ATV use in City Limits rules changes 2025

I don’t have an ATV, nor do I use them regularly, but I often receive many questions about where you can operate them and if they are “road legal”. Right now I tell people if they want to operate on local roads they need to contact the local government that is in charge of those roads. My local city didn’t even know they were in charge of offering these permits. Some nearby towns that see high use of golf carts and low power vehicles have permits available. I found one House and Senate bill that would change the laws to let ATV operators drive in cities of less than 25000 to get to stores and homes (HF566/SF1128). Are there any other law changes about this currently in the works I don’t really care about hunting rules etc, just local government rules? Ever gotten a ticket for operating on public roads?

Years ago myself and a friend got stopped driving down the main road through crosslake. I didn’t know much at the time about ATV trails and what was allowed but he rode snowmobiles through town and thought it was ok. The cop was nice about it and just explained we couldn’t do that and let us turn around and go back the way we came. I don’t know if things changed up there but around home I see them all the time in town.

I know they are welcome in my town, see them all the time.

Our area has a lot of people who use side by sides like a standard automobile. I don’t know the legalities of quads being used on the roads here…but do know that side by sides must be legal. For us personally, ATVs and side by sides are off-road vehicles – not pavement machines.

I think it’d be annoying to hear that road noise everywhere I traveled and question the safety of these things going 60mph down the highway meeting trucks and such, but to each their own.

Stanley wrote:

Years ago myself and a friend got stopped driving down the main road through crosslake. I didn’t know much at the time about ATV trails and what was allowed but he rode snowmobiles through town and thought it was ok. The cop was nice about it and just explained we couldn’t do that and let us turn around and go back the way we came. I don’t know if things changed up there but around home I see them all the time in town.

The cops and sheriffs are jerks in that area. My dad lived in Pequot and would ride everywhere on his ATV. The only times he had any trouble was around Cross Lake and Jenkins. They would sit and wait for him to come through town because he was a creature of habit then give him a hard time. He never got a ticket and then just decided to avoid those towns all together to avoid the hassle.

The cops and sheriffs are jerks in that area. My dad lived in Pequot and would ride everywhere on his ATV. The only times he had any trouble was around Cross Lake and Jenkins. They would sit and wait for him to come through town because he was a creature of habit then give him a hard time. He never got a ticket and then just decided to avoid those towns all together to avoid the hassle.
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Jerks? Either what he was doing was illegal or it wasn’t. Sounds like they were just doing their job.

its legal to drive ATVs within the city limits of cloquet. I don’t live there but have friends that do and its a weird feel when you drive thru that town and theres ATVs ripping up and down suburban streets. I believe you need to have them registered with the city to be legal but not 100% sure.

Without looking it up – I am pretty sure in Minnesota ATV’s are not allowed on any roads unless just crossing it. They are to be ran in the ditch which there is instructions on which portion of the ditch to use.

Side x Side are to be driven on the shoulder of the road unless there is a local ordinance against it. I believe Highways and Hwy ditches are off limits.

I believe these are state laws and I have never heard of any local ordinance that allowed more access.

Curt wrote:

Jerks? Either what he was doing was illegal or it wasn’t. Sounds like they were just doing their job.

It was perfectly legal where he was riding at the time. They just liked to mess with him. Hence the “he never was ticketed”. I suppose he could have just kept driving then they would have found a reason to ticket him.

Gitchi Gummi wrote:

its legal to drive ATVs within the city limits of cloquet. I don’t live there but have friends that do and its a weird feel when you drive thru that town and theres ATVs ripping up and down suburban streets. I believe you need to have them registered with the city to be legal but not 100% sure.

That’s where I’m at. You need to buy a $10 permit from the city and show proof of insurance. I take my side by side to the holiday or Kwik Trip a couple miles away now and again. Plus I plow the city street I live on. I never bought a permit. Couple of my friends are cops in town here. They tell me the only way you are going to get stopped is if you are being stupid and whipping shitties in a parking lot or something.

OG Net_Man wrote:

Without looking it up – I am pretty sure in Minnesota ATV’s are not allowed on any roads unless just crossing it. They are to be ran in the ditch which there is instructions on which portion of the ditch to use.

Side x Side are to be driven on the shoulder of the road unless there is a local ordinance against it. I believe Highways and Hwy ditches are off limits.

I believe these are state laws and I have never heard of any local ordinance that allowed more access.

I can ride my atv on any city streets i want. I cannot run down a county road though, then I have to be on the shoulder or ditch. This is in north branch. Most small towns are going this route now. I know all our surrounding area has.

Sec 84.928 defines the current regulations, that includes road authorities allowing ATV access.