Official fees
Louisiana motorcycle fee chart
Motorcycle / moped registration
$12.00
flat, valid 4 years - no value-based math
Handling fee (new/transfer)
$8.00
Certificate of title (new purchase)
$68.50
Sales tax (new purchase)
5% state + parish
trade-in credit applies at dealer sales
Public tag agent convenience fee
up to $23
only if using a private tag agent
Figures verified July 2026 against official sources (listed below). Always confirm the final amount with the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles (OMV) - often a privatized public tag agent, not a government office - counties can add small local fees.
- Registration fee
- $12.00 flat
- Valid for
- 4 years
- Title fee
- $68.50
- Sales tax on purchase
- 5% state + parish
- Mopeds
- Same $12 rate
Overview
Buying a bike still triggers the same purchase-side costs as a car: the $68.50 title fee, $8 handling fee, and combined state-plus-parish sales tax (5% state plus your local rate) on the purchase price, with the usual trade-in credit at a dealership. A helmet law and Class M motorcycle endorsement apply to riding legally, but neither shows up on the registration bill.
Same state, other costs
More Louisiana vehicle costs
Common questions
Louisiana motorcycle fees FAQ
- How much does it cost to register a motorcycle in Louisiana?
- $12 flat, and that covers you for four full years - no annual renewal, no value calculation the way cars get. It's the cheapest per-year registration of any powered vehicle in the state.
- Why don't motorcycles use the 0.1%-of-value formula cars use?
- Louisiana statute sets motorcycles and mopeds at a flat statutory fee instead of the value-based formula that applies to passenger cars and trucks - one of the few vehicle categories exempt from that math entirely.
- Do motorcycles pay the same sales tax as cars when purchased?
- Yes - the same 5% state rate plus your parish's add-on applies to a motorcycle purchase, with the same dealer trade-in credit and the same rules for private sales (no casual-sale exemption, unlike boats).
- Does a gifted motorcycle skip tax the same way a gifted car does?
- Yes - a notarized Act of Donation works identically for motorcycles: no sales tax owed as long as it's a genuine gift with no assumed loan, just the standard $68.50 title fee and $8 handling fee to put it in the new owner's name.
- How do I register a custom-built or imported motorcycle?
- Assembled and imported bikes typically need a VIN verification/inspection before OMV will issue a title, in addition to the standard DPSMV 1799 application - budget extra time for that step before the flat $12 registration applies.
- Will motorcycles still need an inspection sticker after 2026?
- Under HB 1085, the statewide sticker program ends January 1, 2027 in 59 of 64 parishes, replaced by a $6 QR code tied to registration. Motorcycles in the five parishes with federally mandated emissions testing, or in New Orleans, Kenner, and Westwego's local brake-tag programs, may still face their own local requirements.
Receipts
Official sources
Every number on this page comes from these documents - check them yourself.
