Commercial Plates

Definition

A commercial vehicle is any vehicle or vehicle combination used, designed or maintained for transportation of persons for hire, compensation or profit, or designed or used primarily for the transportation of property for gain or profit and is:

  • A power unit having 2 axles and a gross vehicle weight over 26,000 pounds, or
  • A power unit having 3 or more axles regardless of weight, or
  • Is used in combination and the gross vehicle weight exceeds 26,000 pounds.
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Commercial license plates are issued to vehicles meeting the above criteria. For units with a maximum combination weight of over 55,000 pounds, a 2290 form from the IRS must be presented to the Treasurer's Office.

Fees


Fees for commercial plates are broken into a county and state fee. The county fee is calculated in the same way as all other registrations. The state fee calculation is based on the weight of the vehicle. For a pulling unit, the maximum combination weight is used, which includes the weight of the trailer and its heaviest load.

Discounts


Several discounts are available for commercial registrations, allowing the owner to pay only a percentage of the state fee. Only one reduction can be applied to a registration.

Vehicles used primarily for agricultural operations, logging operations from the source to the mill, or in the servicing of well field operations can pay a discounted rate of 25% of the total state fee.

The table below lists the discounts for commercial vehicles driven less than 30,000 miles a year.

Number of Miles Operated Annually
% of State Fee to Pay
2,500 or less
15%
2,501 to 5,000
20%
5,001 to 10,000
25%
10,001 to 20,000
50%
20,001 to 30,000
75%