Washington State specific information on licenses, tags, passes, fees, etc.
Since this is a state specific thread, I thought it would be a good place to post Washington State specific information on licenses, tags, passes, fees, etc. Here they are in their complexity as I think that I understand them. Feel free to correct me or add. Consult your lawyer.
License (website): $17-27 endorsement license application fee, then $30 additionally when renewing your driver’s license every 6 yrs.
A driver’s license with a motorcycle endorsement is required when operating a motorcycle anywhere that requires a license plate on the motorcycle (see below). Washington now has two endorsements to choose from: 2 wheel or 3 wheel. A 2 wheel motorcycle endorsement is required when operating a motorized cycle with 2 wheels with engine displacement greater than 50cc OR capable of speeds in excess of 30 mph. A 3 wheel is required when operating a motorcycle with a sidecar, motorcycle with a stabilizing kit or a 3 wheel trike. Obtained by 1) successfully completing an approved motorcycle training course, or 2) passing a written knowledge test and a skills test. These test are conducted through a motorcycle training school and fees vary.
Registration:
-Street: Approx. $70/yr.
The TW was designed as a street legal motorcycle, and it should be registered as such. You should obtain a street registration and a street license plate. This plate (as we like to call it) makes it legal, and is required, to ride on any public street or highway, ferry boat, ocean beach, and forest service roads (yes, in WA you must be licensed and street legal on forest service roads!) within the state. This also applies to designated motorcycle trails inside US forest service or any other public land with the exception of some Washington state owned lands (see below). Also see
here.
-ORV: Approx. $50/yr.
An Off Road Vehicle (ORV) tag is required in WA for vehicles when off road within the state, with the exception of street plated vehicles as described above. This is common in many states. Dirt bikes, quads and side by sides often obtain an off road tag to legally ride off road. The difference here is that in WA, you cannot just buy a sticker over the counter. It is a vehicle registration. You register your off road vehicle at a licensing agency. You then receive paper registration and a sticker tag that you affix to your vehicle. Like a regular vehicle, you renew this registration yearly to get a new tag.
So, with a dual-sport vehicle such as a TW, or a Jeep, you have the option to “dual-register” your vehicle. Meaning you obtain a street registration and an ORV registration, along with the appropriate yearly tags. An ORV tag on a dual-sport vehicle allows the vehicle to legally go off road while on state land that a regular license plate alone will not cover. This includes; state forests, state dnr lands, state fish and wildlife lands, state parks and ORV parks that receive state funds. Of course, this legality is dependent on being in the proper designated areas. The ORV fees are supposed go back into the sport to develop and maintain off road trails and parks. Also of note, with an ORV tag, you may also be legal to ride in other states that have ORV reciprocity agreements with Washington.
Okay, why wouldn’t I want to get an ORV registration? Issue #1, in Washington, vehicle licensing is done by non-state run dealer agencies. A lot of them don’t understand all of this, as most of the agents do not see it often. So, it can be very difficult to get it done properly at one of these offices. If you are in a populated area, then these offices get very busy. It can take a lot of luck and patience to get this done properly. There are some that have had the agent give them the ORV registration and then cancel their street registration! Can you imagine trying to fix that! Others have been sent to a vehicle inspection because the agent was confused about the new laws in WA that allow a process for dirt bikes to get street legal. Issue #2, the costs. My last street registration was over $70! I think that I heard of ORV registrations going for about $50/yr. Of course there are additional fees the first time that you are setting all of this up. Issue #3, the state has often stolen the ORV dollars from ORV purposes and put it elsewhere. Issue #4, even when you think you are legal, you will find the law enforcement officer that doesn’t understand the laws and write you up anyway. Issue #5, the additional passes (see below).
So, what do I do with my TW?
1) Register it as a street vehicle only, get a street plate and ride where legal with just a plate. You can also supplement with the available passes.
2) Register “dual-registration”, get a street plate and an ORV tag and ride where legal with these. You can also supplement with the available passes.
3) Register as an ORV only, get an ORV tag and treat it like any other non-street legal dirt bike.
4) Don’t register it at all, and keep it only on private property forever.
Passes:
-Discover Pass
(website): $35/annual or $11.50/day. Available over the counter at many sporting goods stores, etc.
With budget problems in the state park system as well as the state budget, they created this pass to boost revenue slated to support state parks, DNR and such. This pass (often referred to as the Disco pass) is required as a day pass or as an annual pass for plated vehicles to enter, or park at state parks, state forest lands, state DNR lands, or ORV parks. Wasn’t everything covered by the other two registrations? Well, no. Again, the disco pass is required for all street plated vehicles, except trailers in the required situations or areas. It is not required for non-plated vehicles with an ORV tag (regular dirt bikes). One pass can have two different license plate numbers written in pen on it, but can only be used for one vehicle at a time. Also, see
here.
-Northwest Forest Pass
(website): $30.
Required at certain day use fee sites, in certain national forests. Check to see if this applies to you.
-Sno-Park Permit
(website): $40/winter season, or $20/day.
Required at Washington State Sno-Parks. Check to see if you need this. Also, check to see if you are going to one of the Sno-Parks that require both the Sno-Park Permit AND the Discover Pass at the same time. Yup, that happens.
-Federal Annual Pass
(website): $80/yr.
Each pass covers entrance fees at national parks and national wildlife refuges as well as standard amenity fees at national forests and grasslands, and at lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Reclamation. A pass covers entrance and standard amenity fees for a driver and all passengers in a personal vehicle at per vehicle fee areas. Check to see if this applies to you.
-MVUM
(website): FREE, but you better have it when you need it! United States Forest Service — Motor Vehicle Use Map. These maps, specific to areas inside certain national forests, basically tell you which roads you can and cannot be on. If it’s not on the map, you can’t be on it. Check to see if one is required for where you are going to be riding!
Compliance Examples:
-If I drive to Lake Sammamish State park for a picnic in my truck, I must have an annual discovery pass, or purchase a daily pass on site. (plated vehicle on roadway and parking lot)
-If I ride my TW to Lake Sammamish State park for a picnic, I must have an annual discovery pass, or purchase a daily pass on site. (plated vehicle on roadway and parking lot)
-If I ride my bike from downtown Ellensburg up into the Wenatchee National Forest to the Manashtash area, I ride on forest service roads until I see a trail designated acceptable for motorcycles; I decide to take the trail. The trail winds through the woods for a while, and then it ends up back on a forest service road. I then ride back to Ellensburg. What do I need for this trip to stay legal? I just need my driver’s license w/ 2 wheel motorcycle endorsement, along with my street legal license plate. Awesome!
-If I trailer my TW to Capitol State Forest: (okay, here’s where it gets fun!) I will always need a Discovery Pass for my truck (plated vehicle on roadway and parking lot).
Now for the TW: if my TW is just street plated, I will need a discover pass if I ride it in the parking lot or any roadway within the state land where any street plated vehicle can be. <
UPDATED other members have confirmed that if PASSING THROUGH on a road in a DNR area that a pass is NOT required.> This means I would need 2 Discovery Passes, one for my truck, one for the bike which I must keep on my person just like my license and registration. Legally, when I got onto a designated motorcycle trail, my street plate would make it legal for me to ride my TW on those trails. If I crossed a roadway, I would again need my Discover Pass on me to be legal. However, there are many LEOs that have not seen it that way down there, and issued tickets if a plated bike was on a motorcycle trail without a disco pass or ORV tag. What if I am dual-registered and have an ORV tag. Do I still need a disco pass? YES! If you ride the bike in the parking lot or on a roadway on state land. Some people have gone to covering or simply removing their street plate altogether if they have an ORV tag while riding on trails. This makes the vehicle like any other dirt bike, legal to ride off road on designated motorcycle trails, but not in areas where any other plated vehicle is allowed inside of state land. Why do that? Simply to avoid tickets from numbskull LEOs, of course. Also, removal of the plate removes the requirement for a disco pass, and therefore that cost.
-If I trailer my TW to Walker Valley ORV Park to ride. At an ORV park, you again need a discover pass for the tow vehicle. For the TW, I would need either an ORV tag (and no street registration, or just remove the street plate), or a disco pass and a plate for the bike. At a DNR ORV recreation site, if it has a plate it also needs a disco pass. Regardless of the intent of the law, this is the way DNR handles it. Don’t get written up.
Pretty FUBAR, right?!
In conclusion, know where you are going to ride! Get what you need to stay legal. If I were to buy everything available that I might need in Washington State, the costs would add up quickly!
-Street registration = $70
-ORV registration = $50
-Discover Pass #1 bike = $35
-Discover Pass #2 truck = $35
-NW Forest Pass = $30
-Sno-Park Permit = $40
-Federal Annual Pass = $80
-State driver’s license w/motorcycle endorsement annual avg. = $10
That’s $350 annually just for licenses, registration fees, and access passes!
Welcome to the People's Republic of WA.
