Can I own one here
Owning one in Jefferson 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
Closed to road use. Oregon does not register kei trucks for the road. The DMV says kei class vehicles cannot be titled or registered because they were not built for US highways. The 2025 and 2026 bills to change that ended in committee.
A newer governed truck
Off highway vehicle. The DMV titles ATVs. A governed road-built truck falls in Oregon's Class II ATV definition when operated off highway, because Class IV requires a vehicle originally manufactured for off-road use only.
Roads and towns
Roads and towns in Jefferson County.
To confirm. Jefferson County adopted an ordinance in 2026 to open county roads it names by resolution to Class IV side by sides, no road had been named when this was read and a kei truck is not a Class IV.
In town To confirm
- To confirm Culver. The town's code was not read in this pass.
- To confirm Madras. The town's code was not read in this pass.
- To confirm Metolius. The town's code was not read in this pass.
County roads To confirm
The ordinance opens to Class IV ATVs only the county roads the commissioners name by resolution, under ORS 821.200. A review committee's recommendations reached the board on 2 September 2026 and public comment was set for 9 September 2026. No resolution naming roads was found, so no county road is known to be open yet. Ordinance O-046-26, adopted 22 April 2026 and effective 21 July 2026, as the county's page states. The ordinance text sits behind a bot check and was read only in excerpts of a March 2026 draft., read 28 October 2026
State highways Closed
Closed to OHVs.
Getting one here
From Japan to Jefferson County.
The nearest ports with a sailing from Japan on record
- The Port of Tacoma, The Northwest Seaport Alliance South Harbor, about 250 road miles.
- The Port of Seattle, The Northwest Seaport Alliance North Harbor, about 250 road miles.
- The Port of Everett, about 300 road miles.
How to import a mini truck, step by step.
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
Jefferson County, counted.
Farms in Jefferson County hold 5,367 acres of woodland. 1 active surface mine or quarry works Jefferson County's ground. Jefferson County has 348 farms and 143 cattle operations, by the 2022 Census of Agriculture.
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.
Contact
A question about the law in Jefferson County?
Ask about a truck, a state or the papers, and we answer with what applies to you.
Reach us
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