Off-roading / The basics

The basics, and the one decal you need.

First, what counts as an off-highway vehicle (OHV). Then the small decal that lets you ride public land, and the title-vs-registration question that trips people up.

What counts as an OHV

If it's built to ride off-road and isn't set up to drive legally on the street, it's an off-highway vehicle.

ATV (all-terrain vehicle)

A straddle-seat machine with 3 or more tires, 50 inches wide or less, built for off-road. The classic 'four-wheeler.'

ROV (recreational off-highway vehicle)

A side-by-side (non-straddle) seat machine with 4 or more tires, built for off-road recreation. No width limit in the law.

UTV (utility vehicle)

A side-by-side built mainly for work, with 4 or more tires (think Polaris Ranger, Can-Am Defender, Kawasaki Mule). Texas law sets no weight limit for it.

Off-highway motorcycle

A dirt bike not made for the street. Titled as a motorcycle at the county tax office.

Sand rail

A tube-frame buggy with a roll cage, usually 700 to 2,000 pounds. Other off-road 4x4s not registered for the highway count as OHVs too.

Where it's required: Required to ride an OHV on PUBLIC land - and at a private park that was built or improved with TPWD grant money. Not required on purely private land (but call a private park to be sure).

Where to buy: Buy it through TPWD online, by phone at the TPWD service center, or at one of 100+ authorized dealers. TPWD mails it to you.

If you skip it: Riding public land without a decal is a Class C misdemeanor, with fines that can run from about $25 to $500.

The law: Parks & Wildlife Code, Chapter 29.

Title vs. registration

Title it

You must TITLE your OHV at your county tax assessor-collector's office. A title proves you own it (and helps if it's ever stolen).

Don't register it like a car

You do NOT register it like a car. Texas ended off-road ATV registration years ago - there's no yearly car-style plate or registration for off-road use. The OHV decal is what you need for public land.

The OHV license plate

Texas also offers a special Off-Highway Vehicle license plate from your county tax office. It looks like a normal plate, but it does NOT make your machine fully street legal. It only allows the narrow road uses in the road-rules section. You don't need it to ride trails.

Official sources

The decal comes from TPWD; titling and the OHV plate come from TxDMV and your county tax office.

Data vintage:: Built on the 2025-2026 decal year
Last reviewed:: June 15, 2026

TPWD Where to Buy a Texas OHV Decal - Decal cost and how to buy
TxDMV Unique Vehicles - Titling and the OHV license plate
Parks & Wildlife Code Ch. 29 (OHV decal)

Caution: Fees and forms can change. The official TPWD and TxDMV pages are the final word.

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