Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Atv Utv topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Department of Safety proposes statewide rules for ATVs/UTVs to standardize county exceptions and road access
Summary
The Department of Safety told the House Transportation Committee it will present House Bill 810 to consolidate state law for off-highway vehicles, create a utility terrain vehicle classification, and allow operation on roads with posted speed limits up to 45 mph (with several safety requirements retained).
Department of Safety representatives told the Tennessee House Transportation Committee on Feb. 18, 2025, that a proposed cleanup bill (House Bill 810) will consolidate the patchwork of local rules governing all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), side-by-sides and similar off-highway vehicles by creating a uniform “utility terrain vehicle” category.
Elizabeth Stroker, chief counsel for the Department of Safety, said the bill will allow those utility terrain vehicles to operate on county and state roads that do not have a posted speed limit in excess of 45 miles per hour and that the vehicles themselves may not be driven faster than 35 mph on those roads. The bill, Stroker said, will preserve existing safety requirements: operators must wear a helmet unless their vehicle is expressly exempt; drivers must be at least 16 years old; a permit will not substitute for the required license; vehicles must be registered and insured; and lighting, windshield or turn-signal equipment (if present on the vehicle) must be used.
Stroker said existing exceptions (for certain park or farm vehicles) remain unchanged. She told the committee the penalty structure will remain a class C misdemeanor with a fine-only penalty (cited on the record as $50). Stroker also said the bill clarifies law-enforcement discretion for directing a driver to a safer location if removal of a device is to be attempted by the owner.
Committee members asked about night operation and insurance requirements. Stroker confirmed existing time restrictions remain in place (commonly enforced as 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset) because many off-highway vehicles lack lights; she also confirmed that insurance will be required for anyone operating a vehicle on public roads under the bill’s framework.
The department said House Bill 810 will be before the committee in the coming week and that the statute cleanup is intended to avoid the annual “one-mile/two-mile” exceptions and provide statewide consistency.
