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

However, it is possible to make a UTV street legal in South Carolina 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 South Carolina and beyond.

This page covers street legal UTVs in South Carolina 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 start getting street legal now? Get registered 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 South Carolina Can’t Register UTVs as Street Legal

Registering a UTV as a regular street legal vehicle through the South Carolina DMV would involve adhering to South Carolina’s definition of a street legal vehicle and passing a South Carolina motor vehicle inspection. It does not appear that South Carolina’s laws allow for this.

None of the vehicle categories found in the South Carolina Motor Vehicle Code can be used to register a UTV for street legal use. Of the possible candidates:

• Motorcycles are defined as having two wheels

• Autocycles are defined as having three wheels

• Motorcycle Three-Wheel Vehicles are defined as having three wheels

• Low Speed Vehicles must have a top speed (in one mile on a paved level surface) greater than 20 MPH but not exceeding 25 MPH

South Carolina defines “All Terrain Vehicles” as machines with three or more wheels measuring not more than 50” wide. Although this definition is vague and leaves out many modern UTVs and side-by-sides, in practice most of South Carolina’s ATV laws apply to other off-highway vehicles including UTVs and side-by-sides.

What’s more, South Carolina is one of the only states that does not allow UTVs and other off-highway vehicles that are not street legal to use or even cross public roads. As a result, it is highly unlikely that a person could register a UTV as a street legal vehicle through the South Carolina DMV.

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 South Carolina with an out-of-state registration (see How to Make Your UTV Street Legal).

Wish you could ride paved roads from Pisgah to the Atlantic? Wish you could find a new OHV area or a curvy road on the map and go there without a truck and trailer holding you back? With a street legal registration, your UTV will be ready for adventure any day, any time.

If the thought of navigating DMV paperwork sounds worse than swimming across the ocean, our expert team can register your UTV as street legal on your behalf while you’re planning the next great adventure.

Parts Required to Register Out of State

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

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 South Carolina roads without needing any equipment required by South Carolina and without needing to pass a South Carolina 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 South Carolina

Vehicles licensed in other states can be driven legally in South Carolina thanks to registration reciprocity agreements between states. South Carolina’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 South Carolina 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 South Carolina. 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 South Carolina need to observe all laws and rules of the road just as a car would.

Helmet laws in South Carolina

• South Carolina does not have specific helmet laws for street legal UTVs

• Occupants younger than 15 are required to wear helmets in OHV areas

South Carolina does require motorcycle riders younger than 21 to wear helmets and all motorcycle riders must wear eye protection. However, these requirements only apply to two-wheeled vehicles and the eye protection requirement is waived for motorcycles with windscreens, which many street legal UTVs have. For safety reasons, we suggest wearing a helmet whenever you drive a UTV on public roads in South Carolina.

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 South Carolina’s OHV Areas

Registration

South Carolina does not require registrations for off-highway vehicles to be used in OHV areas, public lands, and other off-road spaces. South Carolina residents have the option to register their vehicle to receive a title, but this is not necessary for off-road use. OHV areas often have their own permits, so be sure to call ahead to see what is required of you and your machine especially if you are traveling from out of state.

Equipment

Any vehicle operated as an OHV in South Carolina must meet the following requirements:

• Forest Service approved spark arrester

• Brakes in good working order

• Muffler in good working order

• Headlights on from sunset to sunrise

• Helmets are required for occupants 15 and younger

Many OHV areas in the United States require vehicles to meet a maximum exhaust volume of about 80-90 decibels. OHV areas within South Carolina may have their own requirements regarding equipment, helmet use, engine size restrictions by rider age, or other factors, so be sure to call ahead before you travel.

Off-highway vehicles that are not registered as street legal cannot use public roads or shoulders in South Carolina. This includes ATVs, UTVs, and other off-highway vehicles like dirt bikes.

Our research into this guide did not uncover any statutes or official resources related to road use, shoulder use, or road crossings. This stood out to us because most states have baseline laws allowing OHVs to at least cross roads or use shoulders in limited circumstances.

We contacted the South Carolina DMV by phone to learn more, and we were advised that off-road vehicles are illegal on public roads and shoulders in South Carolina and that road crossings “should be okay” but are not expressly legal either. In our experience, that usually means the decision falls on local authorities as to what’s acceptable and what isn’t.

If you have a UTV or other off-highway vehicle that isn’t street legal and you want to drive on or across roads in South Carolina, contact your local authorities to see what is legally allowed in your area. Be sure to ask whether you would need to have a title, registration, insurance, helmets, or specific equipment for your vehicle. In the meantime, consider using our Street Legal Conversion Services to make your vehicle street legal.

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

• South Carolina DMV

• South Carolina DNR

• South Carolina Parks

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: South Carolina often refers to all OHVs as ATVs.

Start here

Chandler’s Law: OHV Safety in South Carolina

Official South Carolina Trails Map and Resources

South Carolina Department of Health: All-Terrain Vehicle Safety

South Carolina DMV: All-Terrain Vehicles

Operating as an OHV

South Carolina Code Title 50 Chapter 26 (Equipment, helmet use, industrial use, illegal uses, Chandler’s Law)

South Carolina Statute 50-26-40 (Forest Service approved spark arrester required)

Other resources

South Carolina Statute 56-1-10 (Definitions of various vehicles, ATVs, highways)

South Carolina Statute 56-3-150 (South Carolina vehicle registration reciprocity)

South Carolina Statute 56-5-3660 (South Carolina motorcycle helmet law)

South Carolina Statute 56-5-3670 (South Carolina motorcycle eye protection)

South Carolina Code