By Haul Handbook editorial team· Updated Sep 28, 2026
The Connecticut DMV IRP Unit in Wethersfield handles all apportioned registration. A carrier needs IRP plates, or a trip permit, when a vehicle over 26,000 pounds or with three or more axles travels to another IRP jurisdiction. New applicants drop off Form IRP-31 with supporting documents, pay with guaranteed funds, and receive an emailed invoice in 7 to 10 business days. Registrations run one year on staggered expiration dates, with a $150 per vehicle late fee.
Connecticut IRP administration
- Office
- CT DMV IRP Unit, 60 State Street, Room 102, Wethersfield, CT 06161-1010. All IRP transactions are handled by this unit; new applications are not processed at DMV branch offices.
- Process
- Submit IRP application Form IRP-31 and, for new accounts, deposit Form IRP-24 with the deposit check, plus the required documents. Drop the package in the box outside Room 102 or mail it; incomplete packages are returned. Allow 7 to 10 business days; the invoice arrives by email, and payment can be mailed, dropped off or made on the online portal. The IRP Unit takes appointments only to add or delete a vehicle, change carrier or increase weight (860-263-5281).
- Fee structure
- Fees follow each jurisdiction's registration fee apportioned by the fleet's distance in that jurisdiction. New applicants report no actual mileage; their fees are based on an estimated mileage chart from IRP, Inc. The DMV manual's example for an 80,000-pound vehicle running 63.8 percent in Connecticut collects $1,612.61 in one payment and passes each other jurisdiction its share.
- Fees: other fees
- The late fee for renewing an IRP registration is $150 per vehicle. Titling a vehicle not already titled in Connecticut to the owner on Form H-13B costs $35 plus $10 per lienholder.
- Cab card
- Apportioned plates and cab cards are the credentials to operate on an interstate and intrastate basis in member jurisdictions. Do not obtain or renew regular commercial plates if you expect apportioned plates. Lost plates and cab cards can be replaced online through the IRP portal.
- Process: documents
- Acord certificate of liability insurance with CT DMV IRP as certificate holder (and bobtail or non-trucking liability if leased on); driver's license copies for the contact person, the signer and an individual registrant (who must hold a Connecticut license); proof of Connecticut business filing with the Secretary of the State; valid UCR; all motor vehicle property taxes and parking violations paid; three proofs of an established place of business with the same name and address; and, as applicable, IRS Form 2290 receipt, the lease, and Form H-13B with the signed-over title ($35 plus $10 per lienholder).
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 Connecticut IRP rules
- Temporary credentials: trip permit
- A vehicle without apportioned plates that crosses the Connecticut border with multiple axles or over 26,000 pounds needs a trip permit for each jurisdiction traveled. The IRP Section gives out the current phone numbers of the commercial wire services that sell trip permits by phone for credit card payment; those services are private vendors, not the IRP Unit.
- Contact: address
- 60 State Street, Room 102, Wethersfield, CT 06161-1010 (renewals by mail to Room 102A)
- Contact: hours
- IRP appointment hours: Tuesday and Wednesday 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; Thursday 9:15 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.; Friday 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
- Contact: note
- 860-263-5281 is listed on the DMV IRP page under the IRP Unit address, as the Office number on the return-application blocks, and as the number to call the IRP Section; the 2015 IRP manual prints the same number for the IRP Unit. It is the DMV unit's own line, not a trip permit vendor. The email address comes from the 2015 manual; the current IRP page publishes no email address. The page prints the Friday closing time as 2:30 a.m., read here as 2:30 p.m.
Base jurisdiction, renewal, and audit in detail
The rules that decide whether Connecticut can be your base jurisdiction, what qualifies, and what happens at renewal and audit. Each one is sourced.
- Base jurisdiction rules: Summary
- A carrier registers with Connecticut apportioned plates when Connecticut is its base jurisdiction, where it has an established place of business. Proof is three different documents bearing the same business name and address, such as a driver's license (individuals), Secretary of the State filing (corporations), federal or state income tax returns, paid real estate or personal property taxes, a utility bill, a vehicle titled in Connecticut at that address, or a bank statement.
- Qualifying vehicles: Scope
- Connecticut requires IRP registration, or a special permit, when a vehicle travels to another IRP jurisdiction and has a gross or combined gross weight over 26,000 pounds or three or more axles combined. Qualified vehicles from another IRP jurisdiction need a valid cab card or a trip permit before entering Connecticut.
- Qualifying vehicles: Exemptions
- Government-owned vehicles; vehicles on restricted plates (dealer, repair, wrecker, antique or classic, transporter, farm); city pick-up and delivery vehicles; recreational vehicles.
- Renewal: Summary
- Registrations are issued for one year on monthly staggered expiration dates. The renewal application is emailed 90 days before expiration; return it, with the Acord certificate, driver's license copies, Secretary of the State filing, MCS-150 and UCR proof, at least 45 days before expiration by mail, drop-off or the online portal. Mileage covers the July 1 to June 30 reporting period and must include intrastate Connecticut miles and miles run under 72-hour trip permits and 45-day temporary registrations. Late renewal costs $150 per vehicle.
- Audit: Detail
- Registrants must keep distance records for the registration year and make them available for audit for a total of four years. If records fall short of the IRP standard for the fleet as a whole, or none are produced within 30 days of a written request, the assessment is 20 percent of the apportionable fees paid for that registration year, 50 percent for a known second offense and 100 percent for a third or later offense.
What the Connecticut 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 Connecticut inputs to that calculation, each with its official source.
Who needs IRP plates
A truck needs apportioned plates, or a trip permit, when it runs in Connecticut and another IRP jurisdiction and is over the IRP weight line or has three or more axles. Government vehicles, trucks on restricted plates such as dealer, repair, wrecker, antique, transporter or farm, city pickup and delivery trucks, and recreational vehicles are exempt.
If you expect apportioned plates, do not buy or renew regular commercial plates first: the DMV gives no credit for them.
The place of business proofs and the document list
Connecticut is your IRP base only if you have an established place of business here. Prove it with three different documents showing the same business name and address, such as a Secretary of the State filing, a tax return, paid property taxes, a utility bill, a Connecticut title at that address or a bank statement.
The package also needs an Acord insurance certificate naming the DMV IRP Unit, driver's license copies for the contact, the signer and any individual registrant, UCR proof, paid motor vehicle property taxes and parking tickets, and where they apply the federal heavy vehicle use tax receipt, the lease and title papers. Incomplete packages come back.
Applying and paying
Drop Form IRP-31, and for a new account the deposit form with its check, in the box outside Room 102 in Wethersfield, or mail it. The DMV emails an invoice once the package is processed, and you pay by mail, drop-off or the online portal, in guaranteed funds only. Appointments are only for adding or deleting a vehicle, changing carrier or raising weight.
Fees follow each jurisdiction's registration fee, split by your fleet's share of miles in each. New accounts are billed on IRP's estimated mileage chart, and the DMV manual walks a worked example. A late renewal and a Connecticut title each add their own fee.
Renewal, trip permits and audits
Registrations run one year on monthly staggered expiration dates. The DMV emails the renewal application well ahead of expiration, and it goes back with the insurance certificate, license copies, business filing, MCS-150 and UCR proof by the DMV's return deadline. Report mileage for the July to June period, including intrastate Connecticut miles and miles on trip permits and temporary registrations. A late renewal costs a fee per vehicle.
A truck without apportioned plates that crosses the state line needs a trip permit for each jurisdiction, bought from commercial wire services. Keep distance records for the full audit period: short records bring an assessment that climbs with each repeat.
Reach the Connecticut 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.
- Mailing address
- 60 State Street, Room 102, Wethersfield, CT 06161-1010 (renewals by mail to Room 102A)
- Notes
- 860-263-5281 is listed on the DMV IRP page under the IRP Unit address, as the Office number on the return-application blocks, and as the number to call the IRP Section; the 2015 IRP manual prints the same number for the IRP Unit. It is the DMV unit's own line, not a trip permit vendor. The email address comes from the 2015 manual; the current IRP page publishes no email address. The page prints the Friday closing time as 2:30 a.m., read here as 2:30 p.m.
What pairs with IRP
The same interstate operation that needs apportioned plates almost always needs an IFTA license through Connecticut, 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.