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House passes bill to allow street-legal ATVs on some roads after safety and insurance debate
Summary
After extensive floor debate over public-safety, insurance-market and local-control implications, the House passed first substitute House Bill 4 25 (street-legal ATV amendments) on a recorded vote. The measure allows local designation of roads and includes implementation timing to give insurers time to respond.
The Utah House passed a bill to permit street-legal all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) on certain public roads after a lengthy and sometimes heated debate about safety and insurance implications.
Representative Noel, sponsor of the bill, said amendments carve out first-class counties in one version, and that local governments would be able to designate roads open to ATV use. Opponents raised several concerns: Representative McGee read constituent emails warning about safety inspections, emissions testing, costs to convert recreational machines to street legal status, and the potential for ATVs on residential streets. Representative Kaiser, an insurance agent, warned the insurance marketplace would initially tighten coverage, raise rates, or decline to write new policies until it could price the risk.
Sponsor Noel said the bill does not require owners to make machines street legal unless they choose and pointed to an industry response indicating tires and equipment are available for mixed road/trail use. The bill as amended included an implementation period (six months) to allow insurers and industry to prepare. The House passed the first substitute of HB4 25, "Street Legal All-Terrain Vehicle Amendments," by a roll-call vote of 49 yes, 20 no, 6 absent. The bill will be sent to the Senate for further consideration.
Representative Noel: "All this does is say if you wanna drive it on all the streets ... they would be open." Representative Kaiser: "If the bill passes...rates will go up until [insurance companies] become comfortable." Representative McGee read constituent concerns about safety and cost.
What happens next: the bill moves to the Senate for further consideration and potential committee review. Local governments remain able to designate roads opened to ATVs under the bill's language; opponents urged careful oversight and clearer definitions for which roads would be eligible.
