Making an ATV Street-Legal in Utah

[RamGunner]

Way back, Utah allowed folks to register their ATV's as Street-Legal. They made an exception, however, for Salt Lake County, allowing them to ignore the law.

The last legislative session corrected that, and now it is possible to use a Street-Legal ATV in Salt Lake County. There were a couple of concessions made to Salt Lake County, the most notable of which is that the road is prohibited IF the speed limit is 50MPH or higher. Any other prohibited roads need to be marked as such. Outside of Salt Lake County, if the speed limit on the road is higher than 50MPH, you are limited to 50MPH and must drive to the right. Interstate freeways are prohibited everywhere.

The ATV needs to have a number of features added that are not commonly installed at the factory.

Front and rear turn signals
A horn
Rearview mirrors to the right and left of the driver
A license plate holder with a white light to illuminate the license plate.
(There is a company called Ryco that makes kits for most ATV's that meets these requirements. The best thing about their kits is that they supply a stalk that attaches to the steering column and most closely emulates the way turn signals work in a car.)

You also need a windshield, or the operator must wear eye protection. I am told by the Moab PD that a half windshield does qualify. Mine passed safety inspection with one.

Once you have it setup, you need to get a safety inspection to certify that it meets the requirements. Currently, Utah has a safety inspection program, and most shops that do so can inspect a Street-Legal ATV. As of next year, Utah is dropping the general safety inspections. Any inspections required next year for folks converting ATV's will be by appointment with the DMV. I used Dekra on State Street in Salt Lake City. The inspection you receive needs to be watermarked "ATV".

You need insurance just like a car. Most insurance companies doing business in Utah seem to be able to handle this.

Take the OHV registration, ATV-watermarked safety inspection document, and your ID to the DMV. *In Utah, DMV handles vehicle registrations, titles, etc. They do NOT handle driver licenses or exams.

You end up paying much higher registration fees (as a car) compared to OHV fees, but receive a motorcycle-style license plate. Put that on the ATV and you are good to go.

I have some info on the installation at http://rvgunner.com/momentum_project.html under the entries starting on 17-June-2017.

[JCR GD]

Jim, do you have to be a resident of Utah?

[RamGunner]

Utah will only issue Utah license plates for residents of the state. There was a great thread on rzrforums.net that had the Moab PD involved where they answered a number of questions.

In terms of Off-Road Use, if you are a Utah resident with a street-legal ATV with a motorcycle-style license plate, that also covers all off-road use. If you are registered as an OHV with an OHV decal, you are only legal off-road.

If you are not a Utah resident, Utah has OHV registration reciprocity with SOME states. If your ATV has an OHV registration in one of those states, you are good off-road in Utah. If you are in a state without Utah reciprocity or your decal has expired, you need to obtain a non-resident OHV sticker which is valid for one year. The permit is $35 if ordered online, or $30 if obtained in person. https://stateparks.utah.gov/activiti...t-ohv-permits/

If you are not a Utah resident but your ATV is registered as street-legal WHERE YOU LIVE - AND - it meets all of the Utah requirements (including insurance), then you are good to go on road. This is the part that can get you because many states don't allow street-legal ATV's, or they have less stringent safety equipment requirements. http://www.discovermoab.com/atv.htm

You will notice that I put emphasis on WHERE YOU LIVE. This is where issues come up. Some states will allow out-of-state residents to register a street-legal ATV, such as South Dakota. For example, a Colorado resident with street-legal registration from South Dakota. Utah has no reciprocity with Colorado, and the ATV is not registered as street-legal there. It's like having a CFP from another state that is recognized by a third state only when held by a resident of the issuing state (Utah permit held by Washington resident visiting Florida).

It does appear, however, that there are varying interpretations of the third-party state issue. I have seen things that say the third party state is NOT legal, while others say it is.

MOST OF THE TIME it looks like if you have a street-legal registration on your ATV AND meet Utah requirements, you will be OK. If it is not registered as street-legal where you live but is in some other jurisdiction, it seems to depend on the LEO you encounter as to how they will interpret it.

[schmo37]

good info thanks