How to Make a Dirt Bike Street Legal in Texas

Texas is home to nearly thirty million people. The cities are absolutely bursting at the seams with human activity. Yet, in spite of all this human movement and expansion, Texas has some of the most rural wilderness in North America. Take Loving County, for instance. With a population of only 64 in the entire county, Loving has the lowest population density of any county in any state. In fact, Texas has fifty counties that are made up of 100% rural land. 

By these standards, street-legal dirt bikes would be a shoo-in in Texas, right? Well, not exactly. While Texas is known for its freedom-loving ways, that doesn’t always translate to street laws. However, unlike UTVs and quads, which they take a hard line against, dirt bikes are fine as long as they are made street-legal. 

Are Dirt Bikes Street Legal in Texas?

Okay, so here’s the deal: Texas is pretty open on the subject, assuming the bike is tagged with a standard motorcycle tag, has all the required lights and horn, etc. 

So, what about if you don’t have all those goodies installed and in good working order? Well…Texas is not going to let you ride it on public roads. Of course, if you happen to be in one of the many counties with residents numbered in the hundreds rather than thousands (or millions), we’d be pretty surprised if anybody cared.

But strictly speaking from the letter of the law, no, Texas does not allow you to ride on public roads with a dirt bike that is not tagged.

What Would Make a Dirt Bike Illegal in Texas?

To put it simply, what would make your dirt bike illegal in Texas is running it on the roads without making it street-legal. 

Now, there is nothing particularly odd about this; most (if not all) states require the dirt bike to be street-legal to operate legally on roadways. Again, this is largely subjective to the area you happen to live in.

First, you might want to check your local small town to see if they allow you to tag an OHV. This is very common in my neck of the woods, where you take in proof of ownership and insurance, and they record it and give you a little sticker to put on your OHV. It’s a simple and cheap workaround to drive your OHV locally. 

Of course, this problem is pretty obvious if you want to drive it outside of the local area legally. As soon as you are outside of the jurisdiction covered by your local town (if they have a process like this), you are fair game for any bored Texas DPS trooper or sheriff deputy who is not impressed by your clearly off-road-only dirt bike. 

Keep in mind, I’m not just talking about riding to your friend’s house in the next town over. Think about going to a trail or park a couple of hours away. You’ll want to go into town for lunch or supplies, but without a street-legal dirt bike, you’ll be stuck driving to town like a loser.

How to Make a Dirt Bike Street Legal in Texas

Converting a dirt bike into a street-legal machine in Texas involves navigating through a set of specific regulations and ensuring compliance with the state's Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) requirements. 

The first crucial step is to obtain a title for the dirt bike, which involves proving ownership and paying any necessary fees. If the bike was initially purchased without a title, the owner might need to go through a bonding process to establish legal ownership.

Once the title is secured, the next step is to equip the dirt bike with necessary street-legal accessories. This includes adding features such as headlights, taillights, turn signals, a horn, mirrors, and an exhaust system that meets noise level standards. 

Additionally, installing street-approved tires and ensuring that the bike's speedometer and odometer are functional are essential. After all modifications are made, the dirt bike must undergo a safety inspection at an authorized inspection station, where officials will verify that the bike complies with Texas' street-legal requirements. 

Finally, with the modified dirt bike and a valid inspection certificate in hand, the owner can register the bike with the Texas DMV to receive a license plate, officially making it street-legal in the Lone Star State.

Of course, this can all backfire if your local DMV finds a single flaw in the paperwork if the DMV inspector (usually a designated local LE agency) doesn’t like the look of things, or if required inspection components are missing. With Dirt Legal, you never leave the comfort of your couch. You won’t need to take your bike to the DMV for any inspections or go into the DMV for any reason whatsoever. Everything is handled from your phone or computer anywhere in the world. 

Are Mini-Bikes Street Legal in Texas?

I love mini-bikes. My dad bought me one for my 11th birthday, and I drove the absolute piss out of that ugly little blue bike. To be honest, I can’t believe that one-cylinder Tecumseh lasted as long as it did. The idea always stuck with me that driving it legally on the road would have been incredible. 

But how does that translate to driving one legally in Texas?Let’s see where it would fall in the spectrum of motor vehicles.

The Coleman CT200U-A is a fine-looking specimen that cannot do over 30mph. Moped, then, right? No way, José. This little thumper has an engine displacement of 196cc, which is nearly four times the 50cc limit of a moped. So, regardless of speed, this mini bike is gonna have to be titled as a standard motorcycle.

You could probably do this in Texas, although you must have a VIN on the mini-bike in most cases. If you are building a minibike from scratch, which is very common, you will need to use the following process to obtain a Texas title (courtesy of the Texas DMV):

• Application for Texas Title and/or Registration (Form 130-U); 

• Photographs of the front, rear, and side of the assembled vehicle, and if a replica, a photograph of what the vehicle is a replica of;

• Evidence of ownership for the basic component parts of the assembled vehicle (motor, body, and frame), as applicable to the type of assembled vehicle;

• Proof of an Automotive Service Excellence safety inspection performed by a master technician if the assembled vehicle is an assembled motor vehicle, replica, custom vehicle, or street rod;

• A copy of the Automobile and Light Truck certification, or a successor certification, for the master technician who completed the inspection;

• Vehicle Inspection Report: if the assembled vehicle is to be registered for operation on the roadway and the vehicle is not exempt from inspection,

• Rebuilt Vehicle Statement (Form VTR-61); 

• Certified weight certificate;

• Government-issued photo identification; and

• Vehicle identification number (VIN) verification document, as applicable to the type of assembled vehicle:

• a Law Enforcement Identification Number Inspection (Form VTR-68A) establishing the vehicle identification number assigned by the manufacturer of the component part by which the assembled vehicle will be identified;

• a Law Enforcement Identification Number Inspection (Form VTR-68A), and Notice of Assigned or Reassigned Identification Number (Form VTR-68-N);

• Certificate of Origin if VIN is assigned by the maker of the kit used to construct the assembled vehicle or

• Manufacturer’s Certificate of Origin if the replica, custom vehicle, street rod, or glider kit manufacturer assigns VIN.

Not exactly an afternoon’s worth of work, is it? Not only that, you’ll need a certificate of origin to obtain a VIN. And if that’s gone missing for you like it has for most of us, you might need to call the manufacturer of the minibike and request a copy. And there’s still a chance that the DMV or inspection station will simply tell you “no” even with that massive list of documents in hand.

With all that said, we can’t find anything in Texas that explicitly prohibits minibikes since they don’t fall under the technical scope of a Unique Vehicle. Our intuition considering how anal Texas is about UTVs and ATVs on the roadways, is that they will balk at – or at very least notice – a fully grown person riding a Coleman mini bike on public roads.

We have gotten titles and registrations issued for mini bikes through our Out-of-State Services, so if you are looking for the sure thing, give us a call, and we’ll get a tag on your mini bike. What happens on the road when you have a tag on it is another matter, so make sure you have all your ducks in a row first.  

How Much Does It Cost to Register My Dirt Bike in Texas?

Motorcycles are generally quite inexpensive. However, we hesitate ever to put a number on questions like these because there are so many variables. Every county has its own tax structure, and towns within the county also get a piece. 

We can tell you that our services are a bargain considering what you get out of them. No guesswork. No struggle sessions with Denise and the DMV, who just doesn’t think it’s okay for you to ride a dirt bike on the street, regardless of the legality. 

Do Dirt Bikes Require Inspections to Be Street Legal in Texas?

If you tag your bike in Texas, then yes. Texas requires state inspections as part of the registration process. Of course, if your bike is wearing a Montana plate, well, that all goes right out the window. 

No inspections, no smog checks, and NO visits to angry Denise.

What’s that about a Montana plate, you ask?

The Dirt Legal Advantage

Getting your dirt bike street-legal is a blast. You can rip around on the dirt, pavement, and everywhere in between. But sometimes, it is a lot more work than it really ought to be. 

Dirt Legal has helped over 20,000 enthusiasts just like you get their vehicles street-legal. Whether it is a car with title issues or a straight-up OHV, we will work for you to get it on the road. Just complete our paperwork, then wait for that sweet parcel to show up with a fresh title and tag inside. We will take care of the rest!