it is a commercial tractor.

International Registration Plan

Ohio 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.

Motor vehicles that qualify for apportionment consist of the following:

A power unit having two axles and a gross vehicle weight (GVW) or registered weight in excess of 26,000 pounds;
A power unit having three or more axles, regardless of weight; or
A unit used in combination when the weight of such combination exceeds a GVW or 26,000 pounds.

Temporary permit: A 45-day temporary apportionment authorization (TA) is an official document issued by the state that shows what jurisdictions (states) you are allowed to travel in for a maximum of 45 days without an IRP apportioned plate installed on your vehicle. A legible copy of the TA must be made available to enforcement personnel and may be either a physical document or an electronic document.

The Ohio 72-hour trip permit is a registration option for qualified IRP vehicles that don't have apportionment in Ohio where immediate travel is desired. The trip permit is issued in lieu of IRP credentials for vehicles properly registered in their base jurisdiction.

Hunter's or unladen weight permit: A limited permit that may be obtained by an owner-operator not operating as a lessor, allowing the movement of the carrier's vehicle with a registered gross weight not in excess of the unladen weight of the vehicle.

Agency: Ohio Department of Public Safety, Bureau of Motor Vehicles.

Fees: The exact cost for your plate isn't determined until your application has been processed and the fees calculated. On average, the cost for a vehicle operating at 80,000 pounds is between $1,600 and $2,400 for a full-year plate.

['Registration and Permits - Motor Carrier']

['Vehicle Registration Permits']

...

Vehicle registration requirements - Ohio

Fees

International Registration Plan