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The "REAL DEAL" on How to Street Legal Your RZR in AZ

150K views 139 replies 53 participants last post by  arizona trailboss 
#1 ·
Alright, I'm sure someone's gonna get their feathers ruffled over this, but oh well.

Today I had to renew the registration on my Harley and asked some questions while I was at MVD (since there has been some recent contoversy as far as how to really Street Legal your RZR on this site).

For those of you that want the real deal on plating your RZR in AZ, read on.
I will put all of this in PLAIN TEXT and you can compare it to the written law on your own. But ultimately, you are responsible for finding out at AZ DOT MVD (the agency that has jurisdiction on licensing for the street).

The law is actually pretty straight forward on this. The only real strange gray area is on windshield or no windshield.....I'll get to that later. I'll put some links up for the written law and a couple other links, but this is for those of you that want to follow the law. If you want to challenge the law and 'the man,' this isn't for you. Chances are you could drive down the street in Havasu non-street legal and wave to the nice cop and get a wave back. That's on you.......but I know through first hand experience that they aren't typically allowing it.

Let's cover some facts first: Arizona has 2 different registrations for OHV's.

TITLE PLATE: It says 'RV' on it with a number, it is strictly registering the vehicle to the owner in the state of AZ. To play offroad, you need the OHV sticker ($25). THIS IS NOT A STREET LIC PLATE. The title plate + OHV sticker = CA Green Sticker

REGISTRATION PLATE: It says 'MC' on it with a number, it is for registering to the owner in the state of AZ. Also, to play offroad, you will need the OHV decal. This IS for street leagalizing your RZR on the street. It requires street legal equipment AND insurance.

Now, an OHV is not an OHV is not an OHV.........there are different equipment requirements for a Street Legal (SL) OHV Motorcycle compared to a SL OHV Quad/ATV compared to a SL OHV Side by Side. This isn't my law, but AZ's law. It is what it is. For this thread, we'll focus on Side by Sides (which under AZ law, is enforced under 'golf carts') Whatever!

STREET LEGAL EQUIPMENT for a golf cart or side by side ohv:
(This will be a little different than street legaling your Dirt Bike or quad) The items with stars are the items your RZR does not have from the factory.
-Brakes
-TWO headlights
-Horn***
-License plate light ***
-Tail lights
-Rear view mirror***
-Reflectors
-Brake lights
-and yes, a WINDSHIELD***

Just because your Street Legal RZR has a "MC" plate, doesn't make it a motorcycle. How your insurance wants to look at it is one thing, but how MVD looks at it, well, they see it as a golf cart. That's why "eye protection" isn't adequate.......a windshield is needed. Oh well, looks like your wallet will be $150 lighter.

To be street legal, your RZR needs to have the above equipment (RZR+windshield, rearview mirror, horn, lighted license plate) AND insurance. Not that hard, right?

REDUCED VLT: Let me use myself as an example………….I only street legaled my KTM and RZR to get to the dirt. For those of you like me, there is a waiver you can sign where you are certifying that you are only doing the street legal thing in order to get to the dirt. It doesn’t waive the other requirements, but it reduces your yearly reg fee. Mine went from $110 / year to $3 / year. (plus $25 for the OHV Decal).

OUT OF STATE VISITORS: The following is copy and pasted from this page (Arizona Off Highway Vehicle Program: Rules & Laws ). It is a paraphrased version of the written law, so it’s more digestible.

“NON-RESIDENT VEHICLE REGISTRATION and OHV DECAL: Whether an off-highway vehicle (OHV) operator is legal to operate an OHV in Arizona depends on the state that they come from. If the machine follows the OHV registration/insurance and sticker requirements of the operator’s home State then you may operate in Arizona for 30 consecutive days and you do not need an Arizona title plate, Arizona registration plate, or OHV decal to ride on unmaintained, existing, open, authorized routes on public lands in Arizona. You must abide by Arizona laws, rules, and regulations of course.”

This means (per the nice lady at MVD) that if you have a Street Legal Wyoming RZR, it’s street legal in AZ for up 30 consecutive days (of course, you have to have Insurance AND street legal equipment). If you have a California Green Sticker RZR, it’s OHV legal in Arizona for 30 days………your CA Green Sticker works here for 30 days as long as you are OFF ROAD.

Since you can’t Street Legal a RZR in CA, the 30 day contingency DOES NOT WORK in AZ. As stated before, after talking to the nice lady at MVD, a CA Green Sticker reciprocates as an AZ OHV decal for 30 days. Technically, they want you to buy an AZ OHV Decal after 30 days.

While talking to her, I asked her, “If I live in CA and have a Green Sticker, is it street legal here in AZ as long as it’s lit up and I have insurance?” She giggled and stared at me not sure if I was kidding or not. She then said, “No.” Then I said, “It would be off road legal for 30 days, though, right?” She said “Yes.”

OUT OF STATE RESIDENTS with an address here, also: This is for the typical CA guy that also has a vacation house here in Havasu or whatever…………..You can do everything a normal fulltime AZ resident can do in this case. The only warning I have for you is MAKE SURE YOUR RZR INSURANCE IS AZ INSURANCE. My neighbor found out the hard way on this (He normally lives in CA, but has a house across from me). The registered address is the AZ address. His mailing address is the CA address.


Sorry this is so wordy, but in the interest of informing the increasing number of Californians asking about this and the bad info that has been handed out before, the length of this post was necessary.

I may have missed something here, but that’s it for me on this post. I don’t have to prove a point here and post up all the laws (like on the last thread) because that’s up to you! I can sleep tonight knowing that the stuff in my garage and my friends' vehicles are all legal.:ride:
 
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#37 ·
Here's a little update with some additional info on street legalling your RZR here in AZ.

My previous post is pretty thorough for those RZR's that have a full time or second residence here in AZ.

I have, however, received some PM's from those of you who live in another state and don't have a second house here in AZ. I went to MVD today and asked how to do that. What I came up with is this: There really is no difference between me street legalling the RZR here in AZ or a Nevada resident street legalling his RZR here in AZ.

If you live in another state and have a license there, YOU CAN street legal your RZR in AZ. And best of all, you don't need to 'borrow' some one else's address to do this. The requirements are:

1) Convert your title to an AZ title. You can start this by going to AZ DOT MVD website and printing up their "application for title". When you do this, you use your normal out of state home residence. All MVD mail will also come to you there.

2) Install all the street legal equipment as stated in the first post

3) Make sure your insurance for the RZR is "ARIZONA" insurance


Here are some excerpts from their site:

Title Application link: http://mvd.azdot.gov/mvd/formsandpub/viewPDF.asp?lngProductKey=1435&lngFormInfoKey=1435

What do I need to title and register my out-of-state vehicle?

-Completed, signed title application
-Emission compliance form - Phoenix and Tucson areas only
-Level I vehicle inspection, if out of state title and/or registration is missing
-Out-of-state title (or registration, if title is held by lienholder)
-Out-of-state license plates
-Lien clearance, if applicable
-Power of Attorney from lessor (original or certified copy), if leased vehicle
-Payment of all applicable title and registration fees.

As always, I'm happy to answer any questions and the ultimate responsibility is on you as far as this info goes.
 
#38 · (Edited)
Just to add to this thread - I received the RV (off-road) plate and OHV sticker after I purchased my RZR from the dealer. Walked into MVD with the RV plate and proof of insurance, walked out 10 minutes later with my MC (street-legal) plate. I checked the "primarily off-road" box on the form, and total cost to register was $4.50 (I had already paid the $25.00 for the OHV sticker when I purchased the RZR.) Absolutely effortless. No inspection required, but you do have to certify that you have all the street-legal equipment on it (which I do).

Having lived in CA most of my life, I'm still amazed at how friendly, efficient and helpful the MVD employees are here in AZ....I told that to the clerk who was helping me and she just smiled and said "If I only had a nickel for every time I've heard that!" :)

Also - to you Californians with green stickers (CA OHV registration) - I wouldn't advise driving around on the street in AZ and expecting your green sticker to pass as street registration, whether you have all the required "street legal" equipment or not. Under current AZ law, your CA green sticker is directly equivalent to an AZ "RV" plate with OHV sticker - it's for off-road use only. Arizona authorities will honor it as valid for off-road use (for up to 30 consecutive days, as previously posted), but it will not be honored as street-legal registration. This is info straight from the mouths of several Arizona LEOs (police, sheriffs and DPS). You may get lucky and run across an LEO who chooses to look the other way, but I wouldn't want to bet on it - it could be an expensive bet to lose.
 
#40 ·
I will be moving to el mirage soon to go to school at MMI, I've been thinking about getting a rzr to drive to school and hit the trails when I can. My question to you guys already cruising the streets it what's kind of gas mileage do the rzrs get? I would thinking switching to street tires would help also
 
#41 ·
Please don't buy a RZR expecting efficiency, good gas mileage, or an overall great commuter. I get roughly 15 mpg when hammering it and as well as 20 mpg when babying it. The tires alone will get eaten alive and cost the same as a typical economy car but you'd have to replace them more often. The fluid changes and overall maintenance cost more and have to be done more often (hour/mileage wise).

In my opinion, the best way to look at it is a RZR is an offroad vehicle that happens to be able to be driven on the street occasionally.

Do what you'd like, but I sure wouldn't use a RZR as a commuter.
 
#42 ·
Thanks that's what I was thinking but wanted some advise from someone that actually drives a rzr on the road I guess I'll have to get a motorcycle instead I have one compact car that gets 30mpg and my truck gets 15-16 and me and my wife will be driving daily so I was looking into a motorcycle for me until I found out that atvs can be street legal in AZ. What are your thoughts on like a sport Atv? I'll get a motorcycle if that's by bet option but rather stick to something on 4 wheels
 
#43 ·
I don't know about any 4-wheelers. My best suggestion to you: If you want an efficient commuter motorcycle but want it to double as an offroad toy to explore the AZ desert, consider a dual sport mc.

A KTM or Husaberg would be at the top of my list. In AZ you can street legal any dirt bike so you are not limited to a "factory street legal bike" which usually cost a little more. You could buy something similar to mine (an XC-W) and add your own lights and plate (very esay to do.....plug and play), and you'd end up saving around $750 over the comparable EXC model (these are KTM model names). Hit me up if you have any more questions about these......but these are REAL dirtbikes that you'd be able to squeeze about 45 mpg out of if ridden conservatively.

Another option for a dual sport is street legaling a Japanese dirt bike, but I cannot speak on their on road durability. You could do this for a pretty good price.

Finally, a more 'On Road' option would be a Suzuki DRZ. These are true dual sports but are much better on road than off road. They have 2 to choose from: A dual sport (road/dirt) model, and a "street only" SM model which stands for Super Moto. The DRZ would not be my choice if I was seeing a lot of dirt, but they are great on the street, get godd gas mileage, and has a SWEET motor........meaning torquey, smooth, and powerful.

Another big factor here, how long is your commute?

The downside to these mc's, however, is you can't really include the family on these when the weekend comes.

By the way, good luck in school. Sounds like MMI would be a blast.
 
#46 ·
Question on Gran22's comment:
"Re: The "REAL DEAL" on How to Street Legal Your RZR in AZ

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here's a little update with some additional info on street legalling your RZR here in AZ.

My previous post is pretty thorough for those RZR's that have a full time or second residence here in AZ.

I have, however, received some PM's from those of you who live in another state and don't have a second house here in AZ. I went to MVD today and asked how to do that. What I came up with is this: There really is no difference between me street legalling the RZR here in AZ or a Nevada resident street legalling his RZR here in AZ.

If you live in another state and have a license there, YOU CAN street legal your RZR in AZ. And best of all, you don't need to 'borrow' some one else's address to do this. The requirements are:

1) Convert your title to an AZ title. You can start this by going to AZ DOT MVD website and printing up their "application for title". When you do this, you use your normal out of state home residence. All MVD mail will also come to you there.

2) Install all the street legal equipment as stated in the first post

3) Make sure your insurance for the RZR is "ARIZONA" insurance


Here are some excerpts from their site:

Title Application link: http://mvd.azdot.gov/mvd/formsandpub...rmInfoKey=1435

My insurance company requires I have residence in state in which insured. What Insurance Company will write a policy for a Rzr lic in Az, from CA? and normally housed in California?
 
#53 ·
The confusion arises because there are two options. You can install the horn, license plate light, and rear view mirror and get the MC plate with the reduced registration fee (something like $4.00). However with this option, it is intended to be used mostly off-road, and really only for traveling between off-road trails. Not really intended as a commuter vehicle. If you want to be fully street legal and drive it anywhere on the street just as you would your car, there are additional equipment requirements. I believe that includes approved tires, turn signals, side mirrors, etc.
 
#56 ·
I got my AZ plate a few weeks back. Was told about the AZ insurance. We called Progressive twice and was told our insurance was good anywhere in the states and the CO cards we have were good. Told them AZ says differently has to say AZ on top of the card. Progressive said we could buy separate insurance for AZ but having a CO address Progressive does not like it. Think I will go direct to the agent when we get back and have them type me out verification on there letter head telling of Progressives response. Dont know why that wont fly in a pinch.
 
#61 ·
Is there any way to tell by looking at the plate or stickers that would tell you if you went with "primary offroad" or "primarily onroad", The lady at MVD made sure to tell me to make sure im not stopping at any stores or anything, however on the way to the dirt we stop for gas and snacks, whats the problem with that? and can they even tell by looking at the license plate that my RZR is for primarily offroad use?
 
#62 ·
No, you cannot tell by glancing or looking at the plate.

Do you think if you got pulled over on the way to the dirt, spending money at the local Qwik E Mart, a cop would have a problem with that. I can't tell you for sure since I haven't read the law, but this would fall under the whole "letter of the law vs the spirit of the law."

I think you'd be safe stopping on the way to the dirt. She was warning you not to go use the RZR as a grocery getter/bar hopper if you have the offroad only affadavit on file. Just my 2 pennies.
 
#63 ·
That's what I figured, she just made sure to tell me that I better not make any stop at the stores, which seemed weird to me. But I'm sure she is required to make sure I know what I am signing for... Btw grant, went off bison road and found power line rd, however there are so many trails going everywhere we could not find our way out too far, but it sure was a blast out there
 
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