Street Legal ATVs/UTVs: Regulations in your State

Oct 19th 2022

I don't have psychic abilities, but chances are, if you are on this blog, you are bloody confused about whether you can ride your CFMoto down the street without being put on the most wanted list in your town or not! I agree laws and rules around ATVs/UTVs are as confusing as algebra class in your high school. And it gets really frustrating when you try to get the long-winded ‘legalese’ of Govt documents online, and it doesn’t make sense to you. Because no matter how hard you try, you know, you are not an attorney fresh-out-of-yale.

So whether you want to take your CFMoto Zforce for a short drive to the local workshop to replace that torn CV boot or some weekend camping.

Or you are just a regular farmer with CFMoto Uforce looking to familiarize yourself with laws around your new toy. To make it easy for you to know your state laws and so that you don't have to do a four-year degree in criminal justice.

We have jotted down a list of all US states and gathered answers to the only question you have in mind ‘Can You Make Your UTV Street Legal in Your State?’.

State	Can You Make Your UTV Street Legal in Your State?	Verdict
Alabama	Only under specified circumstances, such as when farming, maintaining utilities, or in the course of law enforcement, may off-highway vehicles be used on public highways. On Alabama's highways, OHVs are not permitted to be operated by the general public.	No
Alaska	On public highways in Alaska with 45 mph speed restrictions, four-wheelers, and other "all-purpose vehicles" are legal to use.	Yes
Arizona	You can register and make your vehicle street legal such as installing a license plate	Yes
Arkansas	In Arkansas, it is illegal to operate UTVs and other comparable off-road vehicles on public roads and highways.	No
California	UTVs, under California law, cannot become street legal vehicles	No
Colorado	Off-highway vehicles (OHV) will not be permitted on any public streets, roads, or highways.	No
Connecticut	Cannot be operated on public highways	No
Delaware	You cannot operate on streets, and public highways	No
Florida	ATV/UTV use is prohibited on public streets. Under 35 mph during the day, you can ride an ATV on unpaved public roads.	Maybe
Georgia	You are not allowed to operate ATV/UTV on public roads	No
Hawaii	ATVs and UTVs are prohibited from using public roadways unless certain requirements are met.	No
Idaho	You can ride your ATV/UTV on roads with certain conditions but not on highways	Yes
Illinois	ATVs/UTVs cannot operate on public roads and highways	No
Indiana	Not permitted to use public roads and highways, but check your local county laws	No
Iowa	There are some routes where you can operate an ATV or UTV, but you must have insurance.	No
Kansas	When driving an ATV/UTV on authorized roads, you must adhere to specific requirements.	Yes
Kentucky	ATV/UTV use is not permitted on most roads and highways unless approved by authorities.	No
Louisiana	ATVs and UTVs can both be driven on the shoulder of the road during the day, but UTVs are subject to tougher laws.	Yes
Maine	Conditionally allowed on streets but not on highways	Yes
Maryland	Prohibited use on all roads	No
Massachusetts	Restricts the use of ATVs/UTVs on public streets	No
Michigan	Street use is allowed under certain conditions, but no highways	Yes
Minnesota	Allows on public streets but under strict conditions	Yes
Mississippi	In Mississippi, using UTVs and other off-highway vehicles on public roadways is prohibited absent a town, city, or county ordinance approving such use.	No
Missouri	Not permitted until otherwise deemed appropriate by local authorities.	No
Montana	ATV/UTV use on public streets is permitted if the vehicle has appropriate street legal accessories	Yes
Nebraska	Only acceptable in specific circumstances on two-lane roads and streets	Yes
Nevada	Strict prohibition of street and highway use of ATVs/UTVs	No
New Hampshire	Can drive on public roads posted as open for OHRV
New Jersey	Not allowed on public roads and streets; unless otherwise jurisdicted by local authorities	No
New Mexico	Not allowed on public highways and freeways, but you can drive on streets as per local jurisdiction
New York	Prohibits the street use of UTVs/ATVs	No
North Carolina	generally prohibits the street legal use of ATVs in the state unless otherwise overruled by local jurisdiction	No
North Dakota	Allowed on streets and highways with a speed limit of 65 mph, if the vehicle is street legal	Yes
Ohio	Prohibits street level use of ATVs/UTVs unless for emergency rides or certain other conditions	No
Oklahoma	Generally prohibits ATV/UTVs street level use, but conditionally allowed to operate
Oregon	Not allowed to drive your ATV/UTV on street, roads and highways	no
Pennsylvania	Conditionally allowed on very few occasions, but generally not allowed to operate ATV/UTVs on public roads/ streets and highways	No
Rhode Island	Prohibits the ATVs/UTVs on the roads	No
South Carolina	Strictly prohibits the use of UTV/ATVs on public roads and highways	No
South Dakota	You can register your UTV/ATV to be street legal	Yes
Tennessee	ATVs cannot be registered as street legal UTVs can be operated as street legal	Yes
Texas	ATVs/UTVs are not allowed on streets unless you qualify certain conditions	No
Utah	You can drive your ATV/UTV on roads if its equipped street legal	No
Vermont	Conditionally allowed under some circumstances otherwise prohibited	No
Virginia	Prohibits use of ATVs/UTVs on streets	No
Washington	Permits to operate on public roads if the vehicle is street legal	Yes
West Virginia	Conditionally allowed to use ATV/UTV on local streets (less than two lanes), but not on public roads and highways	Yes
Wisconsin	Conditionally allowed for farmers only	No
Wyoming	Conditionally allowed to use ATVs/UTVs on roads	Yes

Keep in mind, these are State laws and rules, the actual rules of streets may vary as you go from states to counties and cities.If you are lucky enough to live in a state where you can drive your UTV by street legalizing it, then something like Street legal kits can be a lifesaver for you.