Making a UTV street legal?

[Gary Fowler]

Used to be that if a vehicle had a horn and lights it was considered road legal. Most UTVs have a horn, headlights, tail lights and brake lights but no turn signals. As far licensing, some states license them and if they have the above features then I dont see why you couldnt drive them on the street. They were all over the town of Riverside Wyoming when I worked out there last year and all had license plates.
I dont know about insurance for road use. I guess you have to check at your local constabulary and insurance agent. I dont plan to drive mine any long distance on highway. The wife occassionally goes to the next door neighbor to take our dog for grooming which is about 100 yards on a country road and could make it by just by driving across the road if she wanted to use a gate at her sisters.

 

[pwright]

There are numerous threads about this on the PRC forums and how complex (or impossible) it is depends very much on where you live.

 

[94BULLITT]

My neighbor runs his rtv on the shoulder of the road and on the dirt road close to us. He just has a SMV sign but a cop has not seen him yet either.:laughing:

 

[DT86]

My neighbor runs his rtv on the shoulder of the road and on the dirt road close to us. He just has a SMV sign but a cop has not seen him yet either.:laughing:

I too have a SMV on my RTV as well as DOT tape across the tail gate. I haven't had any problems in Virgina as of yet. I actually pulled up to a state trooper blocking traffic at an accident and asked him if I could go 20 yards past his car to turn into a farm. He never said anything to me about it.

I have also ran into country cops twice at the gas station while I was filling a 50 gallon tank with farm diesel. They just wave.

If anyone ever did stop me I'd argue that since it goes under 25mph it is "self propelled farm machinery".

 

[94BULLITT]

I too have a SMV on my RTV as well as DOT tape across the tail gate. I haven't had any problems in Virgina as of yet. I actually pulled up to a state trooper blocking traffic at an accident and asked him if I could go 20 yards past his car to turn into a farm. He never said anything to me about it.

I have also ran into country cops twice at the gas station while I was filling a 50 gallon tank with farm diesel. They just wave.

If anyone ever did stop me I'd argue that since it goes under 25mph it is "self propelled farm machinery".

I guess you have not caught a cop that has not met his doughnut:donut: quota for the day. I think in VA all you can do is cross a road with them but you may fall into a grey area since it is farm use and so is this guy.

 

[DT86]

I guess you have not caught a cop that has not met his doughnut:donut: quota for the day. I think in VA all you can do is cross a road with them but you may fall into a grey area since it is farm use and so is this guy.

I was going to make a joke about how they were too busy getting coffee and doughnuts to be bothered with me!

The truth is my area is pretty farmer friendly for the most part. :thumbsup:

 

[bigdeer2000]

I have Polaris rzr that I have made street legal and It now has a tag. I got my turn signals and horn kit on eBay. Already had windshield so I had to find a windshield wiper. Found a hand operated one. Took my title and proof of insurance to clerks office and bought a tag for a medium speed vehicle. This allows me to drive on any road with a speed limit of 45 mph or less. I don't really drive it on the roads much, just wanted to be legal when I do.

 

[Misfire]

I have Polaris rzr that I have made street legal and It now has a tag. I got my turn signals and horn kit on eBay. Already had windshield so I had to find a windshield wiper. Found a hand operated one. Took my title and proof of insurance to clerks office and bought a tag for a medium speed vehicle. This allows me to drive on any road with a speed limit of 45 mph or less. I don't really drive it on the roads much, just wanted to be legal when I do.

"Medium speed vehicle" means any four-wheeled electric or gasoline-powered vehicle, excluding golf carts, whose top speed is greater than thirty miles per hour (30 mph) but not greater than thirty-five miles per hour (35 mph), including neighborhood electric vehicles. Medium speed vehicles must meet or exceed the federal safety standards set forth in 49 CFR 571.500.


55-8-185. Use of off-highway motor vehicles on highways.

(a) Off-highway motor vehicles defined in ｧ 55-3-101(c)(2) may be operated or driven upon a highway but only as follows:

(1) On a two-lane highway, only to cross the highway at an angle of approximately ninety degrees (90 degrees) to the direction of the roadway and at a place where a quick and safe crossing may be made;

(2) With respect to the crossing of a highway having more than two (2) lanes, or a highway having limited access, off-highway motor vehicles may cross these highways, but only at a place designated by the department of transportation or local government authorities with respect to highways under their respective jurisdictions as a place where such motor vehicles, or specified types of such motor vehicles, may cross the highways, and these vehicles shall cross these highways only at those designated places and only in a quick and safe manner; and

(3) The department and local government authorities with respect to highways under their respective jurisdictions may designate, by the erection of appropriate signs of a type approved by the department, places where these motor vehicles, or specified types of these motor vehicles, may cross any highway having more than two (2) lanes or having limited access.


Trying to figure out exactly what the law says is tricky even for lawyers, which I'm not, but I have a feeling that your registration is really not valid for street use because of this part of the law that defines off road vehicle.


(2) For the purposes of this title, an off-highway motor vehicle is a vehicle that is not driven or moved on the public highway and is limited to:

(A) Any motorcycle commonly referred to as a dirt bike;

(B) Any snowmobile or other vehicle designed to travel exclusively over snow or ice;

(C) Any motor vehicle commonly referred to as a sand buggy, dune buggy, or all terrain vehicle; or

(D) Similar types of motor vehicles designed primarily for off-highway use.


Tennessee law does permit the titling of off-road vehicles, and in certain cases such as operating on state land, requires it.

Most of these rules are widely ignored.

Misfire

 

[bigdeer2000]

Misfire, you may be correct, however I am not very worried about it. I have done what the clerks office asked me to do so i could drive it in the road. If things change and I have to stop I will. I really doubt if I use it on the road enough to justify the cost of the tag and wheel tax.

 

[Misfire]

Misfire, you may be correct, however I am not very worried about it. I have done what the clerks office asked me to do so i could drive it in the road. If things change and I have to stop I will. I really doubt if I use it on the road enough to justify the cost of the tag and wheel tax.

Ugh! You have that nasty wheel tax. I didn't even think of that. You have my sympathy.