DNR - Purchase permit, learn requirements

Purchase permit, learn requirements

A $52 snowmobile trail permit pays for 9.4 miles of groomed trail - just once! In addition to registering your snowmobile with the Secretary of State, resident and nonresidents that operate snowmobiles on public land in Michigan are required to purchase a snowmobile trail permit. The trail permit enables snowmobilers to ride state-designated trails, public roads and public lands (where authorized).

Where to purchase

Your snowmobile trail permit is valid for one year, which begins Oct. 1 and ends Sept. 30 of the following year. State-designated trails are open Dec. 1-March 31 and grooming occurs when there is enough snow on the ground. Permits can be purchased:

Online through eLicense (your sticker will be mailed to you within 7-10 days).
Online with the Michigan Snowmobile & ORV Association (MISORVA processes permit orders daily Monday through Friday).
In person at a number of DNR license agents and dealers.

Notice on snowmobile trail permit fees: Fees have increased from $48 to $52 for the next five-year period (Oct. 1, 2021-Sept. 30, 2026). The change is based on a statutory requirement that was adopted in 2008 to adjust snowmobile trail permit fees based upon the Consumer Price Index as determined by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. This statutory requirement was put into law when the snowmobile funding model was created by Public Act 400 of 2008 to ensure the funding source keeps pace with inflation.

Displaying trail permit sticker

Your sticker needs to be permanently affixed to the forward half of the snowmobile directly above or below the headlight.

Registering with the Secretary of State

Residents must also register snowmobiles with the Michigan Secretary of State (unless sleds are used solely on private property). Registration is good for three years, and those registration dollars support the purchase of easements, law enforcement on trails and safety education.

You must affix the two registration decals to each side of the forward half of the cowl above the footwell.
If a snowmobile is sold to another person, the registration also must be transferred through the SOS.
Nonresidents must display a valid registration from the operator's home state or province or be registered in Michigan.

Exemptions

Snowmobiles are exempt from the trail permit AND registration if they are:

Operated exclusively on lands owned or under the control of the owner.
Used entirely in a safety education program conducted by a certified snowmobile safety instructor.
Operated exclusively in a special event under a permit from the governmental unit having proper jurisdiction.

Snowmobiles are exempt from the trail permit, but must still be registered if they are:

Used solely for transportation on the frozen surface of public waters for ice fishing.

Your dollars at work

Michigan's snowmobile program is 100% funded by trail permit and registration dollars - dollars that are directly reinvested into the program for the benefit of snowmobilers. The funds pay for grooming, signage, maintenance, bridge and culvert construction, purchase of new equipment, liability insurance; maintenance of trailhead amenities (signage, bathrooms, plowing of parking lots) and other snowmobile-related expenditures.