Dirt Legal Answers the Most Common Street Legal UTV Questions

There are places where people look the other way and allow UTVs to use public roads, but if something serious happens – like a traffic stop, crash, or property damage – the law is what matters.

By this point in our Nationwide Street Legal UTV Guide, it’s probably clear what we're trying to do here: take a regular UTV, like a Polaris RZR or Kawasaki Mule, and turn it into a street legal UTV.

That raises a lot of questions, and today we’re here to answer them. Our company has helped make thousands of UTVs street legal (in addition to dirt bikes, golf carts, LSVs, and military vehicles) through our Street Legal UTV Services, so in this section we’re giving you answers to the most common street legal UTV questions we see in the community.

Here's what we’ll cover. Feel free to skip ahead if you want!

• The basics of street legality

• The importance of being street legal

• Registering out of state

• After your UTV is legal

• Driving a street legal UTV in OHV areas

The basics of street legality

What’s the goal here?

We’re going to take a UTV or side-by-side – a vehicle that usually isn’t street legal – and make it so it can be driven legally on public roads.

How do I make my UTV street legal?

You need to cover three areas to be fully street legal:

• Parts like blinkers and brake lights

• Paperwork including a title, registration, and license plate

• Insurance like you would have on a car

As soon as your UTV is correctly licensed, registered, insured, and equipped for road use, you are ready to roll.

Hey, wait. You can’t make a UTV street legal!

Yes, it is possible – and legal – to make a UTV street legal in the United States. Imagine driving to your local trail or taking your rig to another state and driving it around when you get there, all without a truck and trailer holding you back.

Maybe you’re a farmer or hunter looking for easier access to lands you use all the time. Maybe you’re a landscaper, maintenance worker, or company owner looking for new ways to expand your fleet. Or maybe you’re a weekend trail rider who wants to ride to the trail without loading everything on a trailer.

Whatever your need is, making your UTV street legal is the answer.

I thought UTVs were federally illegal on all public roads.

We hear this one a lot, partially because many UTV titles and MCOs are marked “Off-Road Use Only” as required by federal law. But sort of like other things that have been legalized on the state level, if a state, county, city, or town wants to register UTVs for use on public roads, they have the power to do it.

Many towns, counties, and even some entire states have made it possible to drive UTVs on public roads in certain circumstances. Depending on where you live, you might not have to use any special processes to get street legal – you might not even need extra parts – and you might not have the same limitations other places have.

We’ve researched the street legal UTV laws in all 50 states plus Washington, D.C. and five US territories, so read your area’s part of the guide to see what’s possible where you are.

Why aren’t UTVs street legal to begin with?

That depends on who you ask. The consensus from lawmakers is that UTVs do not meet federal safety and emissions standards for roadgoing vehicles. Off-road enthusiasts have many counterpoints for that argument involving motorcycles, classic cars, the fact that UTVs are used on public roads by law enforcement, and the fact that UTVs can be fitted with blinkers, windshields, and DOT tires to increase on-road safety – all conversations that are beyond the scope of this guide.

Questions like these are starting to come from local lawmakers as well: OHVs are being allowed on public roads across the country in ever-expanding circumstances. For more on that, check out Part 1: Strengthening Support.

What paperwork will I need to get street legal?

If you’ve ever bought a car and taken your paperwork to the DMV, that’s about how complicated it is to get a UTV on the road. Specific forms will depend on your state and what level of street legality you’re after.

If you want to get as street legal as possible, that usually involves registering out of state. The level of paperwork is about the same in that situation as it would be to register locally. We’ll come back to this in Part 3: How to Make a UTV Street Legal.

There is no way this will work. Even if I do everything possible to make my UTV street legal, the second I drive on a public road 200 police cars will surround me and I’ll go directly to jail and my UTV will be sold to some guy on Craigslist for way too cheap and he’ll totally ruin it.

This is really two separate concerns: getting pulled over and having something bad come of it.

Seeing a UTV on the road is uncommon at best, and even a fully street legal UTV looks about the same as a normal one to the untrained eye. That includes local law enforcement, and it’s an officer’s job to make sure nothing illegal is happening.

Thankfully, there are only a few places where street legal UTVs should not be driven in the United States. Outside of those areas, if your UTV is correctly registered and equipped with the right parts, and you are following all the laws and rules of the road, you should have nothing to worry about if you get pulled over. We suggest carrying a few important documents to help explain your vehicle’s legality should it ever be questioned.

Why can't I register my UTV as something else, like an LSV or mini-truck?

Every state has specific requirements for each vehicle category. The wording varies from place to place, but having looked at all 50 states plus Washington, D.C. and five US territories to make this guide, we can tell you they usually look like this:

• Motorcycles must have two or three wheels

• Autocycles must have three wheels

• Mini-trucks must have been manufactured with an enclosed metal cab

• Low-Speed Vehicles must have a maximum attainable speed of 20 to 30 MPH

• Custom and kit cars must be heavily modified or assembled from a kit

• Passenger vehicles must be built to federal safety and emissions standards and must pass a full state vehicle inspection

There are a few states where a UTV could get into a non-standard category with a bit of luck, but there would still be limitations like restricted operating distance or reduced hours of operation, not to mention you’d be relying on luck that the inspection station and DMV will accept your UTV as something it really isn’t.

Anyone who does succeed usually gets lucky through a DMV error or inspection oversight, and they risk tickets and impounding when the state notices their error.

With that said, there are plenty of states that register UTVs under their own category, often as an Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) or All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV). It’s just a matter of either living in one of those states or registering there.

You’re overcomplicating this. My friend went to my local DMV and walked out with a plate for their UTV.

Some states do have established processes for making UTVs street legal and yours might be one of them. Another possibility is that their UTV was originally registered through another state and was later transferred to your state.

There are also people who extensively modify their UTVs to meet passenger vehicle or kit car requirements. We’re talking about relocating bumpers, headlights, taillights, and other major components. If you have the skills to do that, more power to you – put down this guide and pick up a welder! For the rest of us, there are quicker and easier ways to get street legal.

The importance of being street legal

Why do I need to make my UTV street legal? Why can’t I just drive around without that?

Sometimes you can! Your state’s section of the guide will tell you the times when regular UTVs can be driven on public roads in your area.

These laws were historically meant to give farmers and hunters better land access, but a growing number of areas are letting people drive to and from trails and OHV areas while stopping for food and gas along the way, all without any major parts or paperwork they don’t already have.

The thing with laws like these is that breaking them could result in a ticket or impounding of your UTV – breaking the distance limit, for example, or driving on roads that aren’t approved for UTVs in your area. Street legal UTVs registered out of state largely don’t have to deal with these localized limitations.

The police in my area don’t mind UTVs driving on the road. Why should I get street legal?

Everyone knows there are places where local authorities look the other way and allow UTVs and other off-highway vehicles to use public roads. Trouble is, that’s often a tenuous situation at best. If something serious happens – like a traffic stop, crash, or property damage – the law is what matters.

If there isn’t a law allowing you to drive a regular UTV on the road, it’s usually illegal to do it. It could be a statewide law or a city or county ordinance, but there needs to be something backing you up. When your UTV is street legal in another state, your legality is backed up by a set of laws called Registration Reciprocity.

My city, county, or state allows UTVs to use public roads in limited circumstances. Why would I need more than that?

Local laws are great for driving around locally – getting to trails, getting to town, or moving around your land.

The catch is that local laws only apply in a local area. If you wanted to cross state lines, maybe by taking a trip to an OHV area in another state, there would need to be a similar law in place on the other side. And as you might expect, it rarely plays out that way.

We might sound like a broken record here, but this is another thing you don't have to worry about if your UTV is street legal out of state.

Is a street legal UTV conversion permanent?

No! The modifications required to make a UTV street legal are not permanent – they can be reversed at any time without damaging the vehicle or its resale value.

Will a street legal conversion void my UTV’s warranty?

Converting to street legal shouldn’t void your warranty, but it’s a good idea to confirm with your warranty provider before doing any work.

Keep in mind that most powersports warranties don’t cover damages caused by modifications or the modified parts themselves.

Can my UTV still be made street legal if it didn’t come stock with the right parts?

Absolutely! Some UTVs come standard with street legal parts like blinkers, but those parts don’t need to be installed by the manufacturer unless that’s specifically stipulated by your local laws.

This guide focuses on methods of achieving street legality that work on anything from a trusty old Mule to the highest-spec RZR, even UTVs that didn’t come standard with street legal parts.

If you’re in need of parts, we have a wide selection of street legal parts and accessories available on our sister site, GritShift.

Registering out of state

My DMV won’t register a UTV for full road use. What can I do?

Although street legal UTV laws are expanding nationwide, many states simply won’t allow UTVs to be registered for reasonable amounts of road use no matter what you do. The solution is simple: register in a state that does. The resulting title, registration, and license plate will allow your UTV to be driven with an out-of-state plate and most localized limitations will no longer apply to you.

I thought UTVs could only be driven in the state where they were registered.

That’s often true, but not with the way we’re going to do it.

When I register out of state, will my UTV still need all the parts required by the state I’m driving in?

No! A street legal UTV only needs to have the parts required by the state where it is registered. That can end up saving you tons of time and money. We still suggest installing these minimum parts to help keep you safe and to make your UTV look more like a street legal vehicle to anyone who might notice it.

When I register out of state, will my UTV need to pass inspections and emissions testing?

Not with Montana and South Dakota. They don’t require inspections or emissions testing to register a UTV, so you would only need them if you later transfer the registration to an area where they are required.

What will my UTV be registered as? Will I need a motorcycle license?

Montana and South Dakota register UTVs as quadricycles and four-wheel motorcycles, respectively. You can drive both with a standard driver’s license – no motorcycle license required – and in both cases you can register there without ever going there.

This sounds complicated. I wish someone could do it for me!

If you have proof of ownership for your UTV – even just a bill of sale – you have what you need to make your UTV street legal. But as you can see from the size of this guide, the process is complex and time-consuming, and making just one mistake can cause the DMV to toss out your paperwork while keeping your fees as a consolation prize. If you would rather a more hands-off approach, or if your time is worth money, our services might be for you.

We’ve helped thousands of people get on the road through our Street Legal UTV Services. Our process keeps you far from DMV headaches by registering your UTV as street legal on your behalf. We’re like a butler bringing you dinner on a silver platter, and on that platter is an oyster, and the oyster is a UTV, and the UTV is yours, and the world is your oyster, and the oyster is street legal. Exactly like that.

Why Montana and South Dakota? Can you register out of state anywhere else?

To register a street legal UTV in most states, the vehicle will either need to pass a safety or emissions inspection or the resulting registration will carry excessive restrictions like only having access to approved roads, having a distance limit, being restricted to daylight hours only, or all of the above. Many states have no path to street legality at all, and anything offered by a town or county is almost always limited to that specific area.

Some states are lucky enough to have few or none of those limitations, so be sure to read your state’s section to see what’s possible in your area. Of course, this adds another layer of complexity: many state-issued registrations and license plates for street legal UTVs are not honored anywhere else. The state’s goal is usually to give residents greater access to local roads, and that’s great if you live there, but what if you don’t?

Montana and South Dakota registrations have been obtained by thousands of people across the country. You can register there without living there and without passing any state inspections, and the resulting registration and license plates are honored outside of those states. Montana does require an in-state address, which many people provide in the form of a Montana LLC, but South Dakota doesn’t even require that. The only limitations are that you can’t use interstate highways in either of those states and you should avoid certain parts of the country that don’t allow street legal UTVs on their roads. No distance limits, no time limits, no list of approved roads. It’s practically a car at that point!

These concepts are discussed in greater detail in Part 4: Montana and South Dakota.

I can’t do this because my state wants me to transfer my registration and plates within a certain number of days.

Title transfer windows require new residents to transfer their vehicle’s title, registration, and license plate within a certain timeframe (usually between 10 and 90 days). However, these laws do not apply if you maintain residency in another state or if your vehicle is registered to a business located in another state.

One common approach is to register your UTV to an LLC located in another state. The UTV then belongs to an established resident of another state and localized title transfer windows should no longer apply. This is covered in Part 4: Montana and South Dakota and it’s something we can do on your behalf if you use our Street Legal UTV Services.

After your UTV is registered out of state

Where can I drive my street legal UTV?

In most cases, anywhere a car can normally go – or a UTV!

Don’t drive a street legal UTV anywhere cars or UTVs aren’t allowed like closed roads, sidewalks, and trails where off-road vehicles are prohibited. Stay out of medians and ditches unless local laws allow UTVs to use those spaces. Read your state’s section of the guide and check the websites of parks, trails, and OHV areas to see what’s possible where you drive.

• There are certain places where, for one reason or another, driving a street legal UTV is a bad idea regardless of how and where it is registered.

• UTVs registered in Montana and South Dakota cannot be driven on interstates in either of those states and may be subject to other localized limitations as explained later in the guide.

How do I get insurance for my street legal UTV?

Street legal UTV insurance is structured like car insurance but often with much lower rates. The most important thing is that your UTV needs to be covered for on-road use and not just off-road use or incidental road use. We’ll look at all the details along with finding the right company in Part 7: Insuring a Street Legal UTV.

Do helmets need to be used in street legal UTVs?

If you’re registered through Montana or South Dakota and driving somewhere else, it’s a good idea to do what local law enforcement is most familiar with. In that case, you should research the local motorcycle helmet laws and also those laws aimed at UTVs that aren’t street legal. We examined the helmet situation in all 50 states as well as D.C. and five US territories, so find your area and read the section on helmet use for more information.

If you’re on the road through local means, like a localized permit or a state-level registration program, or if you’re utilizing your state’s permissions for UTVs that have not been made street legal, there will be specific helmet requirements you need to know about. Check your state’s section of the guide to learn more.

Check out Part 6: Knowing Your Legality for more details on helmet use.

Driving a street legal UTV in OHV areas

Can I use my street legal UTV in OHV areas?

Yes! Having a street legal registration is more likely to impress people than it is to cause any problems.

Just remember that these sorts of places almost always call your UTV a UTV even if it’s street legal. Trails, public lands, and OHV areas often require all UTVs to have a Forest Service qualified spark arrester and a reasonable sound level – even street legal ones. Other parts may be required on a per-location basis, so be sure to research your destination before you travel.

As far as your license plate goes, in our experience most places will think it’s cool and ask you how you did it. Although we have never had a problem ourselves, in rare cases you might be asked to remove your plate due to a conflict with the site’s insurance agreement, local laws, or state funding stipulations. In those cases, all you should need to do is remove your license plate and reinstall it when you leave.

What about roads in National Forests, National Parks, BLM land, and similar spaces?

That depends on the place. Some areas let street legal UTVs use paved roads like a car can, while others treat them so much like regular UTVs that you aren’t allowed to go where cars go. In our experience these sorts of details usually aren’t available online, so we suggest calling ahead and confirming before you travel. Check out Part 6: Knowing Your Legality for more about using OHV areas.

Can I register my UTV as street legal in one state and get an OHV permit from another?

Absolutely! People do that all the time. You can even have OHV permits from multiple states on the same vehicle.

You’ve reached the end of the FAQ! We hope most of your burning questions have been answered.

We touched on a lot of different things here – registering out of state, insurance, helmet laws, and a whole lot more – and it will all be explained in greater detail as the guide progresses.

The next section covers exactly how to make your UTV street legal, so grab a refill and let’s get down to the nitty gritty.