Can I own one here
Owning one in Otero County.
On your own land, yes
Owning a kei truck and working it on a ranch, a farm, a mine or private property does not depend on a road title. Some states still ask for a title or an off road registration.
A 25 year truck on the road
Road use opens later. Colorado made kei vehicles a legal road class in 2025 and title and registration open on 1 January 2028.
A newer governed truck
Off highway vehicle. From 1 January 2028 Colorado names it a kei off-road vehicle, an off-highway vehicle under the Certificate of Title Act, titled at the county motor vehicle office.
Roads and towns
Roads and towns in Otero County.
Towns only. Fowler opens every town street to OHVs, La Junta and Rocky Ford do not and no county road is open.
In town Some
- To confirm Cheraw. No code published online was found, so the town's own code was not read.
- Open Fowler. OHVs may run on all streets and public rights of way in town. State highways only to cross. The town requires no permit of its own. Fowler Code Chapter 10.20, Ordinance No. 728-16 of 25 April 2016, read 28 October 2026
- Closed La Junta. The code was searched for off-highway, OHV, all-terrain, UTV, side-by-side and utility terrain. It opens no street to OHVs. La Junta Municipal Code, Supplement 25, online 1 July 2025, read 28 October 2026
- To confirm Manzanola. No code published online was found, so the town's own code was not read.
- Closed Rocky Ford. The code was searched for off-highway, OHV, all-terrain, UTV, side-by-side and utility terrain. It opens no street to OHVs. Rocky Ford Municipal Code, Supplement 6, online 20 April 2023, read 28 October 2026
- To confirm Swink. No code published online was found, so the town's own code was not read.
County roads Closed
No county act opening a county road to OHVs was found, so county roads stay closed under C.R.S. 33-14.5-108 except for farm use and crossings. The Otero County Municipal Code was searched and only limits ATVs at Holbrook Reservoir to designated roadways. Otero County Municipal Code, republication online 29 May 2019, read 28 October 2026
State highways Crossings only
- No segment is open to travel along. Crossing only, under the statewide crossing rule. C.R.S. 33-14.5-108.5; no CDOT Transportation Commission resolution names a state highway in this county, read 28 October 2026
Getting one here
From Japan to Otero County.
The nearest ports with a sailing from Japan on record
- The Port of Los Angeles, about 1,000 road miles.
- The Port of Oakland, about 1,200 road miles.
- The Port of Tacoma, The Northwest Seaport Alliance South Harbor, about 1,400 road miles.
How to import a mini truck, step by step.
A newer off road truck never lands in California. It comes in through Tacoma or by way of Houston.
Trucks travel in containers, one to a 20 foot box with room for parts or three to a 40 foot box.
Road miles are an estimate, the straight line times 1.2.
The ground
Otero County, counted.
Farms in Otero County hold 1,907 acres of woodland. Otero County has 397 farms and 165 cattle operations, by the 2022 Census of Agriculture. Otero County averages 23 inches of snow a year.
Importing a kei truck
The essentials, in short.
A truck under 25 can come in only as governed off road equipment, and only if its engine family held an EPA nonroad certificate for that model year. No kei engine family was certified for mini trucks before model year 2010, so a truck built after 31 October 2001 and before model year 2010 has no federal door until its 25th birthday.
Two lanes
A road truck must be 25 years old by its own build date. A newer truck comes in only as governed off road equipment with a certified engine.
The 25 percent duty
Every kei truck pays the 25 percent truck duty at the port, whatever its age.
The paperwork
The customs entry and the two federal declarations, DOT Form HS-7 and EPA Form 3520-1, travel with the truck to your title office.
The title
Keep every stamped paper with the truck. Your state title office asks to see them.
News for Colorado Colorado's kei vehicle class, and the two dates that matter
Contact
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