How to register a snowmobile

About snowmobile registrations

You must have a valid registration to ride your snowmobile in New York State.  It is against the law to

  • ride a snowmobile without a helmet 1
  • operate a snowmobile under the influence of alcohol or drugs 2 

The NY State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation website has information about snowmobile insurance, safety training, and other information.

If you are not a resident of New York, you can get a temporary snowmobile registration immediately.  See instructions below.

 

Submit your documents, application, and payment to the DMV 

Follow the instructions for how to register a vehicle in the County you live in.

You can use the DMV Registration Guide to determine what documents you need to apply.

 

I am not a New York State resident.  How can I get a temporary snowmobile registration immediately?

If your snowmobile is registered in your home state, you can use the NY State Registration for Out-of-State Snowmobiles online service to get a temporary (15 day) NY State registration and operate your snowmobile here immediately (if you registered your snowmobile in New York before, you can renew your registration). We will send you your regular registration in the mail. 

You will be able to download your temporary registration (as a PDF) at the end of this transaction. You can’t come back and download it later.  

To use this transaction, you must

  • be a resident of a U.S. state other than New York (Canadians, you can still register your snowmobile at a DMV office or call 518-626-8989 between 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. weekdays)
  • have your snowmobile registered in your name in another state
    • your snowmobile must display your registration number (decal, plate, or tag)
  • only use your snowmobile for recreation in New York State

You must have

  • your out-of-state driver license / ID number
  • your Social Security Number
  • your snowmobile (decal, plate, tag) registration number
  • your snowmobile registration expiration date
  • the snowmobile’s
    • model year
    • make (Yamaha, Polaris)
    • color
    • engine size in cubic centimeters (CC)
  • the New York State County where you will primarily use your snowmobile
  • a credit or debit card for payment (Visa, MasterCard, Discover Card, American Express)

If you have a current, valid NYSSA voucher, the fee for your registration is $45.00. If you do not have a NYSSA voucher, the fee is $100.

 

NY State registration for out-of-state snowmobiles online

 

What is a New York State Snowmobile Association (NYSSA) Snowmobile Club voucher ID Number?

If you are a member of a NYSSA snowmobile club, you receive a voucher that includes an ID number. The ID number is located in the top right corner of your voucher, above the barcode. If you have a current NYSSA voucher, enter the voucher ID number in the box provided. If you do not have a current voucher, skip the voucher ID number section.

 

Why can't I enter my complete address on the NY State Registration for Out-State Snowmobile transaction?

 The snowmobile registration system only allows for

  • 20 characters for the street address
  • 14 characters for the city

Spaces count as a character. If your street address or city name is too long to fit in the field(s), please follow these guidelines (in the order presented) until the information fits within the field

  • use numbers (digits) instead of words, for the house number
  • if the street name is a word which has an accepted abbreviation (e.g. the name of a state), use that abbreviation
  • abbreviate the street type
  • omit the street type
  • remove vowels starting from the last letter of the street name (if the name ends in 2 vowels, start omitting vowels from the last consonant)

Examples:

‘Two Park Avenue’ could be entered as ‘2 PARK AV’

‘1575 Massachusetts Avenue’ could be entered as ‘1575 MASS AV’

‘14040 W Humphreysville Road Avenue’ could be entered as ‘14040 W HUMPHREYSVLL’

 

Why is my name shorter on my registration than what I provided on my application?

Due to limited space in the DMV registration system, your name may be shortened to fit on the document. The document is valid with a shorter name.

  1. 1. New York law requires that the operator and passenger on a snowmobile wear protective headgear approved by the Commissioner of the NY State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. You are not required to wear a helmet if (A) the snowmobile is operated on the property where the operator or passenger is the property owner, or (B) the snowmobile is operated on private property which the operator or passenger has a contractual right to use (this exemption does not apply if the owner or passenger is a member of a club or association and the owner does not receive compensation for snowmobile operation).
  2. 2. A court can suspend the privilege of a person to operate a snowmobile if the person is convicted of snowmobiling under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The court can also suspend the snowmobile registration. The law also provides for strict penalties and enforcement for these offenses. A person who refuses to take a chemical test (breath test) immediately receives a suspension of the privilege to operate a snowmobile, pending a DMV hearing.