Trailers, Travel Trailers, & Campers

Iowa differentiates trailers by empty weight. 

Homemade Trailers

If you have constructed a trailer from scratch that does not have a manufacturer's VIN on it, you will need a weight ticket from a certified scale.

• If the trailer weighs 2,000 lbs or less, the trailer will be registered as a homemade small trailer. 
  • No inspection is needed.
  • You will need to submit a Homemade Trailer Certification to our office to disclose the empty weight, length, width, and color of the trailer.
  • All registered owners will need to sign the Application for Title and/or Registration.
• If the trailer weighs over 2,000 lbs, you will need to contact the Bureau of Investigation and Identity Protection to be issued a VIN.
  • Visit Iowa DOT's  Vehicle Inspections for Titling webpage for more information and to contact an investigator.

Selling/buying Regular & sEMI-TrailerS

fOR TrailerS weighing 2,000 lbs or less

• The seller(s) signs the ownership document (Iowa Registration, Out of State Title, or Out of State Registration) and provides a bill of sale to the buyer.   (If selling a boat and a small trailer together, the seller must itemize the value of each on the bill of sale - Boat/ORV with Trailer Bill of Sale.)
  • If the Iowa registration cannot be found, the seller can purchase a replacement registration from their county treasurer's office for $3.00.
  • If a replacement registration cannot be achieved, the seller provides the buyer with a bill of sale with identifying information for the trailer (VIN, year, make, model, and Iowa plate number if available). 
• The buyer(s) submits the bill of sale and/or signed-over ownership document to the country treasurer's office and completes an application for title and/or registration (Form 411007) to get plates/registration.

fOR TrailerS weighing over 2,000 lbs

Regular and Semi-Trailers weighing over 2,000 lbs are titled in the State of Iowa. See Title Transfers for more information.

• The seller(s) signs the title over to the new owner and provides a bill of sale to the buyer.
  • If the title cannot be found, the seller(s) must apply for a replacement title.
• The buyer(s) submits the title and bill of sale to the treasurer's office, and completes an application for title and/or registration (Form 411007) to transfer the title into their name and get a plate and registration.

If you have purchased a trailer weighing over 2,000 lbs from an out of state seller and were not provided with a title signed by the seller, you will need to obtain a weight ticket.  The trailer will need to be approved by the Bureau of Investigation and Identity Protection before being titled and registered in Iowa.

TRAVEL TRAILERS

All travel trailers & camping trailers have a title regardless of weight. See Title Transfers for more information.