Do Snowmobiles Have Titles? Title and Registration Rules by State

Whether a snowmobile has a title depends on the state. Of the 13 states in this guide's table, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Vermont and Wyoming title snowmobiles, often with date or model-year exceptions. Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, New York and New Hampshire register sleds without a title, and Colorado requires one only on dealer and auction sales.

At a glance

• All 13 states in the table register snowmobiles, including the states that issue no title.
• In states without a title, a bill of sale or the seller's signed registration is the usual proof of ownership, and New Hampshire requires neither to register.
• Several states give a buyer a deadline to transfer the paperwork: 10 days in Wisconsin, 15 days in Ohio, Idaho and Pennsylvania, and 30 days to apply for an Iowa title.
• Minnesota, Michigan, Montana, Vermont and Wyoming require a trail pass, permit or user-fee decal, though in some states it comes with the registration.
• Nonresidents need a permit or local registration in several states, so check before you trailer a sled across a state line.

Rules in this guide were read from each state agency's own website or official statutes on 27 October 2026. If you are shopping now, browse snowmobiles for sale on Searchshop and ask the dealer which documents come with the sled.

How this guide was checked

Every rule here comes from the state agency that titles or registers snowmobiles, or from that state's official statutes, read on 27 October 2026. Insurance pages, dealer blogs and forums were not used as sources. The table covers 13 major snowmobiling states whose title rules could be confirmed from those primary sources. Wisconsin appears in the sections on transfers, trail passes and nonresidents only, and states not named are not covered by this guide.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. State rules change, so confirm the current requirements with the agency in your state before you buy or sell.

Snowmobile title and registration rules by state

Seven of the 13 states in this table require a title for most snowmobiles, five do not, and Colorado requires one only for dealer and auction sales. Each state names its own agency and registration period.

Montana's exception covers a snowmobile bought before April 16, 1993 whose use is restricted to private land. Michigan registers sleds that arrive with an out-of-state title but does not issue a Michigan title for them.

How ownership is proved in states without a title

In states that do not title snowmobiles, ownership is usually shown with a bill of sale or the seller's signed registration. The details each state asks for differ.

• Michigan: The Secretary of State accepts the previous registration signed by the seller, or a private-sale bill of sale listing the year and make, the VIN, and the buyer's and seller's names and addresses.
• New York: For a sled already registered in New York and bought from an individual, the DMV accepts a snowmobile bill of sale (form MV-912) together with the New York registration.
• Minnesota: State law says a person may not sell a snowmobile without giving the buyer a bill of sale on a form prescribed by the DNR commissioner.
• New Hampshire: Fish and Game says a title or bill of sale is not required to register, but recommends completing a bill of sale and checking it against the machine's VIN.
• Colorado: On a private sale, Parks and Wildlife asks for a bill of sale with both parties' printed names and signatures, the VIN, the make, model and year if known, and the date of sale.

Because a no-title state has no central ownership document, the bill of sale is the main record of the sale. Keep a signed copy with the VIN written on it, and check that number against the sled itself.

Paperwork to get when you buy a used snowmobile

When you buy a used snowmobile, get the document your state uses to transfer ownership, plus a bill of sale. In title states that means the signed title; in states without a title, ask for the old registration as well as the bill of sale.

What do title states ask for?

• Pennsylvania: The seller signs an assignment and warranty of title on the certificate, sworn before a notary, and the buyer applies for a new title within 15 days.
• Iowa: A titled sled cannot be sold without delivering a title assigned to the buyer, and the owner applies to the county recorder within 30 days of acquiring it.
• Vermont: For a sled titled before, the DMV asks for the original title signed by all owners with any liens released, plus a bill of sale showing the make, year, identification number, purchase price, date and seller's signature.
• Utah: The DMV uses form TC-656, the Application for Utah Title and Registration, asks every owner on it for government-issued ID, and lists a VIN inspection for sleds being titled in Utah for the first time.
• Montana: A county treasurer registers a sled once a title application has been delivered or a title record already exists, and the owner shows the most recent registration receipt if the sled was registered before.

How fast do you have to transfer it?

Transfer deadlines are short in several states. In Wisconsin, the seller hands over the registration certificate and the buyer applies to transfer it within 10 days. Ohio and Idaho give a new owner 15 days to transfer the registration. Colorado lets a buyer use the bill of sale as a temporary registration for 30 days.

New Hampshire adds a warning for buyers: registration decals on a machine are no longer valid once ownership changes. Plan to register in your own name before you ride.

Trail passes on top of registration

Several states require or sell a trail pass, permit or user-fee decal in addition to, or bundled with, registration.

• Minnesota: The state trail pass and registration decals are combined into one decal for trail-use registrations. A sled not registered in Minnesota needs a state trail pass to ride state or grant-in-aid trails.
• Wisconsin: The DNR sells a snowmobile trail pass valid for one season that expires June 30, and exempts sleds ridden only on private property, on a snowmobile route or on frozen water not marked as a trail or corridor.
• Michigan: Residents and nonresidents who ride on public land need a DNR snowmobile trail permit, valid Oct 1 to Sept 30.
• Montana: Residents buy a Winter Trail Pass valid for two seasons to ride groomed trails, and nonresidents buy one valid for one season.
• Vermont: A sled must display a Vermont Trails Maintenance Assessment (TMA) decal next to its registration decal.
• Wyoming: State law requires snowmobiles to display a current Wyoming resident or nonresident user fee decal.

Two states have gone the other way. New Hampshire Fish and Game says there are no additional trail user fees, and Iowa residents have not needed an annual trail user permit since a law that took effect July 1, 2024.

Riding a snowmobile in another state

Riding a snowmobile in another state usually means buying that state's nonresident permit or registering there. The rules differ widely.

• New York: Snowmobiles registered in another state or province still have to be registered with the New York DMV.
• Utah: Nonresidents need a permit for each machine they ride on public land, valid for 12 months from purchase.
• Idaho: Out-of-state riders must buy a nonresident snowmobile user certificate, good for one year.
• Colorado: Nonresidents need a Non-resident Snowmobile Permit, valid through the following Sept 30, and do not have to register.
• Wisconsin: Nonresidents ride with a Wisconsin nonresident trail pass and their home state's current registration, as long as the sled has not been in Wisconsin for more than 15 consecutive days.
• Iowa: Nonresident user permits are required on public land, public ice and designated trails.

Next steps

Next steps depend on whether your state titles snowmobiles and who is selling the sled.

1. Find your state in the table. If it titles snowmobiles and the sled falls under the rule, do not pay until the seller can hand over a signed title.
2. Get a bill of sale every time. Include the VIN, year, make, price, date and both signatures, and check the VIN on the sled.
3. Collect the old registration. In registration-only states it is the main ownership record.
4. Note the transfer deadline. Some states allow only 10 to 15 days.
5. Budget for a trail pass if your state or the state you ride in requires one.

Before you inspect a sled, read our used snowmobile buying guide and the wider snowmobile buying guide. If you are riding with a passenger, compare the best two-up snowmobiles. When you are ready, shop snowmobiles from dealers on Searchshop.

Frequently asked questions

Can you register a snowmobile without a title?

Yes, in states that do not title snowmobiles, such as Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, New York and New Hampshire, you register with other proof of ownership. Michigan, for example, accepts the previous registration signed by the seller or a private-sale bill of sale. In title states such as Pennsylvania, the agency will not register a sled until a title has been issued or applied for.

Is a bill of sale enough to prove you own a snowmobile?

In some states a bill of sale is enough. Colorado says a private-sale bill of sale serves as proof of ownership, and Michigan accepts one that lists the year, make, VIN and both parties' names and addresses. New York pairs its bill of sale form with the New York registration for a sled bought from an individual.

Do you need a title to sell a snowmobile?

You need a title to sell only if your state titles the sled. In Iowa, a titled snowmobile cannot be sold without giving the buyer an assigned title, and in Pennsylvania the assignment must be sworn before a notary. In Minnesota, which has no title, the seller must give the buyer a bill of sale on the DNR's form.

Does snowmobile registration transfer to the new owner?

Snowmobile registration transfers in some states but not in others. In Wisconsin, Ohio and Idaho, the buyer transfers the existing registration within 10 or 15 days. In New Hampshire, registration decals stop being valid once ownership changes. Montana's one-time registration is valid only until the current owner sells the sled.

Sources

• Colorado Parks and Wildlife: snowmobile registration
• Idaho Code 49-501, vehicles to be titled
• Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation: snowmobiling
• Iowa Code chapter 321G, snowmobiles
• Iowa DNR: snowmobile registration
• Iowa DNR: new snowmobile law streamlines permit requirements
• Michigan Secretary of State: recreational vehicles
• Michigan DNR: snowmobile permits and requirements
• Minnesota DNR: snowmobile registration
• Minnesota DNR: snowmobile state trail pass
• Minnesota Statutes 84.82, snowmobile registration
• Montana Code 23-2-611, certificate of title
• Montana Code 23-2-616, registration
• Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks: snowmobile regulations and registration
• New Hampshire RSA 261:3, vehicles not requiring a title
• New Hampshire Fish and Game: registering your OHRV or snowmobile
• New York Vehicle and Traffic Law 2102, exclusions from titling
• New York DMV: register a snowmobile
• New York DMV: acceptable proofs of ownership
• New York State Parks: snowmobile registration
• Ohio BMV: new titles
• Ohio BMV: snowmobile, off-road motorcycle and ATV registration
• Ohio Revised Code 4519.05, transfer of registration
• Pennsylvania DCNR: register or title your snowmobile
• Pennsylvania 75 Pa.C.S. 7712.1, certificate of title
• Utah DMV: snowmobiles
• Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation: nonresident OHV permits
• Vermont DMV: registering your snowmobile
• Vermont 23 V.S.A. 3807, exemptions from titling
• Vermont 23 V.S.A. 3202, registration and TMA decal
• Wisconsin DNR: snowmobile registration
• Wisconsin DNR: snowmobile trail pass
• Wyoming Statutes 31-2-101, certificate of title
• Wyoming State Parks: snowmobile rules and regulations
• Wyoming State Parks: snowmobile permits and fees