VASA tells House transportation committee it supports DMV proposal to raise ATV width limit to 72 inches

Tommy O'Connor, a representative of VASA (an ATV and side‑by‑side owners association), told the House Committee on Transportation that VASA supports the Department of Motor Vehicles' proposal to raise the statutory maximum ATV width from 64 inches to 72 inches.

"For us, when the DMV said ... can we be okay with 72 as, like, the threshold?" O'Connor said. "We agreed as the people who are dealing with us on a daily basis and working with these manufacturers, the width change is a safer machine." He added that recent manufacturer designs have increased track width to reduce rollover risk and that newer models in 2025 average about 65 to 70 inches in width.

The change is meant to resolve a registration issue that arose after DMV modernization: vehicle specifications entered into DMV systems flagged some newer machines as wider than the existing 64‑inch statutory limit, preventing consistent registration. Frank Stanley, a lobbyist for the Vermont ATV Association, explained the practical consequence: "If you wanna ride your ATV off of your own property, you have to get it registered ... and you can't get it registered" if it exceeds the statutory width. Stanley and O'Connor said the 72‑inch threshold would bring the statute closer to common modern machine specifications while still excluding very large off‑road vehicles more typical in other regions.

Committee members questioned how the change would affect trail safety, local ordinances and registration consistency. O'Connor said VASA already restricts which machines may use particular trails and can set local width limits if landowners or clubs request them. "If the width was the change ... we can still restrict width based on trail integrity, trail maintenance, all those things at any of our networks," he said, adding that other states apply similar local restrictions.

O'Connor reviewed VASA's trail network and management practices for the committee. He said the association represents 24 active clubs statewide, manages just under 1,000 miles of trails (many on private land), and recorded 5,704 registered machines participating in its decal program last riding season. VASA now employs two full‑time trail technicians and one part‑time construction season employee and coordinates trail maintenance using Novak Great Trails best practices. O'Connor noted recent federal and state grant support, including a Recreational Trails Program (RTP) grant and a BORAC flood‑recovery award to restore networks damaged in July 2023 floods.

On safety and enforcement, O'Connor described partnerships with the Vermont State Police (which signs youth safety certificates), Fish and Wildlife, county sheriffs and game wardens. He said game wardens provide monthly enforcement contact reports that VASA shares with clubs and towns to target problem areas. "They are our largest budget line when it comes to law enforcement," he said, adding that some municipalities also contribute enforcement support when sheriff staffing is limited.

O'Connor also summarized helmet and youth safety rules under state law: riders under 18 must complete a youth safety course (online or in person) and helmet standards differ by vehicle type — DOT‑certified helmets for sit‑on ATVs and sport‑rated helmets for side‑by‑sides. He said VASA has distributed helmet signage and worked with Polaris' Ride Command mapping app and Yamaha's grant to subsidize youth safety course access.

Committee members asked about local road use and town ordinances. O'Connor and Stanley explained that machines may only operate on public roads where a town has adopted an ordinance permitting ATVs; registration and a decal are required to ride off a rider's private property. O'Connor said VASA advises towns considering ordinances to plan for law enforcement, trail maintenance and connector road studies.

O'Connor told the committee VASA is monitoring related bills (including a miscellaneous DMV bill for which VASA testified and other bills referenced as S.4 and H.233) and will adapt its trail access rules if the statutory width changes. He said VASA has not seen organized opposition to the proposed width change during preliminary outreach to state agencies.

Ending: O'Connor offered committee members ride opportunities and said VASA would remain available as a resource as the legislature and DMV consider statutory adjustments. No formal votes or committee decisions on the proposed width change were recorded in the transcript of this session.