# Boat Trailer and Wyoming Laws



## Grandpa D (Sep 7, 2007)

I was just told that I have to have my boat trailer licensed if I take my boat into Wyoming.
In Utah, my 15' boat and trailer are small enough that the trailer doesn't require being licensed.
Is it true that even though I don't have to have the trailer licensed in Utah, I will have to have it licensed to go to Flaming Gorge and launch on the Wyoming side?
I have never seen or heard of this before.


----------



## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Yep, any trailer, regardless of weight, must be licensed while on Wyoming public roads. Colorado is the same way. 

Many get away with it, especially during snowmobile season. In the summer I don't recommend driving thru Mt. View or Fort Bridger without trailer tags though.

Good fishin' to ya.


----------



## Crawdads Revenge (May 31, 2008)

Lame. They should be going out of their way to encourage people to come spend money in their state. Why don't they just go the extra mile and require you to register your boat separately there too?


----------



## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Crawdads Revenge said:


> Lame. They should be going out of their way to encourage people to come spend money in their state. Why don't they just go the extra mile and require you to register your boat separately there too?


Some out-of-staters register here if it's cheaper. Then they use their boat in their home state like normal.

You must register your boat and get a tag if you boat in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.

All complicated stuff, all about money.


----------



## Grandpa D (Sep 7, 2007)

wyogoob said:


> Yep, any trailer, regardless of weight, must be licensed while on Wyoming public roads. Colorado is the same way.
> 
> Many get away with it, especially during snowmobile season. In the summer I don't recommend driving thru Mt. View or Fort Bridger without trailer tags though.
> 
> Good fishin' to ya.


Thanks for the information.
I took my boat to the the Gorge last year through Mt Green and never knew about the license law.
Guess I was lucky.
I won't take the boat this year.


----------



## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Grandpa D said:


> wyogoob said:
> 
> 
> > Yep, any trailer, regardless of weight, must be licensed while on Wyoming public roads. Colorado is the same way.
> ...


Too bad, I think the Wyoming end of the Gorge has the best fishing.

Some Utah guys have told me that it's a hassle trying to tag their little trailers in Utah, so they license them in Wyoming instead. Sounds easy, but I don't know. I might be wrong, but I think you have to have insurance on them too. I had insurance on my little trailers in the past.


----------



## Grandpa D (Sep 7, 2007)

So does anyone know how much it costs to register and license a single axle trailer for a 70's 15' boat?


----------



## .45 (Sep 21, 2007)

Grandpa D said:


> So does anyone know how much it costs to register and license a single axle trailer for a 70's 15' boat?


The way I read this is 10 bucks......Insurance? The trailer is hooked to your auto. My insurance said I was already covered with the auto insurance. No extra policy needed. :|

http://tax.utah.gov/forms/pubs/pub-23.pdf

Now.....quit asking questions and go fishing !!!


----------



## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

.45 said:


> Grandpa D":bv0c1ak7]So does anyone know how much it costs to register and license a single axle trailer for a 70's 15' boat?[/quote]
> The way I read this is 10 bucks......Insurance? The trailer is hooked to your auto. My insurance said I was already covered with the auto insurance. No extra policy needed. :|
> [URL="http://tax.utah.gov/forms/pubs/pub-23.pdf said:
> 
> ...


----------



## Grandpa D (Sep 7, 2007)

Thanks for the help guys.
This is for my son's boat.
He plans to take it to the Gorge in about 3 weeks.
I will let him know about getting it licensed in Utah first.
If that doesn't work, Wyoming will be next.
I may also have to license mine for the future.


----------



## Pavlik (Sep 11, 2007)

I am considering getting a small trailer for my canoe to avoid the hassle of car topping it. So, if I do my trip to the Gorge and go through Fort Bridger, I would have to register it!? Thats kind of stupid. However, I don't see how anyone can bust you for that. Its nothing but an open road in the middle of nowhere out there. 

Pavlik


----------



## blackdog (Sep 11, 2007)

I've been pulled over once in Colorado for not having a trailer licensed, I told him it's not licensed because Utah doesn't require it. He let me go.

I've driven through Mtn. View Wy. 20 to 30 times a year for the last 10 or 12 years without ever being pulled over. I wouldn't worry about it.


----------



## Beaver-50 (Jun 6, 2008)

In the state of Utah if you ask you can get a tag for your tlr when you reg your boat for $10. The state of Wyo can and will gave you a ticket. Just becauce they can, But if you fight it the Judge will dissmiss it. If you don't believe me just look at my belt buckle It reads State Trooper


----------



## Al Hansen (Sep 7, 2007)

Beaver-50, You in Wyoming or Utah ??? Inquiring minds want to know.


----------



## .45 (Sep 21, 2007)

Beaver-50 said:


> In the state of Utah if you ask you can get a tag for your tlr when you reg your boat for $10. The state of Wyo can and will gave you a ticket. Just becauce they can, But if you fight it the Judge will dissmiss it. If you don't believe me just* look at my belt buckle *It reads State Trooper


I don't see it !! :?

Do you work out of Cedar City?


----------



## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

I have asked around about whether or not out-of-staters need licenses on all trailers these days and have gotten different answers. Most say they are needed but it's not strictly enforced.

I tried to look it up in the State Statutes and can't find it; couldn't find much at all about trailer licensing in fact.

Heres some chat from another forum about the matter:

http://www.bigfishtackle.com/forum/Wyom ... 94;#424294


----------



## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

That surprises me a little bit in the way that Utah changes the rules on the Gorge and on Powell so that 12 and 13 year olds do not have to have licenses since they are not required in AZ and WY. Not a big deal, I would guess that the WY registration would be significantly less money than in UT, but I believe that you must be a resident or have a WY based LLC (long story short from my understanding) to register in WY...a little loop hole that MT attorneys have been advertising heavily in RV magazines; you break even in year two since you save so much in registration, UT is highway robbery in that sense, right or wrong UT is much more expensive in these type of taxes. It is the UT folks who will get on you for being a UT resident and the toys are registered out of state; my uncle lives in Logan and keeps his toys under his son in laws name just for this reason, nothing illegal about it, ethically... :roll:


----------



## Grandpa D (Sep 7, 2007)

For what it's worth!
I just got off the phone with the Wyoming Highway Patrol Office and was told that if I don't need the trailer licensed in Utah, I don't have to have it licensed in order to use it in Wyoming.
Remember though, some boat trailers are large enough that they do require belicensed in Utah.
These trailers could be cited in Wyoming, if not properly licensed.

I will take my chances and go by Utah State law and pull my boat to The Gorge.
I just hope that I don't regert it!


----------



## .45 (Sep 21, 2007)

That's good news !!  

Just a side note on that registration stuff: When and if you do register a boat, pontoon or trailer we are required by law to validate the registration certificate with our signature. And when we do sign the registration we are agreeing to maintain insurance on that 'vehicle'. 

But, that's another story......


----------



## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

I can see clearer now!


----------



## Beaver-50 (Jun 6, 2008)

To the ones that just have to know Utah Farr West to be exact!


----------



## dubob (Sep 8, 2007)

Might I suggest the following? Get a copy of the Utah regs that say specifically what is and is not required to be registered and have a plate on it. Then get the trailer weighed at any truck stop with a certified scale and pay for the print out with the weight on it. If the trailer is less than the maximum weight allowed for not registering, you are good to go. Always carry both with you when you travel out of state. If and when you ever get stopped, show them both to the officer as proof that the trailer does not need to be registered in your home state and have a plate on it.

Most officers will see the logic in this and send you on your way sans a ticket. But if not, the courts will when presented with the same proof.

Carry on.


----------



## grousehunter (Sep 11, 2007)

I could be wrong but, I believe federal law protects citizens of other states while driving through them on all vehicles, just imagine the tickets for going into California without having the proper emissions equipment on your car. They have some of the most draconian restrictions, if you follow your state law about proper transport and registration they may hassle you, but you are protected. Although you may still run into that one officer that isn't aware and give you a ticket.


----------



## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Here's stuff from the Wyoming chat site:

..........................I called the Wyoming Highway Patrol (1-307-777-4301) this morning for you guys and this is what I was told. 

Wyoming does honor Utah rules according to trailer registrations and licensing as long as the trailer is being towed by a vehicle that displays a current Utah license plate or registration. But if a Utah trailer was to be towed with a vehicle from a state other than Utah a plate is required on the trailer. 

I was also told that Wyoming would prefer you to have a plate on the trailer because it may prevent unneccessary traffic stops.................................


----------



## Al Hansen (Sep 7, 2007)

That's why I love this place. You all helping each other out.


----------

