I’ve lived in Northern Nevada since 1999. After settling in, I bought dirt bikes for the family to keep up with a lifelong tradition. Back then, Nevada didn’t have an off-road registration system or stickers for dirt bikes. So, we’d often head back to my old riding spots in the Southern California desert. For those trips, we had to get out-of-state OHV stickers for California.

Around 2006, Nevada introduced its own off-road registration and sticker system. Since then, I’ve always kept ours current—I like to keep things legal. At the time, the rules said that several western states were part of a shared sticker agreement with California, meaning you didn’t need to buy a separate out-of-state sticker if your home state participated.

Fast forward to this past Fourth of July—we were cruising around Mammoth and came across a ranger. He pulled over and waved us by. Everyone smiled and waved back. A few minutes later, my wife asked if I could stop and ask the ranger for a map to take back to camp. So, I pulled over and signaled that I wanted to talk. He rolled up, and at first, he seemed fine. I asked for the map, thanked him, and was just about to hop back into the RZR when he asked if I had an off-road sticker.

I told him yes, but it wasn’t immediately visible, so I pointed it out. He got out to check and, after seeing it was a Nevada sticker, his attitude changed. He said, “That’s a Nevada sticker,” and I responded, “Yeah, it’s valid in California.” Without missing a beat, he snapped, “No, it’s not.” At that point, I could tell he was irritated over something minor. I said, “Okay, I’ll look into it right away.” But he suddenly turned into a complete jerk, even though I hadn’t been rude or confrontational. He got back in his truck and let me go ahead of him.

I’m sharing this because, first off, he was a forest ranger—there was no reason for him to be hostile. I wasn’t trying to pull a fast one. I mean, why would I have voluntarily stopped to talk to him if I was trying to hide something? This isn’t my first encounter with a rude ranger in the Mammoth area either, so just a heads-up to others.

And for the record, the rule has since changed. You do now need to get a California nonresident green sticker again. Of course—they want your money. In hindsight, I’m glad I didn’t argue with him, because he probably would’ve written me a ticket on the spot.

Update: I should have looked deeper before writing this. Turns out the 2006 policy is still in effect and if you have a registered OHV from Nevada, you do not have to purchase a non-resident green sticker in California. More information can be found below. I will definitely going to print this out and keep it with me when I go back to Mammoth in a couple of weeks. This is published at https://ohv.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=26294

C – What If I Am Visiting From Another State?

I will be traveling to California from another state to ride my OHV. Do I need California OHV registration (Green or Red Sticker)?

If you are a resident of another state and your OHV has valid registration from that state, you do not need a Green or Red Sticker or a California Nonresident OHV Use Permit (unless your state of residence requires California visitors with properly registered OHVs to purchase a non-resident permit in your home state). If your OHV does not have valid registration or the equivalent from your home state, you will need to get a California Nonresident OHV Use Permit. A title is not registration. For states bordering California, the Oregon OHV Permit and the Nevada OHV Registration Decal meet the requirement for OHV registration by residents of those states. 

A non-resident need not purchase California’s permit as long as they can provide valid proof that they have a current registration or their home state’s equivalent for their OHV (unless your state of residence requires California visitors with properly registered OHVs to purchase a non-resident permit in your home state). If a nonresident cannot provide valid proof of possessing such a document, they must purchase the California Nonresident OHV Use Permit.