Whether you have just moved into Riley County, or you are a long time resident with a new car or truck, you must register your vehicle in the Riley County Treasurer's office.

You will need to get a new Kansas license plate or, in some instances, you may be able to transfer your old plate to your new vehicle.  This may be done in the Riley County Treasurer's office with the proper documentation and the payment of fees, property tax, and sales tax where applicable.

Listed below are the steps to guide you through this process as efficiently as possible. 

You need to go in person to the Riley County Treasurer's office to get your license plate or to transfer a plate.  If you intend to register the vehicle jointly (listing it as Jane AND John Doe, instead of Jane OR John Doe), then all owners need to be present, or you will need to bring a Power of Attorney from the other owners.  This applies to the names as they appear on the ownership documents.  Alterations may void those documents.

Any vehicle that is garaged in Riley County may owe property tax, even if the vehicle belongs to a company that has headquarters out of state.

New Residents

Registration is required within 90 days of the date of establishing a Kansas residence.

Some examples that may make you a Kansas resident for purposes of registration are:



Established Residents

You should license any vehicle within 30 days of purchase, which is the assigned date on the certificate of origin/title, to avoid possible penalties.  While waiting to get your license plate, you must display on your vehicle the 30-day permit that you have obtained from Kansas motor vehicle dealer or from the Riley County Treasurer's office.

After you license your car for the first time in Riley County, you are responsible for the annual renewals prior to expiration.  If you do not receive the courtesy renewal notice from the Kansas Department of Revenue by the 5th of your expiration month, contact the Riley County Treasurer's office for assistance.  The renewal month is determined by the first letter of an individual's last name or the first letter of a company's name.  For more information on this process, see Renewing your Tags.

PROOF OF OWNERSHIP

New Residents

If you are a new resident who is licensing a vehicle that you have brought from another state, you need the vehicle's TITLE. If the title is being held by a lender, you need to call the Motor Vehicle Department office at 785-537-6320 for additional information.

Established Residents

If you are an established resident who is registering a vehicle that you have just acquired, you need a properly assigned manufacturer's CERTIFICATE OF ORIGIN if it is a new vehicle, or a properly assigned TITLE from the previous owner if it is a used vehicle.

PROOF OF INSURANCE

Everyone will be required to show proof of insurance on all motor vehicle transactions.
State law requires that each vehicle carry an insurance card with the following elements as proof of insurance:
Kansas law requires that you carry no-fault liability insurance on any vehicle except a motorized bicycle so that, in case of an accident, the other vehicle and its passengers are protected.  The insurance company must be a Kansas Approved Insurance Company.

ODOMETER DISCLOSURE STATEMENT
 
Vehicles less than 10 years old require the Odometer Disclosure Statement completed by the seller and buyer. On most titles, the odometer statement is incorporated on the reassignment section.


KANSAS HIGHWAY PATROL ID VERIFICATION

A Kansas Highway Patrol ID Verification (MVE-1) is required of vehicles with out-of-state titles.  The inspection shows that the identification number on your vehicle matches the one on its title.  This procedure is done to make sure the vehicle is not stolen.

This state-required inspection is available for a $20 cash fee at the Highway Patrol station outside the Treasurer's office Tuesdays 8:00 am - 4:00 pm and Wednesdays and Thursdays from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm.

SALES TAX RECEIPT

A sales tax receipt is required if you have purchased the vehicle from a Kansas motor vehicle dealer.  Effective July 1, 2002, if the vehicle is purchased in a taxing jurisdiction that has a lower sales tax rate than the jurisdiction where the person lives, the additional sales tax will be collected at the Riley County Treasurer's office. (Usually this will be 1% or 2%)

If you purchased the vehicle from an individual or out of state dealer, you will need to bring in a bill of sale.  You must pay sales tax of at least 7.3% (or 8.55% within the Manhattan City limits) of the purchase price. 

PAYMENT

Payment may be by cash, one check, or credit card for the state registration fee and your property taxes.  If you are licensing more than one vehicle, you can combine the registration fees and the property taxes on one check for all vehicles.

The title fee is $10 per vehicle, while the registration fee usually depends on the weights of the vehicle.  Car tags cost $39 or $49, while trucks weighing under 12,000 pounds cost $49 to register.  Moped tags cost $20, and motorcycle tags cost $25.

The property tax can run from a minimum of $24 for a full year to several hundred dollars for a new vehicle.  For your convenience we have a Property Tax Estimator you may use to calculate the property taxes.  You will need to have the year, make, ID number, and date of sale for the most accurate estimate.