UTV (ORV) registration required?

[subzero350]

I'm on the Indiana code website and the text for off road vehicles with regards to registration with the state are confusing to me.

Say an Indiana resident buys a used (2014 or older) side-by-side/UTV from a private individual (also an Indiana resident) and has a dated and signed bill of sale. The UTV does have a VIN tag on it.

Said UTV has never been registered with the state before as far as is known (ie: no registration stickers are on the UTV)... Is this a problem?

The new owner of said UTV lives in a county that does NOT allow the use of the UTV on public roadways, so the new owner is only going to operate that UTV on his own property for purposes of farming, gardening, land maintenance; etc.

Does said UTV need to be registered with the state or is it exempt from this requirement?

What if the new owner wants to take this UTV onto a neighbor's land (with the landowner's permission) - does it then need to be registered?

[morrison]

The UTV is required to be registered. The bill of sale can be used for 45 days. The statute, which I posted below, does not make an exception for "where" the UTV is being operated.

Let me know if you have any additional questions.


IC 9-18.1-14-1Registration; exceptions

Sec. 1. (a) Except as provided under subsections (b) and (c), an off-road vehicle or a snowmobile must be registered under this chapter to be operated in Indiana.

(b) Registration is not required for the following vehicles:

(1) An off-road vehicle or snowmobile that is exclusively operated in a special event of limited duration that is conducted according to a prearranged schedule under a permit from the governmental unit having jurisdiction.

(2) An off-road vehicle or snowmobile that is registered in another state or country and being operated by a nonresident of Indiana for a period not to exceed twenty (20) days in one (1) calendar year.

(3) An off-road vehicle or snowmobile that is being operated for purposes of testing or demonstration and on which certificate numbers have been placed under section 9 of this chapter.

(4) An off-road vehicle or snowmobile, the operator of which has in the operator's possession a bill of sale from a dealer licensed under IC 9-32 or a private individual that includes the following:

(A) The purchaser's name and address.

(B) A date of purchase, which may not be more than forty-five (45) days before the date on which the operator is required to show the bill of sale.

(C) The make, model, and vehicle number of the off-road vehicle or snowmobile provided by the manufacturer.

(5) An off-road vehicle or snowmobile that is owned or leased and used for official business by:

(A) the state;

(B) a municipal corporation (as defined in IC 36-1-2-10);

(C) a volunteer fire department (as defined in IC 36-8-12-2); or

(D) the United States government or an agency of the United States government.

(c) The owner of an off-road vehicle or a snowmobile that was properly registered under IC 14-16-1 or IC 9-18-2.5 (before its expiration) is not required to register the off-road vehicle or snowmobile under this chapter until the date on which the previous registration expires.

(d) A person that:

(1) operates an off-road vehicle or snowmobile on a public roadway; or

(2) fails to register an off-road vehicle or snowmobile as required by this section;

commits a Class C infraction