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Washington
Mini trucks in Benton County, Washington
Kei trucks in Washington work farms, orchards and timberland.
Benton CountyWashington
Can I own one here
Owning one in Benton 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 unclear. Washington has no kei truck law. The DOL titles a vehicle from another country on its ownership document and a US Customs entry summary and asks nothing about federal standards, while its rules define a not eligible for road use comment for vehicles that do not meet federal safety standards as the State Patrol adopts them. No source says how either reaches a kei truck.
A newer governed truck
Off highway vehicle. An off-road vehicle title from the DOL. That title does not qualify it for road registration. RCW 46.09.320
Roads and towns
Roads and towns in Benton County.
Roads open. Benton County opens every county road posted 35 mph or less outside the Hanford site to WATVs with a licensed driver 18 or older and insurance, and Richland is reported to have opened its own slower streets.
In town Some
- Some Richland. Ordinance No. 37-21, adopted 16 November 2021, is reported to open Richland roads posted 35 mph or less and crossings of faster roads, with named segments barred. The city's WATV page refused this reader and the code text was not read. Ordinance No. 37-21, 16 November 2021, not read, read 28 October 2026
- To confirm West Richland. The city code carries Chapter 10.17 on wheeled all-terrain vehicles. Its text was not read.
- To confirm Prosser. The city code carries Chapter 10.60 on wheeled all-terrain vehicles. Its text was not read.
County roads Open
Every county road posted 35 mph or less in unincorporated Benton County, except roads on the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. A WATV may cross a faster county road only at a controlled intersection, starting and ending on roads posted 35 mph or less. Benton County Code Chapter 10.14, Ordinance 626 of 2020, code page dated 21 December 2020, read 28 October 2026
State highways Closed
Closed to OHVs.
Getting one here
From Japan to Benton County.
The nearest ports with a sailing from Japan on record
- The Port of Tacoma, The Northwest Seaport Alliance South Harbor, about 200 road miles.
- The Port of Seattle, The Northwest Seaport Alliance North Harbor, about 200 road miles.
- The Port of Everett, about 200 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
Benton County, counted.
Benton County grows 41,004 acres of orchards and vineyards. Benton County has 1,338 farms and 473 cattle operations, by the 2022 Census of Agriculture. 1 active surface mine or quarry works Benton County's ground.
Areas
The areas Benton County is part of.
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 30 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 Benton County?
Ask about a truck, a state or the papers, and we answer with what applies to you.
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