How do I apply for IRP in Iowa?

Email or mail the new carrier package to Iowa DOT Motor Carrier Services: the estimated distance schedule, Schedule G, the vehicle schedule, and the signed record retention statement, with vehicle titles and bills of sale, heavy-vehicle use tax proof for the heavier units, and the USDOT number. Include three proofs of the Iowa business address and the Iowa county number, and pay the fee invoice with guaranteed funds.

What vehicles must be apportioned in Iowa?

Power units operating in two or more IRP jurisdictions for-hire or primarily for property transportation that meet any of the three tests: two axles over the weight line, a combination over the weight line, or three or more axles regardless of weight, tied to an established Iowa place of business with Iowa mileage and auditable Iowa records.

I am plated out of state and need one trip through Iowa. What do I do?

Buy an Iowa registration trip permit before entering the state: it is valid for a short window, must be in the truck on entry, and cannot be used to satisfy the registration requirement of any oversize or overweight permit.

Iowa IRP Registration: Cost and How to Apply

By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Sep 2, 2026

Iowa IRP administration

IRP member: Yes
Agency: Iowa Department of Transportation, Motor Carrier Services (Office of Vehicle and Motor Carrier Services)
Office: Iowa DOT Motor Carrier Services, P.O. Box 10382, Des Moines, IA 50306; phone 515-237-3268; email [email protected]. New IRP accounts cannot be processed in person; in-person appointments are available at the Ankeny location for existing accounts only.
Process: New Iowa IRP customers complete the new carrier paperwork and email it to Iowa DOT Motor Carrier Services or mail it to P.O. Box 10382, Des Moines IA 50306. The application package includes the estimated distance schedule (Iowa DOT Form 442044), Schedule G (Iowa DOT Form 442068), the vehicle schedule (Iowa DOT Form 442015), a record retention statement (Iowa DOT Form 442069) signed by the registrant, a copy of each vehicle title and bill of sale, IRS Form 2290 for each power unit over 54,999 pounds GVWR, and a USDOT number for applicants classified as a motor carrier. Three documents no older than 12 months must verify the physical address of the established place of business, and the Iowa county number must appear on the application. IRP fee invoices must be paid with guaranteed funds (cash, money order, or certified check).
Fee structure: Apportioned registration divides the license fee among the jurisdictions where the vehicle's miles are actually traveled, based on the fleet's projected and actual mileage percentages. Iowa's Dates to Remember lists monthly registration expiration dates for IRP renewals by renewal month, with each month's renewals filed on or before the last day of that month to avoid penalty.
Cab card: Registration receipts or cab cards must be carried in the vehicle, including trailers, and made available on request of any peace officer. Credentials are typically mailed; if they have not arrived within 10 working days after payment, Iowa DOT asks carriers to call 515-237-3268 or use the Web Inquiry feature.
Process: system: IRP online (Login to IRP on the Iowa DOT IRP page) for renewals and account management; new accounts by email or mail

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 Iowa IRP rules

Temporary credentials: summary: Iowa DOT publishes processing dates for Temporary Evidence of Apportioned Registration (TEAR) documents on its IRP processing dates page. A registration trip permit is also available: a truck plated outside Iowa may operate in Iowa on a 35-dollar permit valid 72 hours that must be obtained and placed in the vehicle before entering Iowa. Trip permits cannot be used to meet the registration requirements of any oversize or overweight permit.

Base jurisdiction, renewal, and audit in detail

The rules that decide whether Iowa can be your base jurisdiction, what qualifies, and what happens at renewal and audit. Each one is sourced.

Base jurisdiction rules: Summary: An apportionable vehicle must have an established place of business in Iowa, the fleet must accumulate mileage in Iowa and one other jurisdiction, and operational records must be kept or be made available in Iowa for audit.
Base jurisdiction rules: Established place of business: The new-carrier application requires three documents, dated within 12 months, proving the physical business address in Iowa, plus the Iowa county number on the application.
Qualifying vehicles: Summary: An apportionable vehicle is any power unit used or intended for use in two or more member jurisdictions, operated for-hire for persons or designed, used, or maintained primarily for property transportation, that meets any of: two axles and a gross vehicle weight or registered weight over 26,000 pounds; used in combination when the combination's gross vehicle weight exceeds 26,000 pounds; or three or more axles regardless of weight.
Renewal: Summary: Iowa staggers IRP renewals by month: each fleet renews in its assigned month, and the Dates to Remember schedule lists the registration expiration date for each month's renewals with filing due on or before that date to avoid penalty. A carrier that missed its renewal can renew through its IRP online account or by contacting Motor Carrier Services at 515-237-3268.
Reciprocity: Summary: Iowa has registration reciprocity agreements with non-IRP jurisdictions Northwest Territory, Nunavut, and Yukon. Iowa carriers must obtain proper authority before traveling to Alaska. IRP-qualified vehicles properly licensed by Iowa and Wisconsin residents may operate in the adjoining state within 30 miles of the Iowa/Wisconsin border without IRP plates or trip permits, and Minnesota and Wisconsin each have a border-states fuel agreement with Iowa. Apportioned registration fees are set under Iowa Code 326.6.

Qualifying and applying

An apportionable vehicle runs in two or more IRP jurisdictions for-hire or primarily for property, meets one of the weight or axle tests, and ties to an Iowa established place of business with mileage in Iowa and at least one other jurisdiction and records kept available in Iowa for audit.

The new-account package is Iowa's own forms: the estimated distance schedule, Schedule G, the vehicle schedule, and the record retention statement, plus titles and bills of sale, the heavy-vehicle use tax proof for heavier power units, and the USDOT number for motor-carrier applicants. Fee invoices must clear with guaranteed funds.

Renewals, credentials, and the border exception

Iowa staggers IRP renewals across monthly expiration dates published on its Dates to Remember schedule, with each month's renewals due by month end to avoid penalty. Registration receipts or cab cards must be carried in the vehicle, trailers included, and shown to any peace officer on request; credentials normally arrive within about two working weeks of payment.

Iowa and Wisconsin residents running properly licensed IRP-qualified vehicles get a narrow border exception near the state line, and Iowa holds reciprocity agreements with the non-IRP northern territories.

What pairs with IRP

The same interstate operation that needs apportioned plates almost always needs an IFTA license through Iowa, 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.