UTVs and other off-highway vehicles can use some public roads in Texas in limited circumstances, but it is not possible to register a UTV in Texas as a regular street legal vehicle for reasons discussed below.

It is possible to make a UTV street legal in Texas 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 Texas and beyond.

This page covers street legal UTVs in Texas 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.

Rather ride than read? Get started making your UTV street legal in Texas today 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 Texas Can’t Register UTVs as Street Legal

For a person to register a UTV as a regular street legal vehicle through the Texas DMV, it would need to fit Texas’s definition of a street legal vehicle and pass a Texas motor vehicle inspection, however Texas’s laws do not allow for this.

Texas law states that “the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles may not register an off-highway vehicle for operation on a highway regardless of whether any alteration has been made to the vehicle.” In this context, the term highway means “the width between the boundary lines of a publicly maintained way” (in other words, any road) and the phrase off-highway vehicle includes all styles of UTVs and side-by-sides, both recreational and work-focused.

Additionally, none of the other vehicle categories found in the Texas Motor Vehicle Code can be used to register a conventional UTV. The only possible candidates would be motorcycles and autocycles, but Texas defines both as having not more than three wheels. 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 Texas with an out-of-state registration (see How to Make Your UTV Street Legal).

Everything is bigger in Texas including the distance between the state’s best off-roading spots. With so much ground to cover and so little time to ride, have you ever wished you could leave the truck and trailer behind and drive your UTV straight to the trails? Having a street legal UTV in Texas would give you the freedom to ditch the tow rig, cruise the beautiful beach roads of Galveston, claw your way up Barnwell Mountain, and tame the rugged barrens of Escondido Draw while your truck is parked at home.

You could be out there having fun while our expert team registers your UTV as street legal on your behalf. We’ll deal directly with the DMV so you don’t have to. Because if you’re like us, you’d rather have a face full of mud than a desk full of paperwork.

Parts Required to Register Out of State

Because the only way to make a UTV street legal in Texas is to register in another state, getting legal does not involve any parts specific to Texas. Parts required for road use of other UTVs are listed in a later section below.

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 Texas roads without needing any equipment required by Texas and without needing to pass a Texas 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 Texas

Because street legal UTVs are a small niche, local law enforcement may not know that a UTV can be made street legal in Texas. While we are not attorneys, we always 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).

Vehicles licensed in other states can be driven legally in Texas thanks to registration reciprocity agreements between states. Texas’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 Texas from another state because of vehicle type mismatches between states.

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

Helmet laws in Texas

• Texas does not have specific helmet laws for street legal UTVs

• We suggest wearing helmets on public roads as explained below

• Texas requires all occupants to wear helmets in OHV areas

Texas’s motorcycle helmet law says that motorcycle and autocycle riders ages 21 and older do not need to wear helmets if they carry adequate health insurance or have successfully completed an official motorcycle safety course. However, a street legal UTV does not fit into either of those categories in Texas.

Looking to off-highway vehicle laws, OHVs that have not been street legalized can only be driven on public roads in Texas in limited circumstances during which all occupants are required to wear helmets, eye protection, and seat belts if the vehicle has them. This means local authorities will likely expect you to do the same while driving a street legal UTV registered out of state.

For these reasons and for safety reasons, we suggest wearing a helmet whenever you operate a UTV on public roads in Texas.

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 Texas’s OHV Areas

Registration

Whether your UTV is street legal or not, if you plan to operate as an off-highway vehicle on public lands and grant-assisted OHV sites in Texas you must obtain an OHV registration from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and display the corresponding decal on your UTV. You will need this even if you are not a resident of Texas or your UTV is street legal with an out-of-state registration because Texas does not offer reciprocity for other states’ OHV registrations.

Registration is not required for private property use or at OHV areas that do not receive grant monies. The list has been known to change, so be sure to call ahead to see if the OHV area you’re traveling to requires you to have an OHV registration.

• Register online, by phone, or in person: Texas Parks & Wildlife: Buy OHV Decals

• Learn more about off-roading in Texas: Texas OHV FAQ

Safety courses

The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation states and Texas law confirms that in order to operate an OHV on public lands and beaches that are not open to other vehicular traffic, drivers must either pass an Off-Highway Vehicle Safety Course, be in the process of completing one, or be under the direct supervision of an adult who has. The certificate must be carried and shown if law enforcement asks to see it. However, the safety course is not required to use privately-owned OHV areas. We confirmed this by calling various OHV areas in Texas who said they rarely encounter anyone who has completed a safety course.

• Course requirements and options: Texas OHV Safety Course Guide

Equipment

Any UTV operated as an OHV in Texas must meet the following requirements:

• At least one headlight

• At least one taillight

• Good working brakes

• Unmodified Forest Service-qualified spark arrester

• Working muffler with no cutouts or bypasses

• All occupants must wear helmets and eye protection

• All occupants must wear seat belts if the vehicle has them

• Lights must be on from ½-hour after sunset to ½-hour before sunrise and during conditions of reduced visibility

OHV areas within Texas may have their own requirements and restrictions, so be sure to check ahead when you plan to travel.

This section is about vehicles that do not have street legal registrations.

In Texas, UTVs and other off-highway vehicles are only allowed to use public roads that have been approved for OHV use by a city, town, or county. Smaller jurisdictions like planned communities can also approve roads. To find out which roads are approved in your area and what kind of registration your vehicle needs, contact your local DMV or local law enforcement.

Texas OHV License Plates

In addition to the Texas OHV Registration, Texas offers an Off-Highway Vehicle License Plate. This differs from the standard off-road registration by allowing OHVs to use public roads in areas that require the plate. OHV Plates have the same equipment requirements as a standard registration. An OHV License Plate is not required to use OHV areas in Texas nor does it make a UTV fully street legal in Texas. Likewise, a standard OHV registration and decal are not required to obtain Texas OHV Plates. The OHV Plate does not guarantee street legality in other states.

Some local ordinances require this plate while others do not. Contact your local DMV or local law enforcement to find out which registration you need, if any.

Help us improve this section! There seem to be some inconsistencies between the Texas DMV website and the Texas Statutes regarding Off-Highway Vehicle License Plates. When does a person need one? What is the benefit to having one? Does your maximum speed change when you have one? We contacted the Texas DMV but got no closer to understanding this. Please contact us if you have a good understanding of how Texas handles road use of off-highway vehicle like UTVs and side-by-sides to help us iron this section out.

Crossing roads

OHVs in Texas may cross roads at any location where no obstructions prevent a quick and safe crossing, at an angle of about 90 degrees to the roadway, after coming to a complete stop before the shoulder and yielding to traffic. OHVs may also cross at intersections with other roads. Divided highways must be crossed at an intersection; limited-access highways and interstates cannot be crossed at all. Headlights and taillights must be on during all road crossings. An OHV License Plate is not needed for crossings.

Required equipment

OHVs used on public roads in Texas must be equipped as described in the previous section on OHV areas. Additionally, a slow-moving vehicle emblem must be displayed when operating at speeds of 25 MPH or less.

Defining your vehicle

There are three categories of off-highway vehicles in Texas:

• All-Terrain Vehicles: Less than 50” wide with 3+ tires

• Recreational Off-Highway Vehicles: Other OHVs with 4+ tires

• Utility Vehicles: Work-focused OHVs used for special purposes

This guide focuses on UTVs and side-by-sides, most of which fall under the category of ROHVs in Texas.

Special exceptions

To qualify as a Utility Vehicle in Texas, an OHV must be “designed by the manufacturer primarily for utility work and not for recreational purposes.” OHVs used for industrial, governmental, farming, and agricultural purposes often fall under this category and may qualify for expanded road use exceptions like being exempt from needing an OHV License Plate or being allowed to use more roads. Contact the DMV or local authorities to find out what your use case qualifies for.

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

• Texas Department of Motor Vehicles

• Texas Parks & Wildlife

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.

Start here

Buy Texas OHV Decals

List of OHV Areas in Texas

Texas OHV Registration FAQ

Texas OHV Safety Courses

Texas OHV Organizations

Texas Parks & Wildlife: Off-Highway Vehicle Resources

Texas Parks & Wildlife: Responsible OHV Use

Operating as an OHV

Texas Statute 7-C-551A.031 (Safety certificate required)

Texas Statute 7-C-551A.033 (Use on Texas beaches)

Texas Statute 7-C-551A.071 (OHV equipment requirements)

Texas Statute 7-C-551A.072 (OHV helmets, eye protection, and seat belts)

Road use of OHVs not registered as street legal

Texas DMV: OHV Classifications and Road Use Summary

Texas Statute 7-C-551A.001 (Definitions of ATV, ROHV, etc.)

Texas Statute 7-C-551A.034 and 7-C-551A.056 (Crossing roads)

Texas Statute 7-C-551A.052 (OHV plates; fully street legal plates are not issued)

Texas Statute 7-C-551A.053, 7-C-551A.054, and 7-C-551A.055 (OHV road use)

Texas Statute 7-C-551A.057 (Industrial use exceptions)

Other resources

Texas Statute 7-A-501.008 (Definition of an autocycle)

Texas Statute 7-A-502.145 (Texas vehicle registration reciprocity)

Texas Statute 7-C-541.201 (Definitions of other vehicles)

Texas Statute 7-C-541.302 (Definition of a highway)

Texas Statute 7-G-661.0015 (Texas autocycle helmet law)

Texas Statute 7-G-661.003 (Texas motorcycle helmet law)

Texas Statutes