Alaska registers kei trucks 25 years or older as ordinary vehicles

Alaska now has a road path for kei trucks. Senate Bill 239 was signed on 24 June 2026 as chapter 39 of the 2026 Session Laws, and its first two sections took effect at once ¹. The bill passed the Senate 20 to 0 and the House 39 to 0 with one member absent, and then the Senate concurred 20 to 0 ².

The new law covers a vehicle at least 25 years old that was legally imported into the United States ³. The DMV may not refuse, suspend or revoke its title because it fails current federal motor vehicle safety standards ⁴. The DMV does not ask for a federal safety label or a manufacturer's compliance letter for these vehicles ⁵. The bill text sets no separate road or speed limit for them, so a kei truck of that age registers and drives as an ordinary motor vehicle ⁶.

For the title, the DMV asks for the customs entry summary (form 7501) and any EPA or DOT documents issued at entry, the foreign ownership document and the original bill of sale or other transfer document, a VIN inspection on form 811 and the Vehicle Transaction Application, form V1, at a DMV office ⁷. The VIN inspection is done by a DMV representative, a police officer or a State Trooper. A truck with no certificate of origin must be in Alaska for it ⁸.

Two things did not change. A vehicle under 25 years old still needs a federal safety label or a manufacturer's letter for a standard title and road registration ⁹. A newer truck that arrives governed to a top speed as off road equipment is treated in Alaska as an off-highway vehicle, which may run on private property and the farm without registration ¹⁰.

The rule that counts is the 25 years, measured from the date of manufacture, so the age of a particular truck is a question for the DMV and its papers. Alaska's chapter in the Mini Truck Roadbook sets out the full road answer, the title steps and the sources.

This post reports the public record as read on 28 October 2026. It is general information and not legal advice.