By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Sep 28, 2026
Arizona apportioned registration runs through ADOT's Motor Vehicle Division, Specialized Registration Services, under the Full Reciprocity Plan and A.R.S. 28-2231 to 28-2239. An Arizona-based carrier files the IFTA/IRP Application (70-0508) and the FRP Apportioned Registration Application (70-0502) with proof of an Arizona place of business or residency, an active USDOT and MC number, a 2290 for units of 55,000 pounds or more, and ownership papers, and receives an apportioned plate and cab card. Fees follow actual miles in each jurisdiction plus Arizona's own registration, vehicle license tax, weight, motor carrier, use, and air quality diesel fees. Renewal invitations go out 45 days before expiration, and simple renewals can be done on AZ MVD Now.
Arizona IRP administration
- Agency
- Arizona Department of Transportation, Motor Vehicle Division, Specialized Registration Services
- Office
- Specialized Registration Services, MVD, P.O. Box 2100, Mail Drop 527M, Phoenix, AZ 85001 (phone 602.712.6775, MVDMCS@azdot.gov); walk-in Motor Carrier Licensing Unit offices at 1801 W. Jefferson St., Phoenix, AZ 85007 and 621 E. 22nd St., Tucson
- Process
- Carriers qualify for IRP with a power unit used in two or more IRP member jurisdictions that is designed to transport persons for hire or maintained primarily for transporting property and has a GVWR of 26,001 pounds or more, three or more axles regardless of weight, or a combination over 26,001 pounds. File the IFTA/IRP Application (70-0508), the FRP Apportioned Registration Application (70-0502), and a Title and Registration Application (96-0236) for each vehicle by email to mvdmcs@azdot.gov, by mail, or at an authorized third party provider.
- Fee structure
- Arizona's own fees on an apportioned vehicle include the registration fee, vehicle license tax, commercial registration fee, weight fee, motor carrier fee, use fee, and air quality diesel fee, plus the registration fees due to each member jurisdiction where the carrier travels. Under the Full Reciprocity Plan, fees are calculated from the actual miles reported at renewal, so a carrier does not pay jurisdictions it does not travel.
- Fees: temporary registration
- A temporary proportional registration for a vehicle added to an existing fleet, a lost registration pending replacement, or a vehicle with a previous owner's out-of-service order costs $1 and is valid 60 days (A.R.S. 28-2239).
- Cab card
- An apportioned carrier gets one license plate and cab card instead of plates from each jurisdiction, recognized in all IRP member jurisdictions without buying permits at ports of entry where registration fees were paid (some jurisdictions may still require load-specific permits). Trailers and semitrailers are not apportioned but must carry current registration from any state.
- Process: system
- AZ MVD Now (azmvdnow.gov) for renewals without changes, vehicle deletions, plate replacements, and mailing-address changes; paper forms by email or mail for new accounts and other changes
- Process: documents
- USDOT number and an active operating authority (MC number); Arizona Corporation Commission registration for entities; evidence of an established place of business in Arizona (business license, a lease covering the registration period, or a utility bill; virtual offices not accepted) or Arizona residency (Arizona license or ID plus two residency documents); IRS Form 2290 for each unit with a GVWR of 55,000 pounds or more; proof of ownership (title or MCO, registration, or bill of sale, with a 60-day Temporary Authorization Permit issued when the title is not yet available); the Record Keeping Agreement (96-0537); an IRP lease agreement (70-0904) if applicable; and a power of attorney (96-0441) for an agent.
To work through your mileage inputs, calculate each jurisdiction’s share of your fleet miles. The estimator apportions any full-year fees you enter; it does not contain state fee schedules or issue an official quote.
More Arizona IRP rules
- Temporary credentials: summary
- A foreign-based interstate carrier entering Arizona without apportioned or Arizona registration buys a registration permit at $1 per axle per 50 miles (for example $5 for a five-axle unit up to 50 miles, $45 for up to 450 miles), valid 96 hours or until the vehicle leaves the state, plus the motor carrier fee trip permit ($12 for 50 miles or less, $48 for more, for vehicles with a GVWR of 12,000 pounds or more) and, for diesel units, the use fuel permit. Instead of trip permits, a nonresident may buy a 30, 60, or 90 day registration permit priced on declared GVWR, model year, and term. Nonresident owner-operators who do not want IRP may use Arizona's Interstate Registration (application 46-0501).
- Statutory authority
- A.R.S. 28-2232, International proportional registration authority; A.R.S. 28-2233, Interstate commercial fleet registration; application; restrictions; A.R.S. 28-2239 for temporary proportional registrations.
- Contact: address
- MVD Specialized Registration Services, P.O. Box 2100, Mail Drop 527M, Phoenix, AZ 85001
- Contact: note
- Phone, mailing address, and email are printed under Contact Specialized Registration Services on ADOT's Motor Carrier Services page, the unit that handles IRP and IFTA licensing. The Commercial Vehicle Permits number on the same page (602-771-2960) belongs to the trip and oversize permit office, not the IRP unit. The Motor Carrier Services FAQ gives walk-in Motor Carrier Licensing Unit offices at 1801 W. Jefferson St., Phoenix, AZ 85007 and 621 E. 22nd St., Tucson (the FAQ prints ZIP 85719 and the IFTA Manual prints 85713).
Base jurisdiction, renewal, and audit in detail
The rules that decide whether Arizona can be your base jurisdiction, what qualifies, and what happens at renewal and audit. Each one is sourced.
- Base jurisdiction rules: Summary
- Arizona as base jurisdiction requires evidence of an established place of business in Arizona or proof of Arizona residency, and virtual offices are not accepted. A.R.S. 28-2233(D) and (E) exclude from apportionment any vehicle operated exclusively in Arizona or only for intrastate business, and require the vehicle to be registered in at least one other jurisdiction for the period.
- Qualifying vehicles: Summary
- A power unit used or intended for use in two or more IRP member jurisdictions, designed to transport persons for hire or maintained primarily for transporting property, with a GVWR of 26,001 pounds or more, three or more axles regardless of weight, or used in a combination over 26,001 pounds.
- Qualifying vehicles: Emissions testing
- Arizona apportioned registered vehicles are exempt from Arizona emission testing.
- Renewal: Summary
- Renewal invitations are emailed to active carriers 45 days before expiration, listing every vehicle in the apportioned fleet. A carrier with no changes, no estimated miles, and mileage in Arizona and at least one other jurisdiction can renew on AZ MVD Now; others email corrected forms to Specialized Registration Services or visit an authorized third party. A renewal declaring zero Arizona miles or Arizona-only miles cannot be processed online. All IFTA reports must be filed and any MVD debt paid before renewing. A decrease in registered weight is allowed only at renewal.
- Audit: Summary
- IRP operational and mileage records must be kept for the current registration year plus three years (four years total) under the IRP and A.R.S. 28-2238. If records are not made available or are inadequate, apportionable fees are increased by 20 percent of the fees paid plus interest. ADOT may refuse, suspend, or revoke apportioned registrations of a carrier the FMCSA has placed out of service (A.R.S. 28-2232(D)).
What the Arizona share of the fee is built from
An IRP bill is the base jurisdiction's own registration fee for the vehicle, apportioned by mileage, plus the same for every other jurisdiction on the cab card. These are the Arizona inputs to that calculation, each with its official source.
Vehicle eligibility and your Arizona base
IRP covers power units used in two or more member jurisdictions that meet the weight or axle test, alone or in combination. Arizona as your base needs an established place of business or proof of Arizona residency, and virtual offices are refused.
A vehicle that runs only in Arizona cannot be apportioned. It takes regular Arizona registration, and the statute also requires an apportioned vehicle to be registered in at least one other jurisdiction for the period.
Setting up an Arizona IRP account
Send the joint IFTA/IRP application, the apportioned registration application, and a title and registration application for each vehicle, by email, by mail, or through an authorized third party. Include the USDOT and MC numbers, proof of your Arizona base, the heavy vehicle use tax receipt for heavier units, and ownership papers. A new carrier with no history uses the average per-vehicle distance.
How fees work and what the cab card does
Fees follow the actual miles you report in each member jurisdiction, so you do not pay jurisdictions you do not travel. On top of that come Arizona's own charges on an apportioned vehicle: registration, vehicle license tax, weight, the motor carrier fee, use, and air quality fees.
You get one plate and cab card that every member jurisdiction honors. Trailers are not apportioned but must carry current registration from any state.
Renewal and records
ADOT emails a renewal invitation ahead of expiration. A fleet with no changes and miles in Arizona plus at least one other jurisdiction can renew on AZ MVD Now; anything else goes by email or through a third party. All IFTA returns must be filed and MVD debts paid first.
Keep mileage records for the current year plus three more. Missing or inadequate records raise your apportionable fees by a set percentage plus interest.
Entering vehicles without Arizona credentials
A foreign-based carrier entering without apportioned or Arizona registration buys a single-trip registration permit priced by axles and miles, the motor carrier fee permit, and for diesel units the use fuel permit, or multi-trip permits for longer stays. A nonresident owner-operator who does not want IRP can use Arizona's Interstate Registration instead.
Reach the Arizona IRP office
Account problems, supplement filings and credential replacements all route through the office that holds the account. Everything below is the agency's own published channel; where it publishes no phone line, the note says so rather than pointing at a permit vendor's number.
- Account transactions
- AZ MVD Now (azmvdnow.gov), for renewals without changes and some account services
- Mailing address
- MVD Specialized Registration Services, P.O. Box 2100, Mail Drop 527M, Phoenix, AZ 85001
- Notes
- Phone, mailing address, and email are printed under Contact Specialized Registration Services on ADOT's Motor Carrier Services page, the unit that handles IRP and IFTA licensing. The Commercial Vehicle Permits number on the same page (602-771-2960) belongs to the trip and oversize permit office, not the IRP unit. The Motor Carrier Services FAQ gives walk-in Motor Carrier Licensing Unit offices at 1801 W. Jefferson St., Phoenix, AZ 85007 and 621 E. 22nd St., Tucson (the FAQ prints ZIP 85719 and the IFTA Manual prints 85713).
What pairs with IRP
The same interstate operation that needs apportioned plates almost always needs an IFTA license through Arizona, and heavy power units owe the federal Form 2290 heavy vehicle use tax before plates renew. To compare how other states run IRP, see the national IRP registration table.