By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Sep 26, 2026
Utah apportioned registration runs through Motor Carrier Services at the Utah DMV, a division of the Utah State Tax Commission, under Utah Code 41-1a-301. Qualified registrants based in Utah file an annual application (Form TC-852) listing the vehicles to be apportioned, fleet mileage for each jurisdiction, and declared gross weight for each jurisdiction; mileage reporting runs on a fiscal year from July 1 through June 30. When fees are paid the registrant is issued a cab card, validation stickers, and a plate for each vehicle, with the cab card listing every IRP jurisdiction and the registered weight for each. Vehicles not apportioned for Utah enter on a 96-hour temporary registration ($25 single unit, $50 multiple units) plus a temporary fuel permit.
Utah IRP administration
- Office
- Motor Carrier Services, 210 N 1950 W, Salt Lake City, UT 84134 (phone 801-297-6800, toll free 1-888-251-9555, fax 801-297-6899, utahmotorcarrier@utah.gov); Washington County office, Division of Motor Vehicles Motor Carrier Services, 100 S 5300 W, Hurricane, UT 84737 (phone 435-251-9533, fax 435-251-9538, MCSHurricane@utah.gov)
- Process
- Each IRP registrant files an annual application with the base jurisdiction listing the vehicles to be apportioned, the fleet mileage for each jurisdiction, and the declared gross weight for each jurisdiction; when all fees are paid the registrant is issued a cab card, validation stickers, and a registration plate for each vehicle (UDOT IRP page, citing UCA 41-1a-301). The application is Form TC-852, IRP Original (Schedule A) and Supplemental (Schedule C) Application.
- Fee structure
- The base state collects the appropriate registration taxes for each state and distributes the tax to the respective state; apportioned fees follow the distance percentages the fleet operates in each jurisdiction (UDOT IRP page). For registration described in 41-1a-301(12)(a), the division assesses fees as provided in Section 41-1a-1207.
- Fees: registration periods
- TC-852 registration periods end March 31, June 30, September 30, or December 31, so Utah fleets renew on staggered quarter-end cycles.
- Fees: utah weight fee
- The underlying Utah registration fee is weight-based under Utah Code 41-1a-1206: $69.50 for each motor vehicle or combination over 14,000 but not exceeding 16,000 pounds gross combined weight rating, plus $19 for each 2,000 pounds over 16,000 pounds (farm trucks $53 plus $9 per 2,000 pounds); a vehicle registered for less than 12 months pays 30 percent of the regular fee for up to three months, 60 percent for three to six months, 90 percent for six to nine months, and the entire fee beyond nine months under 41-1a-1207.
- Cab card
- When all fees are paid, the registrant is issued a cab card, validation stickers, and a registration plate for each vehicle; the cab card lists all IRP jurisdictions for which the registrant has registered and the gross weight for each jurisdiction.
- Process: system
- Form TC-852 by mail or through Motor Carrier Services; online account transactions through the Utah Motor Vehicle Portal (MVP), with support at mvpsupport@utah.gov
- Process: documents
- TC-852 collects the registrant fleet account number, application effective date, FEIN, USDOT number, Utah registrant phone, contact email, street and fleet addresses (the fleet address where records are kept must be a physical Utah address), type of operation (for hire, household goods, exempt, rental under 45 days, private), registration period, registered weights by jurisdiction, full equipment detail per vehicle (VIN, type, make, axles, Utah registered weight, plate and title status), owner and lienholder information, and the carrier responsible for vehicle safety.
To work through your mileage inputs, calculate each jurisdiction’s share of your fleet miles. The estimator apportions any full-year fees you enter; it does not contain state fee schedules or issue an official quote.
More Utah IRP rules
- Temporary credentials: summary
- Commercial vehicles meeting the registration requirements of another jurisdiction may, as an alternative to full or apportioned registration, secure a temporary registration permit for up to 96 hours or until they leave the state, whichever is less, for $25 for a single unit and $50 for multiple units (UCA 41-1a-301(12)(b)). Vehicles not apportioned for Utah must have a 96-hour Temporary Registration and a Temporary Fuel Permit (UDOT IRP page); the temporary fuel permit is the $25 special fuel user trip permit under UCA 59-13-303.
- Statutory authority
- Utah Code 41-1a-301, Apportioned registration and licensing of interstate vehicles; the 96-hour temporary registration permit and its fees are set in Subsection (12)(b).
Base jurisdiction, renewal, and audit in detail
The rules that decide whether Utah can be your base jurisdiction, what qualifies, and what happens at renewal and audit. Each one is sourced.
- Base jurisdiction rules: Summary
- Utah as base jurisdiction: qualified registrants based in Utah who travel in another IRP state or Canadian province must display IRP license plates or obtain valid trip permits. TC-852 requires a Utah registrant phone number and a fleet address where records are kept that must be a physical Utah address.
- Qualifying vehicles: Summary
- For licensing purposes a qualified motor vehicle means a motor vehicle used, designed, or maintained for transportation of persons or property with a gross vehicle weight exceeding 26,000 pounds, or a combined vehicle weight (power unit and trailer) exceeding 26,000 pounds, or a single vehicle or combination exceeding 26,000 pounds gross or gross combination weight; recreational vehicles are excluded. UCA 41-1a-301(13)(b) grants an exception to vehicles under 26,000 pounds regardless of axles or registered weight.
- Qualifying vehicles: Exemptions
- Under UCA 41-1a-202 (as cited on the UDOT IRP page), government-owned vehicles and recreational vehicles are exempt from registering under the IRP, and no state temporary permit or registration fee is required from nonresident owners or operators of vehicles or combinations having a gross laden weight of 26,000 pounds or less per single unit or combination.
- Renewal: Summary
- Each IRP registrant is required to file an annual application with their base jurisdiction; the application lists the vehicles to be apportioned, the fleet mileage for each jurisdiction, and the declared gross weight for each jurisdiction, with mileage reporting on the July 1 through June 30 fiscal year.
What the Utah share of the fee is built from
An IRP bill is the base jurisdiction's own registration fee for the vehicle, apportioned by mileage, plus the same for every other jurisdiction on the cab card. These are the Utah inputs to that calculation, each with its official source.
- Registration periods
- TC-852 registration periods end March 31, June 30, September 30, or December 31, so Utah fleets renew on staggered quarter-end cycles.
- Utah weight fee
- The underlying Utah registration fee is weight-based under Utah Code 41-1a-1206: $69.50 for each motor vehicle or combination over 14,000 but not exceeding 16,000 pounds gross combined weight rating, plus $19 for each 2,000 pounds over 16,000 pounds (farm trucks $53 plus $9 per 2,000 pounds); a vehicle registered for less than 12 months pays 30 percent of the regular fee for up to three months, 60 percent for three to six months, 90 percent for six to nine months, and the entire fee beyond nine months under 41-1a-1207.
Vehicle eligibility and your Utah base
Apportioned registration covers vehicles past the published gross weight line, alone or in combination, with recreational vehicles excluded and a statutory exception below the line regardless of axles. Government-owned and recreational vehicles are exempt.
Utah as a base jurisdiction wants real Utah roots: the application requires a Utah registrant phone and a fleet address where records are kept that is a physical Utah address. Farm-plated vehicles hauling their own equipment or product have a standing reciprocity arrangement with Idaho that stands in for IRP between the two states.
Setting up a Utah IRP account
The application is the apportioned registration form, filed by mail or through Motor Carrier Services, with online account transactions through the state motor vehicle portal. It collects the fleet account, federal identifiers, the USDOT number, street and fleet addresses, the operation type, the registration period, registered weights by jurisdiction, full equipment detail per vehicle, owner and lienholder information, and the carrier responsible for safety.
Two offices serve motor carriers directly, one in Salt Lake City and one in southern Utah, with published phone, fax, and email contacts.
How fees work and what the cab card does
Apportioned fees follow distance: the base state collects each jurisdiction's share of the registration taxes and distributes them, so your total depends on where the fleet actually runs. The underlying Utah registration fee is weight-based under its own statute, with reduced fees for vehicles registered for part of a year.
When fees are paid, the registrant gets a cab card, validation stickers, and a plate for each vehicle. The cab card lists every IRP jurisdiction registered and the gross weight for each, which is what an inspector or scale house will ask for.
Renewal and mileage reporting
Each registrant files an annual application listing the vehicles to be apportioned, the fleet mileage for each jurisdiction, and the declared gross weight for each. Mileage reporting runs on the fiscal year from summer to summer, while registration periods end on staggered quarter-end dates, so the renewal date and the mileage year are two different clocks.
Utah-based carriers running in another IRP jurisdiction display apportioned plates or buy trip permits for the state they enter.
Entering vehicles without Utah credentials
A carrier based elsewhere whose trucks are not apportioned for Utah carries two temporary credentials: the short-window temporary registration, priced separately for a single unit and for a combination, plus the temporary fuel permit. Both are covered on our Utah trip and fuel permits page with their fees and purchase route.
Reach the Utah IRP office
Account problems, supplement filings and credential replacements all route through the office that holds the account. Everything below is the agency's own published channel; where it publishes no phone line, the note says so rather than pointing at a permit vendor's number.
What pairs with IRP
The same interstate operation that needs apportioned plates almost always needs an IFTA license through Utah, and heavy power units owe the federal Form 2290 heavy vehicle use tax before plates renew. To compare how other states run IRP, see the national IRP registration table.