Arizona Trailer Registration
Whether you’re planning on hauling a vehicle, horses or livestock, refuse or home goods, or a food stand, your trailer needs to be registered with the State of Arizona.
How you plan to use your trailer and the weight of your trailer will depend on how it should be registered. Will your trailer be used for personal or commercial use? Is your trailer one you purchased through a dealer or did you construct it yourself?
Learn what you need to do and how much it will cost for your Arizona trailer registration.
Registrations for trailers in the State of Arizona vary based on whether the trailer will be used for commercial purposes and the weight of the trailer. Trailers can be registered for one, two, or five years while some trailers may qualify for a permanent registration. 
Manufactured Trailer Registration in Arizona
To register your trailer, you’ll need to fill out an ADOT MVD Title and Registration application. The application requires the owner to provide the Vehicle Identification Number, the trailer’s weight including load, and indicate how the trailer will be used. Additionally, the registrant will be required to show a title and a driver’s license.
Trailer owners are issued a PERM license plate tag for trailers that qualify for a permanent registration. Permanent registrations require only a one time registration fee and are issued to noncommercial trailers with a declared gross vehicle weight (GVW) of less than 10,000 pounds for $125.
If the trailer has been converted from commercial to private, the trailer registration fee is just $75. Permanent registrations are also given for trailers with a GVW over 10,000 pounds for $800.
If a trailer is less than six years old and was registered in another state, the fee drops to $500; if over six years old the fee is reduced substantially to $195. Permanently registered trailers with vanity or personalized plates are still responsible for any annual fees associated with specialty plates.
Travel trailers, campers/tent trailers, commercial trailers less than 10,000 pounds GVW, and historic trailers designed for commercial use that are out of commission are ineligible for permanent registrations.
Commercial trailers that weigh less than 10,000 pounds can be registered for one, two, or five years. Registration fees and vehicle license taxes are determined based on the duration of the registration of the owner’s choice.
Commercial trailers that weigh over 10,000 pounds will be subject to the annual registration based on duration and weight fees as determined by the Arizona Motor Vehicle Division.
Homemade Trailer Registrations in Arizona
A homemade trailer is a trailer that has not been produced from a manufacturer and instead has been constructed by an individual using materials such as scrap iron, scrap wood, or a used or homemade axle.
Registering a trailer constructed by yourself is a completely different process than the manufactured trailer because a homemade trailer does not come with a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). A homemade trailer will need to be given an Arizona Serial Number which becomes the trailer’s VIN. The serial number can be obtained from the MVD or through an MVD authorized third party provider after receiving a safety inspection.
The registrant must provide a list of materials used on the AZ Special Serial Number Application as well as the trailer’s value and weight including load.
Trailers valued over $1000.00 must include receipts of materials used for construction. In some cases, the registrant must provide a bill of sale for any materials such as wood, steel, pipes and other materials or a dismantling permit for dismantled parts of a vehicle including truck beds, axles, or other components.
In order for the trailer to pass inspection, the trailer must not exceed a length of 40 feet, a width of 8 feet six inches, and a height of 13 feet 6 inches. The trailer must also include the following features for approval:
- Stop light
- Tail light
- Reflectors or clearance lights
- License plate light
- Mud flaps/splash guards
- Brakes (trailers over 3,000 pounds)
- Safety chain
