Can You Title & Register Surplus Military Vehicles For Highway Use?

So what’s going on with military vehicles that are sold at surplus auctions like GovPlanet? Well, over the past year, many states have taken action to take these vehicles off of the road.

Here’s an article from the Denver Gazette, where the Colorado Department of Revenue, their version of the DMV, sent a letter to the owner of an AM General Hummer canceling the vehicle title and eligibility for highway use. Many other letters were sent to owners of similar former military vehicles issuing them off-highway (OHV) titles, and revoking their eligibility for highway use.

Over the past 18 months, the federal government has sent out bulletins to DMVs nationwide advising them that military vehicles do not meet the DOT and EPA standards for highway vehicles. So technically, they’re not road legal.

Initially, many states ignored these warnings. And for those states, the federal government threatened to withhold highway funds and other funding until the states stop titling these military vehicles and revoke the titles that were already issued. The legislation is taking military vehicles and defining them as off-highway vehicles, just like all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and snowmobiles. Some of these vehicles can have an exception for historical purposes, but not for everyday use. The legislation aims to clearly define these vehicles are simply not built for road use.

Some states have actually revoked titles, some are just not registering new ones. If you have a surplus military vehicle, be aware that you may run into difficulties now or in the future. Even if you are able to get a title or registration, be ready to jump through a bunch of hoops. And even so, it may be revoked later on. Recently, we had a client who purchased four or five of these surplus vehicles from GovPlanet, and the state of Florida DMV has rejected all of their applications for road use.

So be aware of these changes if you’re looking to title or currently have a surplus military vehicle. If you choose to purchase one, make sure you’re aware of your state’s current statutes on titling these vehicles. We suspect that registering these vehicles for road use will no longer be allowed, and even if it is, many states won’t be willing to go up against the federal government’s pressure to get them off the road.

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Order Vermont Title LoopholeOrder Deceased Owner Title TransferOrder Bonded Title ProcessOrder Abandoned Vehicle ProcessOrder Prior Owner ContactOrder Lien Release Request LetterPGlmcmFtZSBzcmM9Imh0dHBzOi8vYXBwLmFjdWl0eXNjaGVkdWxpbmcuY29tL3NjaGVkdWxlLnBocD9vd25lcj0xOTQ4ODEyNiZhcHBvaW50bWVudFR5cGU9MjMwNjY0MTAiIHRpdGxlPSJTY2hlZHVsZSBBcHBvaW50bWVudCIgd2lkdGg9IjEwMCUiIGhlaWdodD0iODAwIiBmcmFtZUJvcmRlcj0iMCI+PC9pZnJhbWU+PHNjcmlwdCBzcmM9Imh0dHBzOi8vZW1iZWQuYWN1aXR5c2NoZWR1bGluZy5jb20vanMvZW1iZWQuanMiIHR5cGU9InRleHQvamF2YXNjcmlwdCI+PC9zY3JpcHQ+