Committee hears debate on bill letting counties permit UTVs on township and county roads

House Bill 199 returned to the House Transportation Committee on May 6 for a second hearing aimed at updating Ohio law to address the growing use of utility terrain vehicles, commonly called UTVs or "side-by-sides."

Tim Bubb, a county commissioner and past president of the County Commissioners Association of Ohio, testified in favor of the bill. "House Bill 199 would provide those important updates to the revised code and allow counties to either allow or prohibit permissive the vehicles on their local county or township roads as well as generally regulate their operation," Bubb said. He told the committee the bill preserves current agriculture exemptions and that the measure's permissive approach would give counties uniform statutory authority to regulate UTVs,…