Higher taxes coming for heavier vehicles in Minnehaha County

Commission votes to delay increase out of 'equity' to all owners

Photo by Dusty Barnes on Unsplash

Heavier vehicles and trucks will pay more in Minnehaha County after the County Commission voted Tuesday to raise the wheel tax.

Vehicles weighing 6,000 pounds or more would see an increase of $4 a wheel to $5. The county would also tax more wheels than it has. State law allows up to 12 wheels. Now just four wheels are taxed on all vehicles registered in the county. But Tuesday’s vote would enable the county to tax up to 12 wheels, for a maximum of $60 per vehicle – the max hitting multi-axled big trucks.

The tax increase will be effective Jan. 1, 2026. With vehicle registrations staggered throughout the calendar year, the delayed increase will mean that some owners won’t be charged more in the same year that others were taxed at the previous level, which Commissioner Dean Karsky said was an “equitable” outcome.

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