ELKO — Off-highway vehicles are ubiquitous in Nevada, from dune buggies on Sand Mountain to hunters retrieving their kills.
Come July 1, Nevada residents who want to buy an off-highway vehicle, such as an all-terrain vehicle or snowmobile, will have to register it within 30 days after purchase. Residents who already own OHVs will have to register them with the Department of Motor Vehicles by July 1, 2013.
OHVs purchased out of state after July 1, 2012, will have to show that Nevada sales tax has been paid on them before they can be titled and registered, according to the Department of Motor Vehicle’s website.
Aye, there’s the rub
“The original genesis is because people were buying (OHVs) out of state with no title and no sales tax,” Off-Highway Vehicles Commission Chairman Paul Jackson said.
An ATV that costs $6,000, at a sales tax rate of 7 percent, costs an extra $420 in sales tax.
OHVs bought before July 1, 2012, will not be required to show proof of paid sales tax in the state.
The commission, which is appointed by the governor, has been working for six years to ready the registration regulations, Jackson said.
With an estimated $2 billion spent in the state on OHV recreation, something was needed to administer and maintain the networks of roads.
“That’s billion with a B,” Jackson said.
The fee, around $30, will exclusively benefit OHV trails through maintenance and signage, he said.
OHVs, after July 1, 2013, must be registered once a year.
The forms to register are on the DMV’s OHV website at dmvnv.com/ohv.
The OHV Commission’s website, with information on the subject, will be live on Monday at nvohv.com.
“No one knows how many OHVs are in the state,” Jackson said.
The regulations Nevada has created will allow people with Nevada OHVs to use their vehicles in states that have similar OHV registration programs, according to the Nevada DMV website.
The blanket fine for failing to register, for new OHVs after July 1, 2012, or for older ones July 1, 2013, is $100.
File by mail
“It’s important for dealers to become licensed OHV dealers,” DMV Public Information Officer Kevin Malone said.
The packet for OHV dealers is on the DMV’s OHV website.
All registration, if not done through a dealer, will be handled by mail, Malone said.
OHV owners should not come into a DMV office because all of the transactions and interactions will be done through the mail or online.
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