An Act To Amend the Laws Regarding the Size and Weight of All-terrain Vehicles, the Operation of Motor Vehicles on Designated All-terrain Vehicle Trails and the Operation of All-terrain Vehicles on Trails Posted with Size or Weight Limits and To Update and Improve Funding Mechanisms for All-terrain Vehicle Trail Development and Maintenance
Maine Legislature, Session 129, LD 1147
Committee: Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Sponsors: STEARNS, KEIM, DAVIS, HUTCHINS, LYFORD, STANLEY
Amends: 12 MRSA §13001, 12 MRSA §13155, 12 MRSA §13157-A

Legislative Document
No. 1147
H.P. 836
House of Representatives, March 7, 2019
An Act To Amend the Laws Regarding the Size and Weight of All-
terrain Vehicles, the Operation of Motor Vehicles on Designated All-
terrain Vehicle Trails and the Operation of All-terrain Vehicles on 
Trails Posted with Size or Weight Limits and To Update and 
Improve Funding Mechanisms for All-terrain Vehicle Trail 
Development and Maintenance
Reference to the Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife suggested and ordered 
printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative STEARNS of Guilford.
Cosponsored by Senator KEIM of Oxford, Senator DAVIS of Piscataquis and
Representatives: HUTCHINS of Penobscot, LYFORD of Eddington, STANLEY of Medway.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  12 MRSA §13001, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 2003, c. 414, Pt. A, §2 and 
affected by c. 614, §9, is amended to read:
3.  All-terrain vehicle or ATV.  "All-terrain vehicle" or "ATV" means a motor-
driven, off-road, recreational vehicle capable of cross-country travel on land, snow, ice, 
marsh, swampland or other natural terrain, the width of which does not exceed 65 inches 
and the weight of which does not exceed 2,000 pounds.  "All-terrain vehicle" or "ATV" 
includes, but is not limited to, a multitrack, multiwheel or low-pressure tire vehicle; a 
motorcycle or related 2-wheel, 3-wheel or belt-driven vehicle; an amphibious machine; or 
other means of transportation deriving motive power from a source other than muscle or 
wind.  For purposes of this subpart, "all-terrain vehicle" or "ATV" does not include an 
automobile a motor vehicle as defined in Title 29-A, section 101, subsection 7; an electric 
personal assistive mobility device as defined in Title 29-A, section 101, subsection 22-A; 
a truck as defined in Title 29-A, section 101, subsection 88; a snowmobile; an airmobile; 
a construction or logging vehicle used in performance of its common functions; a farm 
vehicle used for farming purposes; or a vehicle used exclusively for emergency, military, 
law enforcement or fire control purposes 42.
Sec. 2.  12 MRSA §13155, sub-§5, as repealed and replaced by PL 2011, c. 116, 
§1 and affected by §2, is amended to read:
5.  Fees.  The ATV registration fee is:
A.  For a resident, $33 $45 annually.  The registration for an ATV owned by a 
resident is valid for one year, beginning on July 1st of each year; and
B.  For a nonresident:
(1)  Fifty-three Sixty-five dollars for a registration valid for 7 consecutive days.  
A person may purchase more than one 7-day registration in any season; and
(2)  Sixty-eight Eighty dollars for a registration valid for one year.
The registration for an ATV owned by a nonresident must specify the dates for which 
the registration is valid.
Twelve dollars of each registration fee collected under this subsection must be transferred 
to the ATV Recreational Management Fund as established in section 1893, subsection 2.
Sec. 3.  12 MRSA §13157-A, sub-§5-A, as enacted by PL 2007, c. 202, §1, is 
amended to read:
5-A.  Operating a motor vehicle on an ATV trail.  A person may not operate a 
truck, pickup truck or passenger motor vehicle as defined in Title 29-A, section 101, 
subsection 42 on a designated ATV trail that is not on a gravel road system unless that 
use has been authorized by the landowner or the landowner's agent or it is necessitated by 
an emergency involving the safety of a person or property.  For purposes of this 
subsection, "pickup truck" and "truck" have the same meanings as in Title 29-A, section 
101, subsections 55 and 88, respectively, and "passenger vehicle" means a self-propelled 
4-wheel motor vehicle designed primarily to carry passengers on public roads.
A.  A person who violates this subsection commits a civil violation for which a fine 
of not less than $100 nor more than $500 may be adjudged.
B.  A person who violates this subsection after having been adjudicated as having 
committed 3 or more civil violations under this Part within the previous 5-year period 
commits a Class E crime.
Sec. 4.  12 MRSA §13157-A, sub-§5-B is enacted to read:
5-B.  Operating ATV on ATV trail posted with size or weight restrictions.  A 
person may not operate an ATV on a trail posted with size or weight restrictions unless 
that use has been authorized by the landowner or the landowner's agent.  The following 
penalties apply to violations of this subsection.
A.  A person who violates this subsection commits a civil violation for which a fine 
of not less than $100 nor more than $500 may be adjudged.
B.  A person who violates this subsection after having been adjudicated as having 
committed 3 or more civil violations under this Part within the previous 5-year period 
commits a Class E crime.
SUMMARY
This bill limits, by definition, the size of an all-terrain vehicle to 65 inches in width 
and 2,000 pounds in weight, prohibits operation of motor vehicles on a designated all-
terrain vehicle trail that is not on a gravel road system and prohibits operation of all-
terrain vehicles on trails posted with size or weight limitations unless that use has been 
authorized by the landowner or the landowner's agent.  It also increases all-terrain vehicle 
registration fees by $12, which must be transferred to the ATV Recreational Management 
Fund.