It is not possible to register a UTV in New Jersey as street legal for reasons discussed below.

However, it is possible to make a UTV street legal in New Jersey by registering it in another state. The resulting title, registration, and license plate will allow you to drive your side-by-side on roads, highways, and city streets in New Jersey and beyond.

This page covers street legal UTVs in New Jersey from top to bottom including relevant laws, details about OHV areas, and times when a UTV not registered as street legal can be driven on local roads. Review the following resources to learn more.

Ready to hit the road? Register out of state with the help of our expert team.

We have made our best effort to include all relevant details, but something we did not cover might apply to your situation. We are enthusiasts, not attorneys. This is not legal advice.

Why New Jersey Can’t Register UTVs as Street Legal

In order to register a UTV as a regular street legal vehicle through the New Jersey DMV, it would need to fit New Jersey’s definition of a street legal vehicle and pass a New Jersey motor vehicle inspection. However, it does not appear that New Jersey’s laws allow for this.

Within the vehicle categories of New Jersey’s vehicle code, an autocycle is defined as a three-wheeled vehicle, a motorcycle is a vehicle with straddle seating, and a Low-Speed Vehicle is one with a maximum top speed of 25 MPH, effectively disqualifying any mainstream UTV from registering under these categories.

As for registering as a regular passenger vehicle, UTVs are unlikely to pass a full New Jersey motor vehicle inspection even when fitted with street legal parts. Not only is the inspection itself not conducive to a UTV, but inspection stations are aware that it is illegal to use a normal UTV on public roads in New Jersey in any capacity except for crossing purposes as described in a later section below.

Additional resources used to reach these conclusions are linked in the Laws, Codes, and Other Resources section below.

How to get street legal

In states like Montana and South Dakota, the vehicle code allows UTVs to be registered as street legal vehicles. You can register your UTV in those states without ever leaving your home. Once registration is complete and the required equipment is installed, your UTV will be street legal in the state of New Jersey with an out-of-state registration (see How to Make Your UTV Street Legal).

Imagine taking a scenic tour of New Jersey in your UTV, starting with coastal views of New York City and ending at the southern glades. Tour the historic neighborhoods of Newark or head for the wilderness trails of Appalachia – with a street legal UTV, it’s all up to you.

Parts Required to Be Street Legal in New Jersey

Because the only way to make a UTV street legal in New Jersey is to register in another state, getting legal does not involve any parts specific to New Jersey.

Thanks to reciprocity agreements between states, a vehicle only needs to have the parts required by the state where it is registered. That means a UTV with an out-of-state registration can be driven on New Jersey roads without needing any equipment required by New Jersey and without needing to pass a New Jersey inspection.

• Here is what is legally required for registrations in Montana and South Dakota (other states)

• These are the minimum parts we suggest having on any street legal UTV

There are also some parts we suggest leaving off which are rarely allowed on street legal vehicles in any state.

Driving a Street Legal UTV on Public Roads in New Jersey

Vehicles licensed in other states can be driven legally in New Jersey thanks to registration reciprocity agreements between states. New Jersey’s registration reciprocity statute is linked in the resources below. You should not need to worry about title transfer windows if you maintain residency in another state or your UTV is registered to an LLC in another state. In some cases, it might not be possible to transfer your registration to New Jersey from another state because of vehicle type mismatches between states.

Because street legal UTVs are a small niche, local law enforcement may not know that a UTV can be made street legal in New Jersey. While we are not attorneys, we suggest carrying physical copies of your UTV’s registration and insurance proofs and being knowledgeable about the ways your vehicle is legal for road use (see Knowing Your Legality).

Keep in mind that street legal UTVs in New Jersey need to observe all laws and rules of the road just as a car would.

Helmet laws in New Jersey

• New Jersey does not have specific helmet laws for street legal UTVs

• Helmets are suggested for all occupants as explained below

• All occupants must wear helmets in OHV areas in New Jersey

New Jersey requires helmets for two major types of vehicles: motorcycles and OHVs being used off-road. It follows that local law enforcement might expect occupants of a street legal UTV to wear helmets as well. For these reasons and for safety reasons, we suggest wearing a helmet whenever you operate a UTV on public roads in New Jersey as this is likely what local authorities will be most familiar with.

Keep in mind that helmet laws need to be followed on a state-by-state basis. Before you travel, learn the helmet situation in any state you plan to drive in. See other states

Driving a Street Legal UTV in New Jersey’s OHV Areas

Registration

OHVs are prohibited in all New Jersey State Parks, Forests, and Wildlife Areas. Private OHV areas and approved locations like Mount Pleasant State Off-Road Vehicle Park often require a New Jersey Off-Highway Vehicle Registration. Call ahead to the area you intend to operate in to determine what registration they require, especially if you are a nonresident.

Equipment

In New Jersey, Off-Highway Vehicles must be equipped as follows:

• At least one headlight, white or amber, revealing obstacles at least 100 feet away

• At least one taillight, red, visible from at least 500 feet away

• At least 16 square inches of reflector “on each side of the cowling”

• Mufflers as supplied by the manufacturer without modifications

• Approved spark arrestor

• Good working brakes

• Headlights must be on from sunrise to sunset

Helmet use

In New Jersey, all OHV occupants are required by law to wear helmets when operating off-road.

Exhaust modifications

New Jersey law requires OHVs to retain a factory exhaust system without modifications, bypasses, or cutouts.

Other restrictions

In New Jersey, some riders are subject to engine size restrictions, training course requirements, and other restrictions as described by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. OHV areas within New Jersey may have their own mandatory permits, equipment requirements, helmet use rules, noise limits, engine size restrictions, or other factors, so be sure to check ahead when you plan to travel.

In New Jersey, off-highway vehicles that are not registered as street legal are not allowed to drive on public roads. OHVs can be driven “adjacent and parallel to” a road only for the purpose of moving between a loading or unloading point and the intended place of operation. Crossings are allowed on all roads except limited access highways and must be made after coming to a complete stop and yielding to traffic.

Vehicles operated under these circumstances are subject to the equipment requirements and age restrictions described in the previous section on OHV areas including use of an approved spark arrestor. Since New Jersey requires all OHV occupants to wear helmets when operating off-road and to have their headlights on from sunrise to sunset, it is reasonable to assume that OHVs driving across or next to public roads should do the same.

OHVs used for certain industrial purposes may qualify for expanded privileges – contact your local DMV or local authorities to learn more.

For questions outside the scope of this guide, try contacting:

• New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission using one of these phone numbers or this email form

• New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection at 609-292-2965 (general line) or choose from these phone numbers

These are the sources we used to create this guide. If you find any inaccurate or outdated information, please contact us and we will be happy to address it.

• Note: The official New Jersey Statutes could not be linked to individually at the time of publication, so for ease of reading we have provided links to the third-party website Justia.

• Note: New Jersey often refers to all off-highway vehicles as ATVs.

Operating as an OHV

New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (Safety courses, age limitations, agricultural use, etc.)

New Jersey Statute 13:9-44.6 (Spark arrestor required)

New Jersey Statute 39:3C-3 (OHVs must be registered)

New Jersey Statute 39:3C-7 (OHV registration reciprocity)

New Jersey Statute 39:3C-16 (OHV age requirements)

New Jersey Statute 39:3C-19 and 39:3C-24 (OHV helmet and equipment requirements)

Road use of OHVs not registered as street legal

New Jersey Statute 39:3C-1 (Defines ATV)

New Jersey Statute 39:3C-17 (OHVs not allowed on public roads; exceptions)

Other resources

New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission

New Jersey Statute 39:3-1 (Defines autocycle, motorcycle, highway, and others)

New Jersey Statute 39:3-15 (New Jersey vehicle registration reciprocity)

New Jersey Statute 39:3-76.7 (New Jersey motorcycle helmet law)

New Jersey Statute 39:4-31.1 (Using low-speed vehicles on public roads)

New Jersey Statute 39:8-1 (Motor vehicle inspection standards)