Driver's License information can be found here.

Department of Motor Vehicles

Titles & Registration

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The Assessor acts as an agent for the Idaho Department of Transportation in titling and registering vehicles (Adams County DMV). You may contact our office at (208)253-4272 or by mail at PO Box 46 Council, ID 83612. We are located at 201 Industrial Avenue in Council.

All vehicles that are operated or pulled on public highways must be titled and registered. This includes cars, trucks, motorcycles, travel trailers, pick-up mounted campers, motorhomes. Off-road motorcycles, snowmobiles, and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) model year 1991 and newer or sold after this date, are required to be titled. However, there are some exceptions. Utility trailers weighing under 2,000 lbs must also be registered but not titled. Contact Adams County DMV directly for additional information on these exceptions.

Residency Requirements

For the purposes of vehicle registration and titling, you become a resident of Idaho when you have had your principle home within Idaho for 90 days (this does not include your workplace, vacation home, or part-time residence). You must register and title your vehicle within this time.

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To Apply for Vehicle Registration and Title:

ATTENTION: If you have title work that needs to be completed, please be here PRIOR to 4:15PM. If you arrive after 4:15PM, we may not be able to complete your title work and you will need to return at a later date.

**Please note that if you have 3 or more titles to process, we ask that you call to schedule an appointment. #208-253-4272 Option 3

Current Residents

If you have just purchased a vehicle, you must bring the vehicle title and a bill of sale to the Adams County DMV Office. The sales tax from the sale will be collected at time of registration, if it has not already been collected. If the title is from out of state, you must also bring the vehicle for a VIN inspection and odometer reading. If you purchased the vehicle from an Idaho dealer, please bring the pink temporary registration out of the back window, along with the plate number, you wish to transfer, if any.

Residents New to Idaho

What do I need to have?

1. The title (for used vehicles). If recently purchased, it must be properly released by the previous owner and lienholder, if any; or the Manufacturer’s Certificate of Origin (for new vehicles) must be properly assigned by the dealer to the new owner. If a lienholder holds the title, bring the lienholders name, address and the loan number as this speeds thing up. If your title has been lost, you will need to apply for a duplicate title from the state of issuance.
2. A Bill of Sale must include the vehicle description, sales price, buyer’s name, original signature of seller and date of sale.
3. A Vehicle Identification Number Inspection must be completed by an officer of the law, DMV employee, military police officer, or any Idaho licensed dealer. This includes an odometer reading, which is required for motor vehicles less than 10 years old and under 16,000 pounds gross vehicle weight (GVW).
4. Sales Tax equal to 6 percent of the purchase price (plus Doc fees and minus the trade-in if purchased from a licensed dealer), documentation that at least 6 percent sales tax was paid to the state in which the vehicle was already titled in the owner’s name with an out-of-state address. If the vehicle has been owned for at least 3 months prior to moving to Idaho, sales tax is not applicable.
5. Bring your personal identification. This could be a driver’s license, identification card, etc. Titles ARE NOT PROCESSED without them.
6. Bring credit/debit card, cash or a check associated with a local bank for payment of the applicable taxes and fees.

Late Filing Fee

According to Idaho law, a late filing penalty of $20.00 will be charged if you have not completed title work in your name and you have been living in Idaho for 120 days. The late filing penalty applies to any Idaho resident who does not apply for title within 30 days of the purchase of either a titled vehicle or a titled vessel.

Register & Title Through the Mail

Idaho residents who are temporarily in another state (i.e., students or military personnel) may request titles and registrations for their vehicle(s) through the mail.

Lienholders located in another state who are financing a vehicle being titled in Idaho may title through the mail. If there is a lien recorded, the title will be mailed to the lienholder of record. If there is no lienholder recorded, the title will be mailed to the titled owner. The registration and license plates will be issued and mailed (if applied for through the mail) to the titled owner.

We also offer Internet renewals. CLICK HERE FOR ONLINE RENEWAL. You will need your renewal postcard that was sent to you and Your MasterCard, Visa, American Express or Discover card and billing address. There is a $1.00 + 3% bank fee fee charged plus your regular fee.

Duplicate Titles & Corrections

Only the owner or lienholder of record, or their appointed agent, may apply for a duplicate title in Idaho. To properly complete the duplicate title application, the owner or lienholder needs to have both the vehicle identification number and the title number (these can be found on the vehicle’s Idaho registration form). The duplicate application must be completed in full and include the applicant’s notarized signature. If a lienholder is shown on the title record, the duplicate title will be issued with the same lienholder and will be mailed to the lienholder unless the application is accompanied by either an original or verified copy of a satisfaction of lien signed by the lienholder of record. If a Power of Attorney is used to sign the duplicate application, either an original or verified copy of the completed Power of Attorney form must be submitted. If the error was caused by faulty information provided on the original application, a correction fee is required.

Recording Liens

To record a lien on an existing Idaho title, the lienholder name and address must be printed in the new lienholder section of the title. The title and an $14.00 fee should be mailed or brought into the Adams County Assessor’s Office so the new lienholder information can recorded on the title. Once title work is completed it will be mailed to the new lienholder of record.

VERY IMPORTANT: If a private party is selling to another private party and the seller is financing the vehicle, the seller should sign off on the title releasing interest in the vehicle and then immediately sign back on as the lienholder. A release of liability should then be filed with the local DMV or ITD. This form will release the seller from liability of the vehicle in the event the buyer does not title. On recent Idaho titles, this form is attached to the bottom of the original title. You may download a copy of this form by going to ITD Website. Once the title has been signed off, and the Release of Liability filed, then the seller will no longer be liable for the vehicle. If the seller does not complete these steps and allow the buyer to title in their name, the seller could remain liable for the vehicle until he releases his interest.

Recreational Vehicles

Motorhome and RV trailer owners are required by the Parks and Recreation Department to purchase a recreational vehicle sticker. based on market value. RV stickers are prorated on a quarterly basis for first-time issuance. Market value is taken from the current NADA Recreational Vehicle Appraisal Guide.

Stickers for Snowmobiles are issued for November 1 to October 31.

Off-road vehicles (motorcycles & ATVs & UTVs) are issued for January 1 to December 31. As of 01-01-2009, there will be issued to ATV’s, UTV’s and also off highway motorcycles, a restricted use plate that enables you to operate them on secondary county roads along with forest roads, as long as you have a valid drivers license. This will replace the now used motorcycle plate and/or off road sticker. It will be a combination registration.

Any boat with a permanently attached mode of propulsion—inboard, inboard/outboard, sailboat, or personal watercraft–of the 2000 model year, or newer, that was purchased after January 1, 2000 must be titled. Model year 1999 and older boats with a permanently attached mode of propulsion may be optionally titled, if they are not exempt from titling. Registration includes the Idaho Invasive Species Fund fees.

Please see Idaho's State Parks & Rec page for more information.

Special Interest Plates

You can obtain other types of license plates when you register your vehicle at the County DMV office. If you request a design other than the Standard design, there is an additional initial fee upon issuance and an additional renewal fee added to your regular registration fees each year. The additional fees will go towards the designated programs associated with each plate.

Both the special plates and personalized plates need to be ordered from Boise. A temporary slip is printed and to be placed in your back window until you receive your plates in the mail.

You can also visit the Idaho Transportation Department’s website.