Street Legal UTVs: Support and Opposition

Street legal UTVs are supported throughout most of the United States, but a handful of areas want nothing to do with them. Driving in some areas could even be illegal.

Today we are at the nexus of street legal UTVs as a viable form of transportation. It’s a time of change and disagreements, with proponents citing easier access to private and public lands and opponents citing a relative lack of safety and increased emissions compared to the average car or truck.

In recent years, utility terrain vehicles (UTVs) have evolved from jobsite workhorses to an incredibly diverse range of work vehicles, weekend toys, and everything in between. Performance has increased dramatically, handling has become sharper and more agile, and acceleration and braking are now on par with regular roadgoing vehicles. Safety is up as well – most UTVs now come standard with robust roll cages and seatbelts, full exterior lighting including blinkers, hazards, and brights, and an overall size that’s comparable to a small or midsize car.

Take the red Mahindra Roxor pictured below – most people think it’s a regular old Jeep, and why wouldn’t they?

As the line between car and UTV becomes increasingly blurred, people have started to wonder why a UTV can’t be used on the road every day. In response, lawmakers have often sought to expand the road rights of UTVs, but as we will shortly see, that isn’t always how it plays out.

Support for street legal UTVs is growing nationwide

Laws supporting the use of UTVs and other off-highway vehicles (OHVs) on public roads have been passed in towns, counties, cities, and states across the nation to sweeping positive acclaim. Many of these laws are designed to give farmers, hunters, and industry workers better access to their jobsites and lands. Such laws are often too restrictive for off-road enthusiasts to have much use for them, but a growing number of places are passing laws that allow street legal UTVs to hit the road for any purpose at all.

When Oklahoma introduced its street legal UTV program in 2021 – changing from highly restricted road use to widespread street legality overnight – more than 500 UTVs were registered for road use in the first two weeks alone. In states like Utah and Arizona, and other areas rich with off-road tourism, UTVs can use public roads to do pretty much anything. Some states even go all the way by allowing UTVs to attain full or near-full street legality through an in-state registration process that allows people can use their UTVs however they want.

Proponents are quick to point out that the outdoor recreation industry contributes over $400 billion to the nation’s economy every year, of which a National Off-Highway Vehicle Council report showed that close to 20% of it – at least $68 billion – came from off-highway vehicle recreation.

A 2018 economic impact study by Missouri nonprofit MO-MOTO OHV found significant economic opportunities stemming from state and private investment in off-highway vehicle tourism opportunities in rural southeastern Missouri, a region saturated with public lands and privately owned OHV areas, concluding that “For every dollar spent by Missouri State Parks to operate the state park system, Missouri’s economy saw [a] $25 return on investment.” And that’s in Missouri alone.

Hesitancy

Oklahoma might have jumped in headfirst, but others are taking a more cautious approach. Pennsylvania and Kentucky have introduced OHV Pilot Programs allowing unregistered OHVs to use local roads in limited circumstances. Participants are being closely tracked for crash statistics, ticketing, and overall use rates. If all goes well, the programs will form the basis of widespread street legality in these states.

The limitations found in those pilot programs are reflective of the standard set of street legal UTV laws in the United States. When it comes to road use, UTVs are usually limited by one or more of the following factors:

• Operational hours are usually restricted to daylight hours only

• Maximum speed is often restricted relative to other vehicles

• Usable roads are often restricted to those approved by the city, county, or state

• Driving range can be restricted to a hard number (such as 20 miles)

• Valid road use can be limited to activities related to farming, industry work, or use of trails and OHV areas

• OHV plates that are marked for off-road use are rarely honored outside the issuing jurisdiction

These rules are often set by counties, towns, and cities in the absence of statewide legislation. There are usually at least some laws at the state level, such as allowing OHVs to cross roads at a 90-degree angle when traveling to, from, or between trails and OHV areas. It is also common to find statewide laws pertaining to use of shoulders, medians, railroad tracks, and other places UTVs are rarely allowed to be driven.

These laws are generally being expanded in favor of less restricted road use, but that isn't always the case.

Opposition

Naturally, some areas are opposed to the idea altogether. Alabaman lawmakers say any vehicle that was originally designed and manufactured for off-road use cannot be driven on public roads anywhere in the state. Colorado takes it a step further by saying UTVs and other off-highway vehicles can only use approved roads even if the vehicle is registered as street legal in another state.

Let’s take a closer look at the states where UTVs can be easily registered for road use along with some areas that street legal UTV owners should avoid. Like Alabama.

Where can you make a UTV street legal using an in-state process?

To land a spot on this list, a state must have a robust registration program allowing street legal UTVs to use highways, city streets, and rural roads with speed limits of 55 MPH or more without restricting them to certain purposes, specific approved roads, or limited hours of the day. The result is full or near-full street legality without excessive restrictions – enough freedom for most people to do what they need to do.

If your state isn’t on this list, UTVs are probably only allowed on public roads in limited circumstances.

You can make a UTV street legal in these states:

• Arizona

• Michigan

• Montana

• North Carolina

• North Dakota

• Oklahoma

• South Dakota

• Utah

• Wyoming

Learn more about those states here.

How do you get street legal if you live somewhere else?

Many other states register street legal UTVs, they just come with more limitations. Usually that involves restricted operational hours, being limited to approved roads only, having your speed capped, or being registered in such a way that other states don’t honor your street legality. That last one is a big one as it severely limits where you can go and when.

If you’re up against those roadblocks, if your state doesn’t give you a way to get legal, or if you can’t get as much freedom as you need, there is another way: you can register out of state in a location that has fewer limitations, like the states listed above.

That’s all covered later in the guide, but for now, let’s cover another important topic: the parts of the country street legal UTVs should avoid.

What areas should street legal UTVs avoid?

The following places have unique circumstances that cause concerns for drivers of street legal UTVs – even ones that are legally registered in other states or are only passing through temporarily. Operating in these places could land you in legal trouble regardless of how and where your UTV is registered.

You should not drive a street legal UTV in the following places:

• Alabama: It is expressly illegal for any vehicle originally manufactured for off-road use to be driven on public roads in Alabama.

• Hawaii: Street legal UTVs can drive in Hawaii for a maximum of 30 days before needing to pass a complex state inspection.

• Rhode Island: Though street legal UTVs aren’t expressly illegal in Rhode Island, local law enforcement is strongly opposed to them.

• Washington, D.C.: Though not expressly illegal, local law enforcement in D.C. is strongly opposed to street legal UTVs.

Street legal UTVs should stick to approved OHV roads in these states:

• California: Though not expressly illegal, local law enforcement in California is strongly opposed to street legal UTVs except on approved roads.

• Colorado: In Colorado, street legal UTVs are expressly illegal regardless of how and where they are registered except on approved roads.

I live in one of those areas. What options do I have?

You still have the option to register your UTV as street legal through another state like Montana or South Dakota through a process we’ll cover later in the guide. Depending on which state you live in you might not be able to drive your UTV locally (or it might not be a good idea), but you could still use roads in other states when you travel. Leaving Rhode Island behind for the forests of Massachusetts, for example, or taking a trip to Windrock Park in Tennessee from your home base in Alabama.

Please note that if you live in one of those places or want to drive there, we will still work with you to get legal through our Street Legal UTV Registration Services but only with the understanding that driving in those areas is done at your own risk.

Can states really ban street legal UTVs?

This question comes up a lot, especially about Colorado.

Colorado law says that all street legal UTVs can only use approved roads, even ones with valid license plates from other states, and they say driving on other roads is illegal. But we’re talking about a vehicle that’s legally registered for road use by another state! Can Colorado really do that?

We can’t tell you for sure because we aren’t attorneys. All we know is that if you want to drive your street legal UTV in any of the places listed above, click through to read about what’s happening there and contact a local attorney if you need a legal perspective.

We would be willing to bet you have a few questions by now! You may have also noticed that we touched on the idea of registering in another state, a concept that will soon become the focus of this guide. In the next section, let's look at some of the most common questions and misconceptions surrounding street legal UTVs.