It is not possible to register a UTV in Georgia as street legal for reasons discussed below.

However, it is possible to make a UTV street legal in Georgia by registering in another state. The resulting title, registration, and license plate will allow you to drive your side-by-side on roads, highways, and city streets in Georgia and beyond.

This page covers street legal UTVs in Georgia from top to bottom including relevant laws, details about OHV areas, and times when a UTV not registered as street legal can be driven on local roads. Review the following resources to learn more.

If you're ready to register now, consider letting our expert team do it for you. Click to get started.

We have made our best effort to include all relevant details, but something we did not cover might apply to your situation. We are enthusiasts, not attorneys. This is not legal advice.

Why Georgia Can’t Register UTVs as Street Legal

In order to register a UTV as a regular street legal vehicle through the Georgia DMV, it would need to fit Georgia’s definition of a street legal vehicle and pass a Georgia motor vehicle inspection, however Georgia’s laws do not allow for this.

None of the vehicle categories found in the Georgia Motor Vehicle Code can be used to register a UTV for street legal use. Of the possible candidates:

• Motorcycles cannot have more than 3 wheels

• Autocycles are not defined in Georgia law

• Low-Speed Vehicles must meet federal LSV standards and have a top speed of 25 MPH

• Golf Carts must be designed exclusively for use on a golf course

The unpassed Georgia House Bill 1040 of 2016 would have defined Autocycles as having three wheels. There is also a category called Multipurpose Off-Highway Vehicle whose purpose is unclear as it is only mentioned once in the Georgia Code. We called Georgia Wildlife Services and the agent was unable to explain this category but advised us that it would not be street legal. Additional resources are linked in the Laws, Codes, and Other Resources section below.

How to get street legal

In states like Montana and South Dakota, the vehicle code allows UTVs to be registered as street legal vehicles. You can register your UTV in those states without ever leaving your home. Once registration is complete and the required equipment is installed, your UTV will be street legal in Georgia with an out-of-state registration (see How to Make Your UTV Street Legal).

Outsiders might not have any idea what Whissenhunt or Chattahoochee are, but Georgians know them well. The southernmost end of the Appalachians offers unforgettable off-roading to anyone who ventures there, and the twisty roads there are equally enthralling for thrill seekers and Sunday drivers alike. Imagine doing it all – driving to the trail, climbing to the top, and driving back home – all without a truck and trailer holding you back.

Going to the grocery store? Take the side-by-side! Kids want a tour of downtown? Just hop in and go. The only downside of making your UTV street legal in Georgia is the complexity of it all. Why not let our team of experts register your UTV on your behalf while you’re out riding?

Parts Required to Be Street Legal in Georgia

Because the only way to make a UTV street legal in Georgia is to register in another state, getting legal does not involve any parts specific to Georgia.

Thanks to reciprocity agreements between states, a vehicle only needs to have the parts required by the state where it is registered. That means a UTV with an out-of-state registration can be driven on Georgia roads without needing any equipment required by Georgia and without needing to pass a Georgia inspection.

• Here is what is legally required for registrations in Montana and South Dakota (other states)

• These are the minimum parts we suggest having on any street legal UTV

There are also some parts we suggest leaving off which are rarely allowed on street legal vehicles in any state.

Driving a Street Legal UTV on Public Roads in Georgia

Because street legal UTVs are a small niche, local law enforcement may not know that a UTV can be made street legal in Georgia. While we are not attorneys, we suggest carrying physical copies of your UTV’s registration and insurance proofs and being knowledgeable about the ways your vehicle is legal for road use (see Knowing Your Legality).

Vehicles licensed in other states can be driven legally in Georgia thanks to registration reciprocity agreements between states. Georgia’s registration reciprocity statute is linked in the resources below. You should not need to worry about title transfer windows if you maintain residency in another state or your UTV is registered to an LLC in another state. In some cases, it might not be possible to transfer your registration to Georgia from another state because of vehicle type mismatches between states.

Keep in mind that street legal UTVs in Georgia need to observe all laws and rules of the road just as a car would.

Lewd stickers, profane decals, and the like

Georgia has specifically illegalized “any sticker, decal, emblem, or other device containing profane or lewd words describing sexual acts, excretory functions, or parts of the human body” when applied to a vehicle. Even if these items are legal in your state, there is a chance you will be pulled over and potentially asked to remove them while driving in Georgia. If your vehicle is registered in Georgia, you cannot have them at all.

Helmet laws in Georgia

Georgia does not have specific helmet requirements for UTVs, street legal or otherwise.

Although Georgia requires motorcycle riders to wear helmets (and eye protection is required unless the vehicle has a windshield), helmets are not required when “riding within an enclosed cab.” When combined with the fact that Georgia has no statewide helmet requirement for operating UTVs and other OHVs off-road, it seems reasonable to conclude that local authorities should not be expecting helmet use for street legal UTVs in Georgia. For safety reasons, we always suggest wearing a helmet whenever you drive a UTV on public roads.

Keep in mind that helmet laws need to be followed on a state-by-state basis. Before you travel, learn the helmet situation in any state you plan to drive in. See other states

Driving a Street Legal UTV in Georgia’s OHV Areas

Registration

Georgia does not require OHVs to be registered for off-road use (in OHV areas, public lands, etc.). Individual areas often have their own permit requirements.

Equipment

Whether your UTV is street legal or not, certain equipment will be required if you plan to operate as an off-highway vehicle in Georgia. Statewide law says that all OHVs in Georgia must be equipped with working brakes and a functioning muffler.

Individual areas are often stricter, such as the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests where OHVs need a Forest Service-qualified spark arrester, a lack of excessive smoke, and a maximum exhaust volume of 86 decibels at 35 MPH or less and 90 decibels at higher speeds.

Some areas also have unique requirements regarding helmet use, engine size restrictions by rider age, and other factors, so be sure to check ahead when you plan to travel.

This section is about UTVs and other OHVs that have not been made street legal.

Individual towns, cities, and counties within Georgia decide how and when UTVs and other off-highway vehicles can be driven on their roads. Your best bet is to contact local authorities and ask what the rules are for driving a UTV in that area. Statewide law is sparse on the topic but does specifically prohibit OHVs from being driven in perennial streams.

Registration and equipment

Georgia does not have a registration program for off-highway vehicles.

At minimum, any UTV which is not street legal must be equipped as described in the previous section on OHV areas. Local areas may also have their own equipment requirements for road use.

How Georgia defines a UTV

In Georgia law, the term All-Terrain Vehicle is defined as any vehicle designed for off-highway use which is 80” or less in width, weighs 2,500 pounds or less, and has 3 or more nonhighway tires. Within the same statute, Recreational Off-Highway Vehicles are defined as those with 4 or more nonhighway tires and a maximum width of 65”. In practice, both are generally treated the same.

Special use exceptions

Off-highway vehicles used for official government work, farming, mining, and other industrial purposes in Georgia are excluded from certain OHV laws and may be eligible for road use. The full list of special uses can be found in Georgia Statute 40-7-3 with additional farm use details found in Georgia Statutes Title 40 Chapter 6 Article 13 Part 1B. Contact your local authorities to find out if your use case might allow your UTV to be street legal in Georgia.

For questions outside the scope of this guide, try contacting:

• Georgia Department of Driver Services (DMV)

• Georgia Department of Revenue Motor Vehicle Services

• Georgia Wildlife Resources

These are the sources we used to create this guide. If you find any inaccurate or outdated information, please contact us and we will be happy to address it.

Note: Official Georgia websites link directly to the LexisNexis hosting of the Georgia State Code. For convenience of access, the links below are for the most recent versions found on Justia.

Operating as an OHV

Forest Service: OHVs in the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests

Georgia Department of Revenue: Vehicles Exempt from Registration (Includes OHVs)

Georgia Statute 40-7-4 (Operation of off-road vehicles, equipment required)

Road use of OHVs not registered as street legal

Georgia Statutes Title 40 Chapter 6 Article 13 Part 1B (Farm use vehicles)

Georgia Statute 40-7-5 (Local jurisdictions can set operational rules)

Other resources

Georgia House Bill 1040 (2016) (Proposed bill to define Autocycles within Statute 40-1-1)

Georgia Statute 40-1-1 (Definitions of All-Terrain Vehicles, Low-Speed Vehicle, others, highway)

Georgia Statute 40-7-3 (Definition of Off-Road Vehicles)

Georgia Statute 40-1-4 (Lewd stickers, profane decals, and the like are prohibited in Georgia)

Georgia Statutes 40-2-90 and 40-2-91 (Georgia vehicle registration reciprocity)

Georgia Statute 40-6-315 (Georgia motorcycle helmet law)

Georgia Statute 40-6-362 (Low-Speed Vehicles; limited to 35 MPH statewide)