Titling and licencing 3-wheelers in Iowa

[Frankencelery]

I know we've got a few members in Iowa, so I wanted to share my experience with getting two of my trikes legal to ride in public parks.

I live in the country and have a tiny acreage that I can ride on, but I can ride all my trails in about 2 minutes, and the rest is just gravel roads, so it gets old. We've got a handful of ATV parks (in Iowa, they use the term Off-Highway Vehicles, or OHV, for some reason) here in the state, and I really wanted to be able to ride in them, so I went through the process.

Some people have described their state as 3-wheeler hostile, but Iowa law defines an ATV as having at least 3 wheels and no more than 6, so we're pretty well covered there. You have to have a title, which is the hardest part. Most of us don't have titles for our old machines.

Titling and licensing of ATV's in Iowa is handled by the DNR, so that's where I needed to start. To get a title, first, I had to fill out a form for a title, then sign an affidavit saying that to my knowledge my three wheeler had not been previously titled. It's supposed to be signed by the seller and the buyer. This presented a problem, because I bought it from somebody out of state a few years ago. In my county (Madison, where the bridges are), they were pretty relaxed about it and let me put my name in both places. In some counties you may have to invent a "seller" to sign it if you can't get in touch with the real one. Then you take the affidavit to the local sheriff or town PD, and they will run the VIN and make sure it isn't stolen. I had a funny moment where I realized I had no idea wha the history of my 250SX was, and held my breath while they called it in. It came back ok, and the deputy signed off on it. Then I went back to the courthouse, completed paperwork in hand and they provided me with a title and a tag for 2009. They don't prorate the tags. I bought it in June, and I paid full price (I think it was like 15 bucks) and it's good until December 31st.

Two weeks ago, I rode in my first ATV park, and I have to say it's worth the effort. We went to Bluff Creek in Oskaloosa Iowa, and it was a blast. We're planning to visit all the parks within 2 hours of us in the next few months. The DNR guy came over and checked our tags, and commented that they don't see many three wheelers around, then reminisced about his dad's 3-wheeler back in the day. I got quite a few looks, but I couldn't tell if it was because seeing the trike itself was so unusual, or the fact that my riding buddy was on a near-new KTM 450 dirt bike and we made such a strange pair! He whomped me severely on the MX track and open trails, and I bested him on the mudhole-laden perimeter trails. I should have brought my camera!

[Dammit!]

Arizona makes it a complete and total pain in the rear. If you don't have a title, you have to get a bonded title which takes a while and the cheapest I've heard of is $75 to do it. Then you still have to get it registered and pay for their new OHV sticker program. It's a total crock if you ask me. Trikes should be protected by some kind of grandfather clause since many of them were sold new without titles.

Anyway, with the help of an out of state friend, I'm in the process of bucking the system a little bit. I should be legal hopefully this week on just my 350x. I still have a couple 250R's and a 200x to get done also. AND I JUST LOVE GIVING MONEY TO THE GOVERNMENT! YAY FOR ME! :mad:

[harryredtrike]

i too am getting ready to do this in michigan.dont know what i am in store for though,could be bad or good.none of my machines have titles.

[hublake]

i too am getting ready to do this in michigan.dont know what i am in store for though,could be bad or good.none of my machines have titles.

Not a real problem in MI. Do you have a bill of sale from the person you got them from? If not make one up with a reasonable price and put the vin number on it and go to a Sec. of State office and apply for a title. They will run the vin to see if it has been reported stolen. If not they will give you a title. Takes a couple of days. You will have to pay taxes on the cost of the 3 wheeler and the cost of the title.

[Frankencelery]

Oh yeah, I forgot...the affidavit has to be notarized too. Fortunately at my local courthouse, they had a notary there that would do it.

The only other thing that bugs me is that once you're titled and registered, you have to keep up the registration every year, so if a 3-wheeler falls out of favor or goes into a long restore, you still have to remember to pay up or pay penalties.

In Iowa, they allow kids under 12 to ride the ATV parks with direct supervision, but their rides have to be titled and registered in the same way. So..it looks like I'll have to do the 70 too...

I will say one thing about the price of the registration. I read that several of the OHV parks were paid for entirely by ATV registrations. That's literally our tax dollars at work, and something I can't complain much about paying for.

[zppeacock]

This thread just inspired me to register my 82 185s. I went to the wisconsin dnr site clicked atv registration. Then filled in the vin, when I bought it, and how much. My total was like $67

Thats for the ownership transfer, public and private passes and reg

[kernalklink]

i had to do the same thing with my 4 wheeler here in adair county - it seemed like a hastle but it was cheap and now its done. i never even considered getting the 110 licensed, i suppose now i have to...:naughty:

BTW - Bluff creek is pretty cool we go riding there about once a year - last year we spent the whole time in the osky hospital because my brother broke his arm after about an hour of riding but it was still cool. love the rock piles feels like riding in the mountains!!

[250rAL]

I 've had my trike since long before they started titleing ATVs so they just automatically did mine when the registration came due. I'm going to try Bluff Creek shortly. My son just moved to Oskaloosa so we have a free place to stay the night(it's a 3 hour drive there). He's a paramedic out of the Osky hospital so if you get hurt at Bluff Creek, you might need his services.

[Frankencelery]

Whoa...TWO guys from Iowa in one thread? That's way cool! kernalklink, where are you at in Adair county? We should go out and ride sometime. Are there any good places to ride without having to drive two hours? PM me sometime!

[hondaoffroad]

I live in iowa also and im wanting to title my 250sx as far as i know it came from the father of the guy i bought it from, but you never know, if it was stolen what would they do sieze the 3-wheeler or what?

[Frankencelery]

If it was stolen, that's exactly what they would do. Imagine what would happen if they didn't. All thieves would have to do is claim they bought it, and the cops would say "Oh, never mind then".

Or imagine you're the guy it was stolen from:
"Did you find my 3-wheeler?"
"Yes, but the guy who had it had a receipt, so we couldn't take it"

I'm not saying that it would suck and seem totally unfair, but they would really have no choice. I had a moment where I held my breath while the sheriff was calling in my VIN. I didn't know the guy I bought my SX from at all....

[bansheejoel]

what is the point in registering it? Here in michigan you just need a orv sticker.....am i missing somthing?

[hondaoffroad]

well in iowa you have to register your atvs to ride on any of the public ohv trails... to do this according to my local court house you need it titled to register it

[jdt]

Whoa...TWO guys from Iowa in one thread? That's way cool! kernalklink, where are you at in Adair county? We should go out and ride sometime. Are there any good places to ride without having to drive two hours? PM me sometime!

Fort Dodge has a real nice park/trails/whatever. Also the quaries are fun but um... illegal perhaps.

Now i'm nervous to try to register mine as i bought one 3 hours away and lost that dudes number. the other one i bought about 20 min away so i could pry stop by and see if he'd sign a bill of sale. But yeah.. no titles. trailprotrailprotrailprotrailpro.

[Motorgidd]

Fort Dodge has a real nice park/trails/whatever. Also the quaries are fun but um... illegal perhaps.

Now i'm nervous to try to register mine as i bought one 3 hours away and lost that dudes number. the other one i bought about 20 min away so i could pry stop by and see if he'd sign a bill of sale. But yeah.. no titles. trailprotrailprotrailprotrailpro.

Hey jdt,

I have not tried with my trikes yet but I talked to a lady at the Webster County Recorder’s Office and she told me to stop in there and get the paper work for a "non registered ATV", have a bill of sale and the VIN, then I would have to go to the Sherriff’s office and have them run the VIN to make sure it was not stolen. That’s the only part that makes me nervous! I bought my trikes legally but who knows what has been done with them in the past 15 or 20 years... If someone took my trikes away I’m pretty sure I would cry! Do you live in FD?

[shovelryder]

In MN you dont have to reg a three wheeler at all.......BUT.....you can if you like......Bring yer vin north and get MN reg........When ya have the legal MN reg, transfer it at an Iowa motor veh place??????

[jdt]

Hey jdt,

I have not tried with my trikes yet but I talked to a lady at the Webster County Recorder’s Office and she told me to stop in there and get the paper work for a "non registered ATV", have a bill of sale and the VIN, then I would have to go to the Sherriff’s office and have them run the VIN to make sure it was not stolen. That’s the only part that makes me nervous! I bought my trikes legally but who knows what has been done with them in the past 15 or 20 years... If someone took my trikes away I’m pretty sure I would cry! Do you live in FD?

Ok i've done that paperwork when buying a canoe before. And yes, i would cry and be on suicide watch if someone took away trikes.

I don't live in FD, i live about a half hour away in Hamilton Co.

Any other good trails around that area? Someone told me that there are a bunch of trails near Woolstock, but i have never been there.

There use to be a TON of good riding areas throughout Webster City along the river, but since they completely redid that and made it a walking/biking trail, no more riding :(

[Motorgidd]

Ok i've done that paperwork when buying a canoe before. And yes, i would cry and be on suicide watch if someone took away trikes.

I don't live in FD, i live about a half hour away in Hamilton Co.

Any other good trails around that area? Someone told me that there are a bunch of trails near Woolstock, but i have never been there.


There use to be a TON of good riding areas throughout Webster City along the river, but since they completely redid that and made it a walking/biking trail, no more riding :(

Unfortunately I do not know of any good trails around the FD area you can ride on without licensing. Not sure about Woolstock either but that would be great if it was true. I live in FD but usually ride in Humboldt... We have an acreage north of Humboldt that we ride at... not a lot of trails but enough room to get my fix.

[Motorgidd]

In MN you dont have to reg a three wheeler at all.......BUT.....you can if you like......Bring yer vin north and get MN reg........When ya have the legal MN reg, transfer it at an Iowa motor veh place??????

In theory that sounds like a GREAT idea but I would guess you need to be a MN resident to register one in MN? Not sure? :wondering

[shovelryder]

In theory that sounds like a GREAT idea but I would guess you need to be a MN resident to register one in MN? Not sure? :wonderingYup.....Or know a stranger on a certain forum that lives in MN........

[jdt]

Unfortunately I do not know of any good trails around the FD area you can ride on without licensing. Not sure about Woolstock either but that would be great if it was true. I live in FD but usually ride in Humboldt... We have an acreage north of Humboldt that we ride at... not a lot of trails but enough room to get my fix.

basically same here, acerage, ect.

When the snow thaws a bit i'll check out this Woolstock area and take pics and let you know how it is.

[Motorgidd]

Yup.....Or know a stranger on a certain forum that lives in MN........

Hahaha! I like the way you think!

[Motorgidd]

basically same here, acerage, ect.

When the snow thaws a bit i'll check out this Woolstock area and take pics and let you know how it is.

Sounds good. Keep me posted, Thanks!

[Highhorse78]

Hey jdt,

I have not tried with my trikes yet but I talked to a lady at the Webster County Recorder’s Office and she told me to stop in there and get the paper work for a "non registered ATV", have a bill of sale and the VIN, then I would have to go to the Sherriff’s office and have them run the VIN to make sure it was not stolen. That’s the only part that makes me nervous! I bought my trikes legally but who knows what has been done with them in the past 15 or 20 years... If someone took my trikes away I’m pretty sure I would cry! Do you live in FD?

Heres what I would...

Go straight to the sheriffs dept. and ask them to run the VINs for some trikes "you are about to buy".

A few years back I bought a Yamaha Warrior from a guy in Illinois with a title. Took the title down to the courthouse to get my OHV sticker and the lady threw the title away. I asked "arent you gonna give me an Iowa title in my name?" She said "no, in Iowa we dont issue titles for ATVs, just registration". So maybe in Dubuque Co its different.

That was the only ATV I have bought with a title. Even the Suzuki RMZ450 I bought brand new in 06 didnt come with a title. For everything else, I just go to the courthouse with the bill of sale and they send me to the sheriffs dept to have the VIN run. You have to bring the ATV with you so the deputy can check the frame along with the motor. Then they will send you back to the courthouse to get you in the system and get your sticker.

[SteveCZ28]

Heres what I would...

Go straight to the sheriffs dept. and ask them to run the VINs for some trikes "you are about to buy".

A few years back I bought a Yamaha Warrior from a guy in Illinois with a title. Took the title down to the courthouse to get my OHV sticker and the lady threw the title away. I asked "arent you gonna give me an Iowa title in my name?" She said "no, in Iowa we dont issue titles for ATVs, just registration". So maybe in Dubuque Co its different.

That was the only ATV I have bought with a title. Even the Suzuki RMZ450 I bought brand new in 06 didnt come with a title. For everything else, I just go to the courthouse with the bill of sale and they send me to the sheriffs dept to have the VIN run. You have to bring the ATV with you so the deputy can check the frame along with the motor. Then they will send you back to the courthouse to get you in the system and get your sticker.

they changed the no title deal in iowa recently. i had bought as 4 wheeler last summer that the owner couldnt find his paper work for, had to file for lost title and registration. they do issue titles and registrations now in iowa. i have 2 titles to prove it

[ONEBAD350X]

I had my old 350x registered in butler county Iowa.. I didnt need a title just a bill of sale.... oops just read the post above me.. This was in 2001

[SteveCZ28]

a 350x in butler county?!?! where did or do you live