[Ranb]

WA recently passed legislation to allow ATV's on highways with speed limits of 35 mph or less as long as they meet certain requirements. WA State Licensing (DOL) Official Site: Licensing wheeled all-terrain vehicles I've read that actual license plates won't be available until May 2014.

Counties with a population of 15000 or more can make additional requirements. I have yet to determine if Mason county is going with only the state standards or adding some of their own.

I have a 550 EPS. It has most of the requirement equipment, but I need to add a horn, license plate light, handlebar mirror and turn signals.

Has anyone here bothered to obtain the tags to drive on the roads? I'm about two miles from the nearest forest trails so it would be much easier to drive to the trail than to load the ATV into the back of my pickup. Thanks.

Ranb

 

[Bruce!]

Welcome to the board, and Go Seahawks.

 

[Treacherous]

Check out this thread

http://www.polarisatvforums.com/for...state-hb-1632-atv-utv-access-bill-passed.html

 

[clutch1]

Are you sure that turn signals will be required? OOOOppppsss, I just read the link. You would think a hand signal would be good enough, like with motorcycles.

 

[tod701]

Keep in mind that this law did not open USFS roads to any new ATV use.

 

[ThorsHammer]

Tod,

Care to clarify that one? if the road allows street legal Off road vehicles, than why wouldn't it allow for street legal ATV's? For example, The Evan's creek area. So long as the vehicle is street legal it can go on the trail system. Wouldn't this include a street legal ATV?

 

[800touring]

WA recently passed legislation to allow ATV's on highways with speed limits of 35 mph or less as long as they meet certain requirements. WA State Licensing (DOL) Official Site: Licensing wheeled all-terrain vehicles I've read that actual license plates won't be available until May 2014.

Counties with a population of 15000 or more can make additional requirements. I have yet to determine if Mason county is going with only the state standards or adding some of their own.

I have a 550 EPS. It has most of the requirement equipment, but I need to add a horn, license plate light, handlebar mirror and turn signals.

Has anyone here bothered to obtain the tags to drive on the roads? I'm about two miles from the nearest forest trails so it would be much easier to drive to the trail than to load the ATV into the back of my pickup. Thanks.

Ranb

I cant find where it said 35? I wish it was 45 id so drive my quad to school over my truck, only 6 miles from the house haha

 

[tod701]

Tod,

Care to clarify that one? if the road allows street legal Off road vehicles, than why wouldn't it allow for street legal ATV's? For example, The Evan's creek area. So long as the vehicle is street legal it can go on the trail system. Wouldn't this include a street legal ATV?

The USFS and DNR roads are nonhighway roads.

Unfortunately HB1632 specifically excludes nonhighway roads.

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/documents/billdocs/2013-14/Pdf/Bills/Session Laws/House/1632-S.SL.pdf

Please see the changes to RCW45.09 changed by section 6

That is the road issue I was posting about.

Any ORV with a valid ORV permit should be able to use the trail system regardless of street legal status.

 

[tod701]

I cant find where it said 35?

See RCW46.09.455(1)

RCW 46.09.455: Authorized and prohibited uses for wheeled all-terrain vehicles.

 

[Treacherous]

USFS rep told me this the other day.

"This bill from the Washington State legislature applies to roads under county jurisdictions. I do know that Kittitas County is in the early stages of preparing for public involvement involving which county roads may be open to this new class of street legal ORVs. Also, I understand that there is actually a proposal in the State legislature right now to further clarify the original bill, regarding only county roads are involved in the proposed modification to mix traffic uses. You may want to contact your local state representatives office if you are interested in any changes being considered to the newly enacted law. You could also contact the Kittitas County Commissioners Office to see what process the county will use to consider changes to their road system. To be clear, this state of Washington law did not apply to federal National Forest system roads.

The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest has not yet passed a “Travel Management Plan”. Prior to that plan, there is nothing currently being considered to change National Forest system roads in consideration of the change in State law."

 

[tod701]

USFS rep told me this the other day.

"This bill from the Washington State legislature applies to roads under county jurisdictions. I do know that Kittitas County is in the early stages of preparing for public involvement involving which county roads may be open to this new class of street legal ORVs. Also, I understand that there is actually a proposal in the State legislature right now to further clarify the original bill, regarding only county roads are involved in the proposed modification to mix traffic uses. You may want to contact your local state representatives office if you are interested in any changes being considered to the newly enacted law. You could also contact the Kittitas County Commissioners Office to see what process the county will use to consider changes to their road system. To be clear, this state of Washington law did not apply to federal National Forest system roads.

The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest has not yet passed a “Travel Management Plan”. Prior to that plan, there is nothing currently being considered to change National Forest system roads in consideration of the change in State law."

There is legislation introduced this session to specifically address the wheeled ATV nonhighway road exclusion.

I have proposed language to make that work. In the next few days we will see how the Legislature intends to proceed.

This is short legislative session and any bill to fix this must move out of its committee of origin in the next three weeks.

If a committee hearing is scheduled and the bill provide a solution to this issue without compromising other ATV users I will give it my full support and let you guys know how to help out getting it passed into law.

 

[clutch1]

People in Washington need to be e mailing their law makers. Flood them with how you feel.

 

[Treacherous]

There is legislation introduced this session to specifically address the wheeled ATV nonhighway road exclusion.

I have proposed language to make that work. In the next few days we will see how the Legislature intends to proceed.

This is short legislative session and any bill to fix this must move out of its committee of origin in the next three weeks.

If a committee hearing is scheduled and the bill provide a solution to this issue without compromising other ATV users I will give it my full support and let you guys know how to help out getting it passed into law.

Do you know what the bill # is?

 

[tod701]

Do you know what the bill # is?

It is HB2675, but changes are in the works that may remove all reference to nonhighway roads or any other opening of roads or trails to WATV use.

I will know more on Monday.

 

[Polaris Bear]

Only automatically applies to counties of 15,000 or less. For counties over 15,000 it is up to the county if they want to play or not. Basically it is a worthless law to restrictive and only applies to small counties.

 

[tod701]

Only automatically applies to counties of 15,000 or less. For counties over 15,000 it is up to the county if they want to play or not. Basically it is a worthless law to restrictive and only applies to small counties.

Not worthless.
Better than the current law.

Things need to be incrementally and carefully crafted to not attract the opposition of the Washington State Patrol. If WSP opposes any bill that involves road safety most legislators defer to their position.

 

[Polaris Bear]

I can tell you that the WSP is watching this closely. There are many of us in the WSP that would like to see more flexibility in the use of ATV's but of course those are the ones that ride. There are also some counties that are not to excited about letting ATVs on the roads.

 

[Treacherous]

Thanks! I will definitely contact my legislators.

 

[Treacherous]

HB 2675 - 2013-14

Cool.. on sponsors...one I have worked with for many years before he became a legislator and another that was my class president back in high school

 

[tod701]

HB2675 was passed out of committee and now moves to the House Rules Committee before it can be voted on by the House of Representatives.

Unfortunately all of the nonhighway road use language was removed.

It does contain some useful language concerning reciprocity with other states, but stripping the bill of the road use provisions was the price of getting it passed the Democrat controlled House Transportation Committee.