Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Off Highway Vehicles topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents urge counties be given power to curb off‑highway vehicle damage and nuisance
Summary
Lawmakers heard testimony on House Bill 13 46, which would let counties regulate off‑highway vehicles (OHVs). Multiple residents described repeated incidents of reckless riding, damage to ditches and yards, and limited enforcement by local authorities.
Representative Matt Heilman introduced House Bill 13 46 to give counties explicit authority to regulate the operation of off‑highway vehicles and to strengthen penalties. Heilman told the committee the measure responds to long‑running complaints about OHV riders using subdivision streets and ditches, causing property damage and safety concerns.
Multiple residents testified in favor. Doug Pearson, a resident of a rural subdivision outside Bismarck, said riders from within city limits and other subdivisions use residential roads as racetracks and that “townships, county commission, and local sheriffs do nothing about it.” He estimated calling the sheriff five to ten times a year on average and argued that parents should be held accountable for unsupervised young riders.
Jerry Hopfuff and Pat Thompson described repeated instances of dirt‑bike tracks, loud noise, collisions and, in one case, an ambulance response after two riders collided. Hopfuff said the sheriff’s department responds but has limited success because riders disperse before officers arrive. Testimony repeatedly noted that many affected roads and ditches are in county jurisdiction and that existing state provisions (testimony cited chapter 39‑29‑09) enumerate unsafe OHV operation, but that enforcement is spotty.
Several residents said the practical problem is enforcement: deputies told witnesses they have limited ability unless counties enact specific ordinances. Testifiers urged the committee to allow counties to adopt enforceable local rules and penalties to restore safe residential neighborhoods.
Committee members asked about rural farming uses (moving between fields) and the bill’s supervision language for riders under 16. Witnesses said farm uses differ from the nuisance behavior described by residents and that counties could draw distinctions in local ordinances.
The hearing was closed with no vote recorded; committee members asked DOT and county officials to review enforcement mechanisms and to consider targeted county ordinances.
