Official fees
Montana motorcycle fee chart
Base registration (street-legal, one-time)
$53.25
Safety fee
$16.00
Montana Highway Patrol fee
$10.00
Plate manufacturing fee
$12.00
Off-highway-only base fee
$61.25
no safety fee
Title fee (used purchase)
$12.36
Figures verified July 2026 against official sources (listed below). Always confirm the final amount with your county treasurer's motor vehicle office (MT MVD) - counties can add small local fees.
Step by step
How to register a motorcycle in Montana
- 1
Get Montana liability insurance and, if bought used, the signed-over title.
- 2
Decide street-legal vs. off-highway-only registration - it changes the fee.
- 3
File Form MV1 for the title (used purchase) at your county treasurer's office.
- 4
Pay the one-time base fee, safety fee (if street-legal), Highway Patrol fee, and plate fee.
- 5
You're done - there is no annual renewal to track for a Montana-registered motorcycle.
- Base fee
- $53.25 one-time
- Street-legal total
- ≈ $91.25 one-time
- Renewals
- None - ever
- Off-highway only
- ≈ $71.25 one-time
- Sales tax
- $0
Overview
Riding off-road only, with no plans to hit public roads? There's a cheaper off-highway-only registration at $61.25 plus the $10 highway patrol fee - no safety fee, since it never sees pavement. Buy the vehicle used and the same title rules apply as any transfer: a title fee, the 40-day deadline, and Montana's usual $0 sales tax.
Same state, other costs
More Montana vehicle costs
Common questions
Montana motorcycle fees FAQ
- How much does it cost to register a motorcycle in Montana?
- About $91.25 total, one time, for a street-legal bike: $53.25 base registration, $16 safety fee, $10 Montana Highway Patrol fee, and $12 for the plate. There's no annual fee after that.
- Why is motorcycle registration permanent when cars aren't (until 11 years)?
- Montana law simply mandates permanent registration for all street-legal motorcycles and quadricycles from day one - it isn't age-gated the way light vehicle registration is. Every Montana-registered bike is permanent.
- What if I ride off-road only, never on public roads?
- Off-highway-only registration costs $61.25 plus the $10 Highway Patrol fee - cheaper because it skips the $16 street-legal safety fee entirely, and it's still a one-time, permanent fee.
- Can I upgrade an off-highway registration to street-legal later?
- Yes - you can register for both uses at once (a dual registration paying both fee sets), or add street-legal registration later by paying the difference and getting the safety fee applied.
- Do I pay sales tax buying a motorcycle in Montana?
- No - the same 0% rate applies to motorcycles as to cars and boats. Your only costs are the one-time registration fees above and the title fee if you bought it used.
- Does the county option tax apply to motorcycles?
- Motorcycle and quadricycle registration is a flat statutory fee set at the state level - it isn't assessed against county option tax the way light vehicle registration is, so your total doesn't change by county.
Receipts
Official sources
Every number on this page comes from these documents - check them yourself.
