The International Registration Plan (IRP) is an international highway program designed for the licensing of heavy (>26,000 pounds) commercial vehicles that travel in two or more jurisdictions. A jurisdiction may be a state, the District of Columbia, or a Canadian Province. Vehicles licensed under the IRP are called apportioned vehicles.
Under the IRP, an interstate carrier files an application for registration with the jurisdiction in which its vehicles are based. That jurisdiction is known as the "base jurisdiction." The District is the base jurisdiction for heavy vehicles registered or apportioned in the District of Columbia. The base jurisdiction collects registration fees authorizing a carrier's movement into other jurisdictions and distributes those fees to the states or provinces for which the carrier has requested apportionment.
To apply for IRP registration, print and complete the form at the link below. To ensure successful completion of your transaction, utilize the IRP Application Process Checklist. To avoid process delays, it is important to fully complete the application. Call and schedule an appointment with the IRP Office at (202) 729-7079, located at 95 M Street SW, Washington, DC 20024.
You will be required to pay a fee for IRP registration; the precise fee can be calculated only after the application is processed. More information is available below under IRP Apportioned Fee Calculations.
IRP registration does not:
- Exempt a carrier from the payment of motor fuel taxes.
- Exempt a carrier from obtaining operating authority.
- Exempt a carrier from payment of the Federal Heavy Vehicle Use Tax (HVUT) (Form 2290).
- Exempt a carrier from Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Performance Registration Information Systems Management (PRISM) program requirements.
- Permit a carrier to exceed maximum height, length, width, and axle limitations*.
- Permit a carrier to exceed “bridge laws”*.
For more information, please review the Federal Highway Administration’s brochure related to HVUT and HVUT Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) instructions for completing the HVUT Form 2290 is available from the IRS at: IRS Information on the HVUT.
*Note: Permits to allow over-weight, over-length, and/or over-width vehicles to travel into and through the District (including over bridges) are available through the DC Department of Transportation (DDOT) at 1100 4th Street, SW. For a public space permit, customers must register online on DDOT's website or call (202) 442-4670.
The District of Columbia, like all member IRP jurisdictions, is required to comply with the following criteria:
- Issue a single “apportioned” tag
- Issue a single registration cab card
- Allow intrastate and interstate movement
More information on IRP is available at the following links below:
- IRP Apportioned and Exempt Vehicles
- IRP Apportioned Fee Calculations
- IRP Audits, Mileage Records, and Enforcement
- IRP Carriers Manual
- Fee Schedule for Commercial Vehicles
- The IRP Full Reciprocity Plan
- IRP News!