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Off-Road Motorcycle Licensing

ORV Tags
Street Licenses
Out-of-state Motorcycles
Off-Road to Street Legal Conversion

In the state of Washington, your motorcycle must have current ORV tags or be street-legal and licensed for you to legally ride in off-road areas on State or Federal land.

You are legal on trail systems open to motorized use on State or Federal land, with either ORV tags or street licensing.

To ride your motorcycle on forest roads (paved, gravel or dirt), an ORV tag is generally not legal. You must have street licensing. This is true for the vast majority of forest roads, noting that in some rare instances local land management authorities have opened specific sections of forest roads to ORV tag use, to tie together distinct trails into loops.

Only you can be responsible for ensuring that you only operate your motorcycle in a legal manner.

These guidelines are subject to change.

Get more information from the Washington State Department of Licensing, the Washington State Patrol or your local Forest Service office.

ORV Tags - top

Getting an annual ORV tag is simple. Go to any Washington state vehicle licensing office, show your motorcycle title or registration, pay the nominal fee and take it home. You might call your local vehicle licensing office for the current guidelines and prices.

Be sure the affix the ORV tag in a prominent and protected location on your motorcycle, such as the rear portion of either fork leg, between the triple clamps, or on the steering stem or adjacent frame.

Street Licenses - top

A street licensed motorcycle is legal in any ORV area, be it on State or Federal land. You can get a street license for stock dual sport motorcycles, for example the Suzuki DR-Z400S, or Honda XR650L. In some cases, off-road designated machines have been successfully licensed for street use, and most European brands (KTM, GasGas, TM and Husqvarna) may be licensed as well.

Important: See the "Off-Road to Street Legal Conversion" section below.

Getting a street license (if the license was not obtained from the dealer at the time of purchase) requires that your motorcycle be inspected and that it have all required equipment for street use. Inspections take place at any Washington State Patrol (WSP) vehicle inspection station.

A motorcycle endorsement on your driver's license is required if you'll ride on any public roads, including forest roads (since a street licensed motorcycle is required). A motorcycle endorsement is not required for off-road riding, even if your motorcycle has a street license in lieu of an ORV tag.

Out-of-state Motorcycles - top

Out of state bikes may be operated in Washington ORV areas as long as they have a current ORV tag or street license from their home state.

Off-Road to Street Legal Conversion - top

10/24/2001

Background --

Due to growing trail fragmentation from roads in our motorized trail riding areas, more and more riders are turning to dual sport bikes or street licensed ORV conversions to connect between motorized trails. In 1998, after many years of working out a viable process with the users, WSP implemented a new inspection and street licensing policy for properly modified off-road motorcycles. It was warmly received by the users and in general a big success.

However, for reasons still not understood, problems with inspections started to occur about a year ago. Many inquiries by NMA and others to the WSP licensing division went unanswered.

A Surprising Change --

Then in a stunning reversal of the new policy, a letter dated December 27, 2000, Captain Frederick R. Fakkema of the Washington State Patrol Commercial Vehicle Divsion informed NMA that the WSP will no longer inspect and approve off-road vehicles for (street) licensing.

The forthcoming explanation for this policy flip-flop were vague to say the least. The stated reasons in the letter were that WSP would "have to be assured by the manufacturer that an 'off-road use only' Vehicle Safety vehicle is road worthy after modification and FMVSS (Federal Motor Standards) certified."

This explanation makes no sense to NMA. Clearly, no manufacturer is going to provide such certification. And such requirements do not even apply to any other type of custom built vehicles. Nor do they apply to the cars and trucks we all own, most which have many non-factory certified, but fully legal and safe after-market modifications and custom parts installed.

Conversions Being Denied --

Unfortunately, many of our members and other law-abiding motorcyclists continue to be denied a vehicle inspection and street license for a properly modified off-road motorcycle, even after buying and installing conversion equipment that meets state and DOT standards for street use.

Recommendation --

At this time, and until this issue is resolved, the NMA recommends that off-road motorcycle owners refrain from buying and installing conversion equipment and kits specifically for the purposes of converting an off-road motorcycle for street licensing.

If you still want to pursue an off-road conversion inspection, we strongly encourage you to research the situation carefully.

While vehicle inspections and licensing cannot be guaranteed at this time, NMA has heard that there have been some successful vehicle inspections and licensing in recent months. However, the inspection process is not uniform or reliable; keep your expectations low and research the situation with the inspection station(s) you plan to visit -- prior to spending any money on conversion equipment.

What You Can Do --

Meanwhile, NMA will continue to try to work with the WSP and will initiate actions with state legislators in future sessions to try and resolve and correct this unfair and likely illegal impasse on vehicle inspections and licensing.

NMA is also requesting that our members and other interested motorized users get involved.

Make YOUR government responsible to YOU and to the laws already on the books by taking the following three actions:

1. Continue to call and lobby the Washington State Patrol and Department of Licensing to reimplement a fair and doable inspection and licensing process for ORV bikes that are properly converted to meet the state vehicle requirements.
    
2. Call, write and lobby your state legislative representatives and ask them take actions to clarify the current applicable RCWs, and especially RCW 46.37 which clearly defines equipment requirements for street use in this state.
    
   These requirements are reasonable and can be easily complied with using current technology aftermarket equipment. All vehicles, including ORV motorcycles, which are modified to comply with these requirements should be eligible for inspection and street licensing!
    
3. Ask your state legislative representatives to help define a fairer vehicle inspection policy. This would include clearly defined limits to the power and ability of the Washington State Patrol to impose unreasonable or biased restrictions as to which vehicles it chooses to inspect, and would prevent the Washington State Patrol from refusing to inspect and approve for licensing vehicles which comply with the state vehicle equipment requirements for steet use. WSP should be following the laws on the books and not making them up at their whim and discretion.

Contacts --

Some of the recent contacts at WSP and the Department of Licensing regarding the above issue are listed below. If phone numbers have changed, check the on-line web-sites for both of these agencies for contact number to call.

As usual, if you call, please be polite and keep lines of communication open.

We want to resolve the issue cooperatively so we can reach a solution that works for both off-road motorcyclists, the WSP and DOL.

Washington State Patrol (list updated 6/3/2003)

• Equipment Questions:
  Captain Frederick Fakkema, 360-753-0350
  Christine Fox, 360-753-3697
   
• VIN Questions:
  Captain Brian Ursino, 360-753-1118
  Sgt. Matt Stone, 360-586-9318
   
• Dept. of Licensing/RCW Questions:
  4/8/2006: Updated contact information...
  Customer Service, 360-902-3770 option 5, or contact your local vehicle licensing office.
   
• Motorcycle Safety Questions:
  Carol Spurgeon, 360-902-3853

RCW 47.37 --

If you want to see the actual Revised Code of Washington text regarding vehicle licensing, click here.

Brief History of Inspection Policy --

After several years of working with many users groups, the written policy, was communicated by the Washington State Patrol to NMA and other off-road groups in mid-1998.

The new vehicle inspection policy, which was reviewed and approved by Attorney General Christine Gregoire's office, was designed to allow conversion of properly modified off-road motorcycles to steet-legal or dual-sport status.

A letter from the Washington State Patrol (WSP) at that time, signed by Chief Annette M. Sandberg and Captain G. Marshall Pugh, states that the policy became effective, as transmitted to all Vehicle Identification Inspectors, July 1, 1998.