California What's the deal with OHV permits in SoCal?

WestCoastDan

WestCoastDan

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I consider myself to be a capable, moderately intelligent adult, but I cannot understand what is needed for OHV permits in SoCal & I have questions.
Do I need these for our licensed Jeep? (I don't think so).
Why do I need one of these?
Where do I need one?
How do I get one?
Are they transferable to another (second) vehicle?

Is there a resource that can help me get this sorted out and understood?
The websites I've seen are not very clear on the what, why, where, only on how to give them $.
 
Wow, you mean Cali has some less stringent vehicle laws than Colorado?

In CO, we have to have an OHV sticker on our licensed Jeep for certain trails. If the state sorta-maintains an OHV trail, they figure they can get the OHV sticker tax ($25) out of everybody on that trail. It sucks, especially since I was driving some of those now-OHV trails for decades before they came up with this stuff.
 
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WestCoastDan said:
I consider myself to be a capable, moderately intelligent adult, but I cannot understand what is needed for OHV permits in SoCal & I have questions.
Do I need these for our licensed Jeep? (I don't think so).
Why do I need one of these?
Where do I need one?
How do I get one?
Are they transferable to another (second) vehicle?

Is there a resource that can help me get this sorted out and understood?
The websites I've seen are not very clear on the what, why, where, only on how to give them $.
Click to expand...

The off-road permits are for certain areas such as Glamis possibly Pismo Beach and I think there is an off-road park in central California that requires one. These are just fees for the certain area.
There is also a green sticker which is an off-road vehicle license plate. The green sticker is for non street licensed vehicles (dirt bike, quad, off road car) There was also a red sticker which was the same as green sticker but restricted to certain months of use. This was a emissions thing.
Off road permits are usually purchased where required like at glamis weekend passes or season passes are available.
Green and Red stickers are purchased through DMV or AAA but I think California just outlawed all new dirt bikes for use only on tracks.
Adventure passes are at a ranger station
There is also an Adventure Pass which is required for the national forests in California. This pass is required if you stop or camp in the national forest. I guess if you are driving a trail not required but if you stop for recreation then it’s required. Here is a link for more info
https://www.fs.usda.gov/detailfull/r5/passes-permits/recreation/?cid=fseprd520630&width=full
 
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I have a Lifetime Adventure Pass, but have routinely been looking over my shoulder while off road due to my confusion about the OHV sticker requirements.
 
They are needed when on any public land in Ca.

IMG_1908.jpeg
 
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Just joined this forum because I bought a TJ. There's a lot of misinformation on this thread, so I'll set the record straight. After all, this is what I do!

Street legal vehicles, with license plates from any state, do not need a California state-issued permit to operate off-road throughout the state. Some areas, like Glamis, managed by the BLM, do require entry permits to drive in that specific area. But that's a BLM entry permit, not a state permit. California does not have an Offroad Permit program, like Oregon or Colorado.

Non-street legal vehicles (SxS, ATV, dirt bike) need an off-road registration, either a greensticker or redsticker, if you are a California resident. All emission compliant non-street legal vehicles (4-stroke) will be issued a sticker by DMV when registered. Non-emission compliant dirt bikes that are manufactured for competition only (with C or 3 in the 8th position of the Vin) that are model year 2022 and newer, can only be used during a competition, and not on public land. All other dirt bike models must be registered and will get a greensticker.

If you have a non-street legal vehicle from another state, it gets more complicated. All Arizona residents must purchase and out-of-state California permit to operate in the state. Depending what other state you're from, you may need to purchase an out-of-state OHV permit: https://ohv.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=25669
 
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BTW, Adventure Passes for National Forests are required only in the 4 Southern California forests: Angeles, Cleveland, Los Padres and San Bernardino. The other 14 forests in California do not have an Adventure Pass program. Since the population base around the Southern California forests is so large, it's understandable they need a way to control parking and help pay for infrastructure. Sad but true. I don't agree with paying for access to public land, but I can understand the need. In the case of the Adventure Pass program, the funds do stay in those forests.
 
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WestCoastDan said:
I consider myself to be a capable, moderately intelligent adult, but I cannot understand what is needed for OHV permits in SoCal & I have questions.
Do I need these for our licensed Jeep? (I don't think so).
Why do I need one of these?
Where do I need one?
How do I get one?
Are they transferable to another (second) vehicle?

Is there a resource that can help me get this sorted out and understood?
The websites I've seen are not very clear on the what, why, where, only on how to give them $.
Click to expand...

If you have plates, you don't need one.

OHV Registration Requirements​



  • Street-Legal License Plate: Green sticker identification is not required for properly registered vehicles with a license plate. However, the plate must be properly displayed at all times, including off-highway.
https://ohv.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=26886#:~:text=Green or Red Sticker: If,to motor vehicles all year.
 
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CMBD said:

OHV Registration Requirements​



  • Street-Legal License Plate: Green sticker identification is not required for properly registered vehicles with a license plate. However, the plate must be properly displayed at all times, including off-highway.
https://ohv.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=26886#:~:text=Green or Red Sticker: If,to motor vehicles all year.
Click to expand...

Now the trick to the license plate - attaching the plate with zip ties is technically illegal. But that's the only way, at this point, we can attach a license plate to our CJ7. Knowing a lot of law enforcement in California, I know that you won't get stopped just for this minor infraction.

But what do you do with the front license plate when you have a winch bumper? Not an easy question! Answer - carry it with you, and if stopped, promise to attach it as soon as possible. I can't insure it will work every time...but it's a fix-it ticket.
 
Ajeeper29 said:
Now the trick to the license plate - attaching the plate with zip ties is technically illegal. But that's the only way, at this point, we can attach a license plate to our CJ7. Knowing a lot of law enforcement in California, I know that you won't get stopped just for this minor infraction.

But what do you do with the front license plate when you have a winch bumper? Not an easy question! Answer - carry it with you, and if stopped, promise to attach it as soon as possible. I can't insure it will work every time...but it's a fix-it ticket.
Click to expand...

What's the CVC that says that for license plate attachment?

And if you don't want to bring unwanted attention to your self with the front plate, use your imagination and and get creative. There are different types of fix it tickets, and not all are just fix it and get it signed off. And whos to say they stop at just the front plate.

I have gotten a lot of fix it tickets here in CA 😃
 
I got creative and made a mount that fits into the tow hook on our JKU.
100% in the way if i ever need to be towed from the right corner, but what the hell.
 
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