North Dakota has a door for the road truck and a door for the farm truck
Read from North Dakota's own statutes and motor vehicle office.
North Dakota has no law written for kei trucks. A truck 25 years or older imported for road use is titled and registered through the Motor Vehicle Division with its foreign registration and customs papers. A newer truck imported as off road equipment and governed to 25 mph registers as an off-highway vehicle, works private land and farms and may run gravel and dirt roads, while paved highways stay closed to it.
Your lane
Which truck are you buying?
North Dakota treats the two kinds of kei truck differently. Pick yours and this answers for it.
a truck 25 years or older imported for road use under the federal age exemptions
Open to road useTitle. NDDOT title on the foreign registration, the bill of sale chain, customs papers and the Indemnifying Affidavit.
Registration. Ordinary registration under chapter 39-04. Collector plates are open at 25 years or older, with use limited to shows, parades and service trips.
- No road type or speed limit is written for kei trucks.
- Liability insurance at state minimums.
- A collector vehicle registered under 39-04-10.6 may only travel to and from parades, car shows, rallies, public displays or sales and service or storage.
- No North Dakota statute or rule asks for federal safety standards at title or registration.
Read from a secondary source or an older page. Confirm it with the office before you rely on it.
I am buying a truck 25 years or older. What does North Dakota allow?
It is titled and registered through the Motor Vehicle Division as an import. North Dakota sets no separate road limit for it.
a newer truck imported as off road equipment, governed to a top speed and carrying an EPA certified nonroad engine
Off highway vehicleWhere it can run
Private land and farms without registration. Registered, it may also run gravel, dirt and loose surface roads and cross highways. Paved highways stay closed to it because it cannot reach 30 mph.
Title. Titled with NDDOT as an off-highway vehicle.
Registration. Class III off-highway vehicle registration with a decal or one plate. Not required if the truck is used exclusively on private lands. NDCC 39-29-03; 39-29-04(1)(d)
- An off-highway vehicle is any motorized vehicle not designed for use on a highway and capable of cross-country travel. NDCC 39-29-01(2)
- A registered off-highway vehicle may run a gravel, dirt or loose surface roadway. NDCC 39-29-09(1)
- An individual may not operate an off-highway vehicle on a paved highway if the vehicle is unable to attain a speed, on a paved level surface, of at least 30 mph. NDCC 39-29-09(1)
- Never within the right of way of a controlled-access highway except in emergencies. NDCC 39-29-09(1)
- Crossings at about 90 degrees after a full stop, yielding to traffic, at an intersection on a divided highway. NDCC 39-29-09(2)
- At least one headlamp, one taillamp and working brakes. NDCC 39-29-09
- Under 16 without a license or permit only on a parent's or guardian's land or at an organized event. From age 12 with a state off-highway vehicle safety course certificate. Riders under 18 wear a DOT helmet. NDCC 39-29-09; 39-29-10
Read from a secondary source or an older page. Confirm it with the office before you rely on it.
A newer truck comes in only as nonroad equipment, permanently governed to a top speed and with a nonroad engine certified by EPA before import. It pays the same 25 percent truck duty. What that engine needs.
I am buying a newer truck governed to 25 mph. What does North Dakota allow?
It registers as a Class III off-highway vehicle. It needs no registration if it never leaves private land. Registered, it may run gravel, dirt and loose surface roads, while paved highways stay closed because it cannot reach 30 mph.
Who decides here
The office and the rule.
This is the office that titles and registers a kei truck in North Dakota, and the text it works from.
The deciding office
North Dakota Department of Transportation, Motor Vehicle Division
NDDOT Motor Vehicle Registration Manual (MV1012, Rev. 07/25), Imported Vehicle, lists the documents required to title and register imported vehicles: the foreign registration or a verification letter from the foreign government agency, a bill of sale chain from the registered owner to the purchaser, translations and an Indemnifying Affidavit. Its customs line reads: US Customs documentation is required to meet Federal Government Regulations covering the vehicle being imported. Acceptable forms include: 368, 7523, 3299, 3311, 7501, 7533, 6059B or 3461.The office pagedot.nd.gov, read 28 October 2026
Engines and EPA
Why the engine decides which truck comes in.
The same three facts hold in North Dakota and every other state.
The 25 year truck
It comes in on age
A 25 year old kei truck in original configuration clears both agencies on age. No Registered Importer and no Independent Commercial Importer is needed.
EPA's provision asks only that the truck is in its original configuration with the same model of engine it left the factory with.
40 CFR 85.1511(f)(2)eCFR, read 28 October 2026The newer truck
EPA asks for a certified engine
A newer kei truck comes in as nonroad equipment, permanently modified so its top speed is 25 mph or less, with its engine covered by an EPA certificate of conformity before it reaches US Customs. The governor stays for the life of the truck, and removing it is tampering, a federal offense.
Mini-trucks, importing used motor vehicles as nonroad vehiclesEPA, read 28 October 2026Engine size
Why 30 kilowatts decides a newer truck's engine
EPA sorts nonroad gasoline engines by maximum power, not size. Every kei engine is under 1,000 cc, so an engine of 30 kW or less may certify to the small engine standards, and 30 kW is the line that decides. Today's stock kei engines are rated above it, and a speed governor does not lower an engine's maximum power.
Every kei engine family EPA has certified for mini trucks is a lower power certified configuration, between 14.46 and 29.9 kW, under part 90 or part 1054. A certified mini truck engine is that configuration, not the stock engine.
40 CFR 1054.1, the small engine ruleseCFR, read 28 October 2026Small nonroad spark ignition engine certificatesEPA, read 28 October 2026North Dakota, the five answers
Road, title, land, inspection and what is next.
Some of North Dakota's answers rest on a general rule or a page that would not open, so they are marked to confirm. We confirm them with the office before a truck goes there.
The roadCan I drive it on the road?
North Dakota has no law written for kei trucks and no requirement that a vehicle meet federal safety standards to be titled or registered. A truck that entered the country as a road vehicle is titled and registered through the Motor Vehicle Division on its foreign registration and customs papers.
- No road type or speed limit is written for kei or mini trucks in North Dakota law.
- The Motor Vehicle Division asks an imported vehicle for its foreign registration, a bill of sale chain, US Customs papers, translations, odometer papers and an Indemnifying Affidavit, and nothing about federal standards.
- A vehicle registered under chapter 39-04 as a motor vehicle is outside the Class III off-highway vehicle definition. NDCC 39-29-01(2)(c)
- A vehicle registered instead as an off-highway vehicle follows the off-highway road rules in NDCC 39-29-09.
NDCC chapter 39-04; NDCC 39-29-01; NDDOT Motor Vehicle Registration Manual (Rev. 07/25), Imported Vehicle
Read from a secondary source or an older page. Confirm it with the office before you rely on it.
TitleHow do I title and register it?
NDDOT titles and registers imported vehicles on the foreign registration, a full chain of bills of sale and US Customs papers.
The steps
- Gather the original foreign registration, a copy of it or a letter of verification from the foreign government agency.
- Assemble the chain of ownership with a bill of sale from each seller to the next buyer.
- Add the US Customs documentation and English translations of any foreign language papers.
- Complete the odometer disclosure and an Indemnifying Affidavit (SFN 60662).
- Apply for title and registration with the Motor Vehicle Division or a branch site.
The documents
- Original foreign registration, a copy or a letter of verification from the foreign agency
- Bills of sale forming a complete chain of ownership
- US Customs documentation (forms 368, 7523, 3299, 3311, 7501, 7533, 6059B or 3461)
- English translations of foreign language documents
- Certification of any odometer conversion from kilometers to miles
- Secure Odometer Disclosure form where it applies
- Indemnifying Affidavit (SFN 60662)
North Dakota Department of Transportation, Motor Vehicle Division, 701 328 2725
LandCan I use it on a farm or private land?
A vehicle not designed for highway use registers with NDDOT as an off-highway vehicle and carries a decal or one plate. One used only on private land needs no registration.
Class. Off-highway vehicle: any motorized vehicle not designed for use on a highway and capable of cross-country travel, NDCC 39-29-01(2). Class III: under 8,000 pounds, on skis, runners, tracks or four or more tires, with a seat and a wheel, handlebars or T steering, designated for or capable of cross-country travel and not registered under chapter 39-04. NDCC 39-29-01(2)(c)
Registration. NDDOT off-highway vehicle registration for a two year period with title. Exempt if used exclusively on private lands. NDCC 39-29-03; 39-29-04(1)(d)
On the farm
No farm rule written for kei or mini trucks was found. Off-highway vehicles used exclusively on private lands are exempt from registration.
Read from a secondary source or an older page. Confirm it with the office before you rely on it.
InspectionWhat inspection or insurance applies?
Safety. No periodic safety inspection was found. NDDOT keeps a Certificate of Low-Speed, Off-Highway Vehicle and Trailer Inspection form (SFN 58953), which was not opened.
Emissions. None found.
Read from a secondary source or an older page. Confirm it with the office before you rely on it.
Insurance. Motor vehicles carry liability insurance at state minimums. An off-highway vehicle must carry liability insurance once it leaves the owner's property and runs on a highway shoulder or right of way.
NextWhat is coming?
No bill or rule change for kei trucks was found in North Dakota on 28 October 2026. We read it again before a truck goes there.
Questions
Asked about North Dakota.
Does North Dakota have a kei truck law?
No. North Dakota titles imported vehicles under one set of NDDOT requirements and registers off-highway vehicles under its own chapter.
Who decides?
The North Dakota Department of Transportation's Motor Vehicle Division, 701 328 2725. Its manual says to call if you need to know whether a document is acceptable.
What papers does NDDOT want for an imported truck?
The foreign registration or a verification letter, bills of sale for every change of hands, US Customs papers, English translations, odometer papers and an Indemnifying Affidavit.
What insurance does it need?
A registered motor vehicle carries liability insurance at the state minimums. An off-highway vehicle needs liability coverage once it leaves your property for a road shoulder or right of way.
Upgrades
Upgrades in North Dakota.
Height and lift. Bumper height may not exceed 27 inches and body height, measured to the cargo floor, may not exceed 42 inches, with no weight bands (NDCC 39-21-45.1). Headlamp centers must sit 24 to 54 inches high (NDCC 39-21-03).
Tires and fenders. Tires larger in diameter than the maker's must carry a DOT tire number and no maximum size is set (NDCC 39-21-45.1). None found for ordinary vehicles on fenders, flaps or tread depth. A modified special motor vehicle needs fenders covering the tread (NDAC 37-12-02-03).
Lights. Up to two spot lamps, two fog lamps at 12 to 30 inches and two auxiliary driving lamps are allowed (NDCC 39-21-17), with no more than four such lamps lit on the front (39-21-25). Red or green to the front is barred (39-21-26).
Modification and inspection. A registered vehicle may not be modified unless the equipment meets chapter 39-21, larger tires carry a DOT number and body height stays within 42 inches (NDCC 39-21-45.1). The motor vehicle division director may require a certificate of inspection (NDAC 37-12-02-01).
From the upgrades chapter of Mini Truck Roadbook, the 2026 to 2027 edition, with the statute after each rule.
Getting it there
Where North Dakota's truck comes ashore.
From the nearest port where a sailing from Japan is on record. Road miles are an estimate, the straight line times 1.2, not a routed drive.
Sources
Every source read, 28 October 2026
- ndlegis.gov/cencode/t39c29.pdf
- ndlegis.gov/cencode/t39c29-1.pdf
- dot.nd.gov/sites/www/files/documents/Motor%20Vehicle%20Services/regist..
- ndlegis.gov/assembly/69-2025/regular/documents/25-0920-03000.pdf
- ndlegis.gov/cencode/t39c04.pdf
- ndlegis.gov/cencode/t39c05.pdf
- ndlegis.gov/cencode/t39c21.pdf
- ndlegis.gov/cencode/t39c01.pdf
- ndlegis.gov/information/acdata/pdf/37-12-02.pdf
- ndlegis.gov/information/acdata/pdf/37-12-04.pdf
The public record of North Dakota as read on 28 October 2026, not legal advice. Every kei truck pays the 25 percent truck duty, the chicken tax, whatever its age.
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