Can I own one here
Owning one in Delaware County.
On your own land
On private land closed to public traffic a kei truck needs no registration, because VTL 401(1)(a) requires registration only on public highways and the rules of the road in Title VII reach only highways, private roads open to public motor vehicle traffic and parking lots, VTL 1100(a).
On the farm
New York gives farm vehicles three exits from the registration rules, and none names a kei truck. Whether a farm kei truck fits one is not settled and is a question for the DMV before anyone drives one on a road.
To confirm.
No DMV page applying VTL 125 or 401(13) to a kei truck by name was found. Federal import terms for a truck brought in as off road equipment still apply.
A 25 year truck on the road
Closed to road use. The New York DMV will not title or register a Kei-class vehicle for the road unless it has been brought into full compliance with federal safety and emissions standards.
A newer governed truck
Private land only. None. The DMV does not title Kei-class vehicles without federal compliance proof.
Roads and towns
Roads and towns in Delaware County.
Towns only. Delaware County opens no county road, but Colchester, Kortright and Stamford open every town road and Walton opens named links, and Kortright and Stamford let an insured machine that cannot be registered ride, the nearest thing in New York to a door for a kei truck.
This rests on New York law. No Delaware County ordinance or resolution was read.
In town Some
- Open Colchester. Every town highway is open to off highway vehicles, which the law defines with the same 70 inch and 1,000 pound limits as a state ATV. Local Law No. 1 of 2023, filed with the Department of State 18 December 2023, read 28 October 2026
- Open Kortright. Every town highway, on the shoulder, for ATVs, UTVs and off-road recreational vehicles with a permit from a town recognized club. A machine that cannot be registered in New York must still be insured. Local Law No. 2 of 2023, filed with the Department of State 17 May 2023, read 28 October 2026
- Open Stamford. Every town highway, far right, for ATVs and UTVs at up to 35 mph with a permit from a board approved club. A machine that cannot be registered in New York must still be insured. Local Law No. 1 of 2023, filed with the Department of State 21 April 2023, read 28 October 2026
- Some Walton. Lower Third Brook Road 1.2 miles from the village line to Seely Wood Road, Seely Wood Road 1.5 miles to the trailhead, Upper East Brook Road from the village line to a trailhead and other named stretches. Local Law No. 1 of 2026, filed with the Department of State 27 April 2026, read 28 October 2026
- Some Walton. Village streets the law names, under its Village of Walton ATV Use Law. The street list was not read. Local Laws No. 3 and 4 of 2025, filed with the Department of State 8 July 2025, read 28 October 2026
County roads Closed
No Delaware County local law opening a county road to ATVs was found in a full text search of every local law filed with the Department of State since 1998, so VTL 2403(1) keeps county roads closed to ATVs. Laws filed before 1998 and the county legislature's minutes were not read. none found, read 28 October 2026
State highways Closed
Closed to OHVs.
Getting one here
From Japan to Delaware County.
The nearest ports with a sailing from Japan on record
- The Port of Savannah, Georgia Ports Authority, about 900 road miles.
- The JAXPORT, Jacksonville Port Authority, about 1,100 road miles.
- The Port of Everett, about 2,800 road miles.
How to import a mini truck, step by step.
Trucks travel in containers, one to a 20 foot box with room for parts or three to a 40 foot box.
Road miles are an estimate, the straight line times 1.2.
The ground
Delaware County, counted.
Delaware County averages 61 inches of snow a year. Delaware County grows 111 acres of orchards and vineyards. 2 active surface mines and quarries work Delaware County's ground.
Importing a kei truck
The essentials, in short.
A truck under 25 can come in only as governed off road equipment, and only if its engine family held an EPA nonroad certificate for that model year. No kei engine family was certified for mini trucks before model year 2010, so a truck built after 31 October 2001 and before model year 2010 has no federal door until its 25th birthday.
Two lanes
A road truck must be 25 years old by its own build date. A newer truck comes in only as governed off road equipment with a certified engine.
The 25 percent duty
Every kei truck pays the 25 percent truck duty at the port, whatever its age.
The paperwork
The customs entry and the two federal declarations, DOT Form HS-7 and EPA Form 3520-1, travel with the truck to your title office.
The title
Keep every stamped paper with the truck. Your state title office asks to see them.
Contact
A question about the law in Delaware County?
Ask about a truck, a state or the papers, and we answer with what applies to you.
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