Atchison adopts ordinance regulating worksite utility vehicles

The Atchison City Commission on Jan. 14 adopted Ordinance No. 6718 authorizing the limited operation of worksite utility vehicles — defined in the ordinance as utility task vehicles (UTVs) and micro utility trucks — within the corporate limits of Atchison, Kansas, subject to the city's standard traffic ordinance and additional safety rules.

City staff presented the ordinance and the Commission voted to adopt it after brief discussion. "It would authorize the operation of utility task vehicles, UTVs, and micro utility trucks ... within the city of Atchison, subject to the city's adopted standard traffic ordinance," said Mister Westhoff, who introduced the proposal on behalf of city staff. Westhoff said staff consulted comparable ordinances in similar Kansas cities and worked with the police department and the city attorney on the draft.

The ordinance prohibits operation of all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and golf carts under the worksite-utility-vehicle definition, bars any child who is by law required to be in a car seat from riding as a passenger in a worksite utility vehicle, and limits operation on state or federal highways to crossings only (per state statute referenced in the presentation). It requires operators to be at least 18 years old and to carry proof of insurance while operating, and it requires certain equipment standards such as a manufactured roll bar on UTVs.

Penalties in the ordinance increase with repeated convictions: $150 for a first conviction, $300 for a second, and $500 for subsequent convictions; the draft also includes operating suspensions tied to repeated violations (a one-year suspension after two convictions and a five-year suspension if the one-year suspension is violated again). Staff said they opted not to create a local registration program because other cities reported the administrative burden outweighed the benefits.

Supporters framed the ordinance as codifying existing practice: Westhoff noted UTVs were used during a recent winter storm for tasks such as plowing driveways and that publishing the ordinance would clarify rules for residents and officers enforcing them. The Commission voted to adopt Ordinance No. 6718; the measure became effective upon publication in The Globe (the staff presentation indicated the earliest practical publication date would be Jan. 31, 2025). Ending

The Commission thanked staff, the police department and the city attorney for their work on the ordinance. No further direction or amendments to the ordinance were recorded in the meeting transcript.