The short answer
You can legally ride off-road in Arizona on private property with the owner's permission, at pay-to-ride tracks and parks, and on designated OHV routes on state, federal and BLM land. Public-land riding requires a $25 annual OHV decal, and that decal requires a titled, registerable vehicle. Many cheap mini bikes cannot be titled, which in practice means private land and tracks.
You cannot ride on streets, sidewalks, canal banks, or in a city park. None of our bikes are street legal.
Riding outside Arizona? We cover the federal rules and what every state requires here: where you can legally ride a dirt bike in the US.
The OHV decal
Arizona requires an OHV decal for vehicles designed primarily for unimproved terrain that weigh 1,800 lbs or less unladen, when they are operated on public land. It costs $25 a year, is issued through ADOT MVD or AZMVDNow.gov, and goes on the upper left corner of the plate. There is no renewal notice sent, so it is on you to remember.
Riding on public land without one is a misdemeanor, and Game and Fish and Forest Service officers do check.
The catch nobody mentions
To get an OHV decal, the machine has to be titled and registered in Arizona first. Titling needs a Manufacturer's Certificate of Origin or MSO with a legitimate VIN.
A lot of imported mini bikes, including plenty sold on marketplaces, either ship without an MSO or have a frame number that MVD will not accept. If that is your situation, you are not going to get a decal, and public land is off the table.
That is not the end of the world. It means your riding happens on private property and at tracks, which is where most kids on 50cc minis ride anyway. Just know it going in, and if public-land riding is important to you, confirm the paperwork situation before you buy anything from anyone.
Helmets and gear
Arizona law requires anyone under 18 operating or riding an OHV to wear a properly fitted, fastened helmet meeting the DOT standard. Adults are not required to by state law, which does not make it a good idea to skip one.
Eye protection is required when operating on streets and highways without a windshield. On a kid's dirt bike, goggles are non-negotiable regardless of what the statute says. Dirt and rocks come off the front wheel at eye height.
Our house rule, and it should be yours: helmet, goggles, gloves, boots over the ankle, long sleeves and long pants. Every ride, every speed setting, no exceptions for "just around the yard." Our guide to kids dirt bike safety gear covers what to buy and what to skip.
Where you can actually ride
Private property
The simplest option and where most young riders start. Your own land, a relative's, a friend's, with permission. No decal needed for genuinely private property.
Check your city or HOA rules before you rely on your own yard, though. Plenty of Valley municipalities have noise ordinances or restrictions on motorized recreation on residential lots, and a 2-stroke is not subtle. This is the single most common reason a family ends up looking at an electric bike instead.
Pay-to-ride tracks and parks
Usually the best answer for a kid learning. You get graded ground, other families around, and often a beginner or "tot lot" area sized for small bikes. If this is their first time on a bike at all, read how to teach a kid to ride a dirt bike before you load up.
- Arizona Cycle Park, northwest of the Valley. Several tracks including a mini track and family off-road courses.
- Canyon Motocross, north Valley, with beginner areas.
- ET MotoPark, Tucson area, if you are willing to drive south.
Call ahead. Day rates, minimum ages, required gear and whether a titled bike is needed all vary by park and they all change their rules from time to time.
Public OHV areas within reach of Phoenix
These need the decal and a titled bike.
- Tonto National Forest. The big one, wrapping the east and north side of the Valley. Designated routes only. Bulldog Canyon and Sycamore Creek are popular entries, and Bulldog Canyon requires a free permit.
- Boulders OHV Recreation Area, BLM land near Florence, southeast of the Valley. A large open-desert trail network with easy through advanced terrain.
- Table Mesa, BLM, off I-17 north of the Valley. Open desert riding, very popular on weekends.
- Alto Pit OHV Area, Prescott National Forest, about two hours north. 400 acres with marked trails and a beginner area intended for bikes under 90cc, which is genuinely useful if you have a 50cc.
- Cinder Hills OHV Area, near Flagstaff. Volcanic cinder terrain, and a good escape from summer heat.
Where you cannot ride
- Streets, roads and sidewalks. Our bikes are off-road only, with no title, no plate and no lights. Not street legal anywhere in Arizona.
- Canal banks. A perennial Valley temptation. They are SRP property and motorized use is prohibited.
- City parks, school fields and greenbelts. No.
- Washes running through neighborhoods. Usually city or flood-control land, usually prohibited, and the fastest way to get a neighbor to call it in.
- Off designated trails on State Trust, Forest Service or BLM land. Being on legal land is not the same as being on a legal route.
- Wilderness areas. Closed to all motorized use, always.
Arizona-specific things to plan around
Heat. From May to September, Valley riding means dawn or not at all. An air-cooled 2-stroke at 110 degrees with a kid in full gear is how a fun morning turns into heat exhaustion. Go early, bring more water than you think, and head north in the summer.
Monsoon washes. Do not ride in a wash with storm clouds anywhere in sight. Water arrives from rain that fell miles away, and it arrives fast.
Fire restrictions. Forests close routes or shut entirely during high fire danger. Check the Tonto or Prescott National Forest alerts page the morning you go, not the week before.
Desert hazards. Cholla, rocks hidden under loose sand, and abandoned mine shafts on older BLM land. Stay on the trail.
Before you go, every time
- Confirm the area is open today
- Decal current, if you're on public land
- Helmet and full gear on everyone under 18, and ideally everyone else
- Chain tension and brakes checked
- Speed limiter set to match the rider and the terrain
- Air filter clean, especially after a sandy ride
- Fresh 25 to 1 mix and a spare spark plug in the kit
- More water than you think you need
A note on how we describe this
This is general information, not legal advice, and rules change. Verify current requirements with Arizona State Parks, ADOT MVD, Arizona Game and Fish, and the land manager for wherever you plan to ride before you go.
Questions about a specific bike or a specific spot? Text 623 320 8984.
Plugged by 50CC is an independent retailer. We do not manufacture, assemble, modify or service the bikes we sell. Every bike ships sealed in its factory crate exactly as it reaches us, about 90% assembled from the factory, and final assembly and setup are completed by the buyer. Off-road use only. Riders under 18 should always be supervised by an adult.
We are based in Tempe, and all of our bikes are off-road use only and are not street legal.