Vermont tends to be very friendly to UTVs and other off-highway vehicles, especially on roads around trails, but it is not possible to register a UTV in Vermont as a regular street legal vehicle for reasons discussed below.

However, it is possible to make a UTV street legal in Vermont by registering 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 Vermont and beyond.

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

Want more freedom? Register out of state now 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 Vermont Can’t Register UTVs as Street Legal

In order to register a UTV as a regular street legal vehicle through the Vermont DMV, it would need to fit Vermont’s definition of a street legal vehicle and pass a Vermont motor vehicle inspection, but Vermont’s laws do not allow for that.

None of the vehicle categories found in the Vermont Motor Vehicle Code can be used to register a UTV for street legal use. Of the possible candidates, motorcycles cannot have more than three wheels, autocycles must have three wheels, a “motor-driven cycle” must have two or three wheels, and an “all-surface vehicle” must be capable of traveling on both land and water. Additional resources 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 Vermont with an out-of-state registration (see How to Make Your UTV Street Legal).

Fancy a ride up Mt. Mansfield, a Sunday drive through historic Burlington, or a day trip to the Northeast Kingdom? Imagine doing it all with your street legal UTV: highways, city streets, trail riding, and even crossing state lines. Let our team of experts do the hard part for you by registering your UTV as street legal on your behalf while you’re out riding.

Parts Required to Register Out of State

Because the only way to make a UTV street legal across the board in Vermont is to register in another state, getting legal does not involve any parts specific to Vermont. 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 Vermont roads without needing any equipment required by Vermont and without needing to pass a Vermont 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 Vermont

Because street legal UTVs are a small niche, local law enforcement may not know that a UTV can be made street legal in Vermont. 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 Vermont thanks to registration reciprocity agreements between states. Vermont’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 Vermont from another state because of vehicle type mismatches between states.

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

Helmet laws in Vermont

• Vermont does not have specific helmet laws for street legal UTVs on public roads

• Vermont requires all occupants to wear helmets in OHV areas

• Helmets are suggested on public roads for the following reasons

In considering whether occupants of street legal UTVs in Vermont would need to use helmets, let’s start by looking at Vermont’s motorcycle helmet law. While the state does require all motorcycle riders to wear helmets and eye protection, the helmet law does not apply to occupants of “fully enclosed autocycles” which are defined as being “equipped with a windshield [and] full top and side enclosures capable of supporting the vehicle’s weight and protecting the occupants when the vehicle is resting on the enclosures.”

Additionally, the eye protection aspect of Vermont’s motorcycle helmet law does not apply to motorcycles equipped with a “windshield or screen” which many street legal UTVs have. But because a UTV does not fit Vermont’s definition of an autocycle or a motorcycle, whether any of this applies to a street legal UTV would be up to local authorities.

Looking to Vermont’s off-highway vehicle laws (pertaining to UTVs and other OHVs without street legal registrations), all occupants are required to wear helmets both off-road and on-road in the limited times those vehicles are allowed to use public roads. This suggests that local authorities are most familiar with UTV occupants wearing helmets and might expect the same from street legal UTVs registered through other means.

Though there are no specific laws addressing this circumstance, it seems likely that law enforcement in Vermont will expect occupants of street legal UTVs to wear helmets on public roads and eye protection if the vehicle is not equipped with a windshield. For safety reasons, we suggest that all occupants wear helmets and eye protection when driving on public roads in Vermont.

Driving a Street Legal UTV in Vermont’s OHV Areas

Whether your UTV is street legal or not, if you plan to operate as an off-highway vehicle in Vermont (in OHV areas, designated public lands, trails, and other off-road situations) there are some things you will need to know.

Note: Public lands and similar spaces in Vermont are rarely open to OHVs. These areas must be specifically marked for OHV use. If there is no such marking, it should be assumed that operation is prohibited.

Registration

To operate as an OHV in Vermont, you must obtain an OHV registration through Vermont and display the corresponding state-issued OHV registration plates on your UTV. Registrations can be purchased online and at various locations throughout the state. Keep in mind that many OHV trails throughout Vermont require you to have a VASA TAD (explained below).

If your UTV is street legal with an out-of-state registration or you are not a resident of Vermont, there is reciprocity for valid off-road registrations from other states. If you do not have one, you would need to register with Vermont.

Required equipment

Any UTV operated as an OHV in Vermont is required to have a spark arrester and a good working muffler with a maximum volume of 82 dB(A). Other basic equipment is required, like working brakes and lights, as detailed in the next section on road use. Windshields must be free of jagged edges and lights must be on between ½-hour after sunset and ½-hour before sunrise. All occupants are required to wear helmets in OHV areas. Insurance is required in public spaces.

OHV areas within Vermont may have their own requirements regarding equipment, helmet use, engine size restrictions by rider age, or other factors, so be sure to check ahead when you plan to travel.

VASA Trail Access Decal (TAD)

Many OHV trails in Vermont are part of the Vermont ATV Sportsman’s Association network, or VASA. To ride these trails, UTVs and other OHVs must have a special Trail Access Decal (TAD) issued to paid members of VASA. This applies to Vermont residents and nonresidents alike.

The idea behind the VASA TAD is to simplify trail use throughout the state. Vermont requires riders to obtain written permission from landowners to operate on their private property, which many trails in Vermont run through, but the state also allows organizations to gather landowner permissions and bundle them to their members. VASA has gathered permissions from landowners throughout Vermont and bundled them into their Trail Access Decal.

Purchasing a VASA TAD is the only way to ride many of Vermont’s OHV trails. This is not an advertisement – VASA is mentioned by name in official state resources and has worked closely with the state to create and maintain Vermont’s trail network.

• Vermont OHV registration for residents and nonresidents, VASA TAD registration

UTVs and other off-highway vehicles that do not have street legal registrations can use public roads in Vermont in limited circumstances.

Off-highway vehicles in Vermont can use state and local roads that are marked for All-Terrain Vehicle travel. OHVs are rarely allowed on controlled access highways and are never allowed on interstate highways. Vermont refers to many off-highway vehicles, including UTVs and side-by-sides, as ATVs.

Which roads are approved?

There is currently no online resource answering this question. Contact your local DMV or local authorities to learn which roads are approved in your area, and please contact us if an online resource becomes available.

Required equipment and registration

OHVs in Vermont must meet the following requirements:

• One or more headlights

• One or more red taillights

• Working brakes

• Working spark arrester

• Muffler with no cutouts or bypasses

• Maximum exhaust volume of 82 dB(A)

• If equipped, windshield must have no sharp edges

• All occupants must wear helmets

• Vehicle must be insured

• Lights must be on from 30 minutes after sunset to 30 minutes before sunrise

All OHVs operated on Vermont roads are required to be registered with the state as described in the previous section on OHV areas. A VASA TAD is not required for road use.

Crossing roads

Off-highway vehicles may cross roads at approximately a 90-degree angle to the roadway, quickly and safely at a place free of obstructions, after coming to a complete stop and yielding to traffic. The driver must be older than 12. Drivers younger than 16 must be under the direct supervision of someone 18 or older with a valid driver’s license.

Local jurisdictions

Towns, cities, and other local jurisdictions can designate roads as open to OHVs and can also restrict OHV use as they see fit. Be sure to check the local resources of the area you are traveling to.

Special exceptions

OHVs used for special purposes like agriculture and forestry are allowed to drive alongside the highway and may qualify for additional road use permissions. Contact your local DMV or local authorities to learn more.

How Vermont defines off-highway vehicles

Most OHV laws, trails, and riding areas in Vermont refer to many OHVs using the blanket term All-Terrain Vehicle as defined by state law:

“All-terrain vehicle” or “ATV” means any nonhighway recreational vehicle, except snowmobiles, having not less than two low pressure tires (10 pounds per square inch, or less), not wider than 64 inches with two-wheel ATVs having permanent, full-time power to both wheels, and having a dry weight of less than 1,700 pounds, when used for cross-country travel on trails or on any one of the following or a combination thereof: land, water, snow, ice, marsh, swampland, and natural terrain.

Anything commonly referred to as an ATV, UTV, or OHV will generally fall under this category. It is unclear what happens if your vehicle does not meet these qualifications. For our purposes, the sections above use the phrase OHV and ATV interchangeably.

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

• Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation

• Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles

• Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department

• Vermont ATV Sportsman’s Association (VASA)

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: Vermont refers to many off-highway vehicles, including UTVs and side-by-sides, as All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs).

Start here

Vermont OHV Manual (PDF)

Vermont OHV Registration Resources

Vermont ATV Sportsman’s Association (VASA)

Operating as an OHV

Vermont Statute 23-3501 (ATV defined, VASA defined)

Vermont Statute 23-3502 (OHV registrations)

Vermont Statute 23-3505 (OHV required equipment)

Road use of OHVs not registered as street legal

Vermont Statute 23-3506 (Operation on public roads)

Vermont Statute 23-3510 (Local municipalities)

Other resources

Vermont Statutes: Title 23 Chapter 31: All-Terrain Vehicles

Vermont Statute 23-4 (Definitions of other vehicles, edge of the roadway, highways)

Vermont Statute 23-208 (Vermont vehicle registration reciprocity)

Vermont Statute 23-1222 (Vermont motor vehicle inspection requirements)

Vermont Statute 23-1256 (Vermont motorcycle helmet law)

Vermont Statute 23-1257 (Vermont motorcycle eye protection law)

Vermont Statute 23-3501 (Definition of ATV; includes UTVs)

Vermont Statutes