An Act to Allow All-terrain Vehicles to Be Used on a Public Way
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 0557
Committee: Transportation
Sponsors: MOORE, MCINTYRE
Amends: 29-A MRSA §101, 29-A MRSA §102, 29-A MRSA §354, 29-A MRSA §501, 29-A MRSA §652, 29-A MRSA §1927, 29-A MRSA §2080, 29-A MRSA §2094

Legislative Document
No. 557
S.P. 231
In Senate, February 11, 2025
An Act to Allow All-terrain Vehicles to Be Used on a Public Way
Reference to the Committee on Transportation suggested and ordered printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator MOORE of Washington.
Cosponsored by Representative MCINTYRE of Lowell and
Representatives: DAIGLE of Fort Kent, STROUT of Harrington.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  29-A MRSA §101, sub-§1-B is enacted to read:
1-B.  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. "All-terrain vehicle" or "ATV" includes, but is 
not limited to, a multitrack, multiwheel or low-pressure-tire vehicle; an amphibious 
machine; or other means of transportation deriving motive power from a source other than 
muscle or wind. "All-terrain vehicle" or "ATV" does not include an automobile, a 
motorcycle, an electric personal assistive mobility device, a truck, a snowmobile as defined 
in Title 12, section 13001, subsection 25, an airmobile as defined in Title 12, section 13001, 
subsection 2, 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.
Sec. 2.  29-A MRSA §101, sub-§42, ¶B, as amended by PL 2005, c. 577, §5, is 
further amended to read:
B.  An all-terrain vehicle as defined in Title 12, section 13001, unless the all-terrain 
vehicle is permitted in accordance with section 501, subsection 8, is registered in 
accordance with section 501, subsection 14 or is operated on a way and section 2080 
or 2094 applies; and
Sec. 3.  29-A MRSA §102, sub-§3 is enacted to read:
3.  Operation of ATVs; beginning January 1, 2026.  The registration and operation 
of ATVs in accordance with section 501, subsection 14 and section 2094 are authorized 
beginning January 1, 2026.
Sec. 4.  29-A MRSA §354, as amended by PL 2021, c. 216, §10, is repealed.
Sec. 5.  29-A MRSA §501, sub-§8, ¶E, as enacted by PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 
and affected Pt. B, §5, is amended to read:
E.  Operation of an ATV permitted under this subsection is limited to agricultural 
purposes in connection with a farm and to operation from or to the premises where 
kept, from or to a farm lot or between farm lots used for farm purposes by the ATV 
owner.
Sec. 6.  29-A MRSA §501, sub-§14 is enacted to read:
14.  ATVs for public way use.   The Secretary of State may issue a registration for an 
ATV for use on a public way upon application and payment of the ATV registration fee 
under Title 12, section 13155, subsection 5, paragraph A or paragraph B, subparagraph (2). 
The registrant must provide a certificate of title required by section 651 and proof of 
financial responsibility required by section 1601.
Sec. 7.  29-A MRSA §652, sub-§17, as amended by PL 2015, c. 88, §2, is further 
amended to read:
17.  Off-road vehicle.  An off-road vehicle, not including an ATV registered pursuant 
to section 501, subsection 14; and
Sec. 8.  29-A MRSA §1927 is enacted to read:
§1927.  Equipment requirements for all-terrain vehicles operated on the road
1.  Equipment required.  An ATV registered pursuant to section 501, subsection 14 
may not be less than 30 inches in width or more than 70 inches in width, measured at the 
widest point of the ATV, including the tires, and must be equipped with:
A.  Brakes for each wheel;
B.  Two headlights that comply with section 1904;
C.  A muffler and emission control system;
D.  One rearview mirror on the left side;
E.  A parking brake;
F.  Rear reflectors;
G.  A windshield, unless the operator wears eye protection while operating the ATV;
H.  A speedometer, illuminated for nighttime operation;
I.  One or more stop lamps on the rear;
J.  Rear lights that comply with section 1905, including a light that is constructed and 
placed to illuminate the registration plate in a white light;
K.  For ATVs with side-by-side seating, a seat belt for each passenger that complies 
with section 2081;
L.  For ATVs designed by the manufacturer to carry one or more passengers, a seat 
designed for passengers, including a footrest and handhold for each passenger;
M.  Operational turn signal lamps, if part of the standard equipment;
N.  Operational horn or other warning device, if part of the standard equipment;
O.  Operational windshield wipers, if part of the standard equipment;
P.  An operator's seat that is not less than 25 inches off the ground or more than 40 
inches off the ground, measured from the ground to the top of the forward edge of the 
seat when measured on a flat surface; and
Q.  Tires with a tread depth that is at least 2/32 inch; the tires may not exceed 26 inches 
in height or be larger than the tires the ATV manufacturer made available for that ATV 
model.
2.  Working condition.  Equipment required in subsection 1 must be in good working 
condition.
3.  Rules.  The Chief of the State Police shall adopt routine technical rules as described 
in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A for the enforcement and administration of this 
section.
Sec. 9.  29-A MRSA §2080, as amended by PL 2005, c. 577, §32, is further amended 
to read:
§2080.  Operation of all-terrain and off-road vehicles
Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, whenever an all-terrain 
vehicle, except for an all-terrain vehicle registered pursuant to section 501, subsection 14, 
or off-road vehicle is operated on a way, the vehicle and operator are subject to all 
provisions of this Title, except chapters 5, 7, 13 and 15.  Whenever an all-terrain vehicle or 
off-road vehicle is operated on a way, the operator is not subject to the provisions of chapter 
11, except when an all-terrain vehicle is permitted in accordance with section 501, 
subsection 8 or registered pursuant to section 501, subsection 14.
Sec. 10.  29-A MRSA §2094 is enacted to read:
§2094.  Operation of all-terrain vehicles
A person operating an ATV on a public way, except for an ATV permitted under 
section 501, subsection 8, shall comply with the provisions of this chapter as they apply to 
the operator of an automobile and with this section.
1.  License required; maintenance of financial responsibility.  A person operating 
an ATV must possess a valid Class A, Class B or Class C driver's license pursuant to section 
1252 and shall maintain the amounts of motor vehicle financial responsibility specified in 
section 1605.
2.  Registration required.  An ATV operated on a public way must be registered under 
section 501, subsection 14.
3.  Public way restrictions.  An ATV may be operated only on a public way where 
the posted speed limit is 50 miles per hour or less. An ATV may cross, at an intersection, 
a public way with a posted speed limit of more than 50 miles per hour.
A.  The department, by routine technical rule as described in Title 5, chapter 375, 
subchapter 2-A, may prohibit or restrict the operation of an ATV on any public way or 
segment of a public way under its jurisdiction if it determines that the prohibition or 
restriction is necessary in the interest of public safety.
B.  A municipality or county may adopt an ordinance to prohibit or restrict the 
operation of an ATV on any public way under its jurisdiction if it determines that the 
prohibition or restriction is necessary in the interest of public safety, except that a 
municipality or county may not prohibit or restrict the use of an ATV on a public way 
where the use of an off-road vehicle is permitted.
4.  Violation.  A person who operates an ATV in violation of subsection 3 commits a 
traffic infraction.
5.  Rulemaking.  The Secretary of State, in consultation with the Commissioner of 
Transportation and the Commissioner of Public Safety, may adopt routine technical rules 
in accordance with Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A to implement this section, monitor 
the registration and use of ATVs and provide for the safe operation of ATVs.
Sec. 11.  Effective date. This Act takes effect January 1, 2026.
SUMMARY
This bill, beginning January 1, 2026, allows the operation of an all-terrain vehicle, or 
ATV, on a public way as long as the ATV is registered and meets specified safety 
equipment requirements, and the operator is licensed and has insurance. The bill requires 
the payment of the resident or nonresident ATV application fee to register an ATV for use 
on a public way.  The bill does not affect the operation of ATVs off of public ways.
The bill prohibits the operation of an ATV on a public way with a posted speed limit 
of more than 50 miles per hour. The Department of Transportation may adopt rules, or a 
municipality or county may adopt an ordinance, to restrict or prohibit the operation of an 
ATV on a public way if the department, county or municipality determines that the 
prohibition or restriction is necessary in the interest of public safety.
The bill repeals the law that prohibits off-road vehicles from being registered.