SB 310

Under current law, the Department of Natural Resources administers the laws

relating to the operation and registration of all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and utility

terrain vehicles (UTVs). Current law provides that a device qualifies as an ATV or

a UTV if it meets certain requirements. Among the requirements for an ATV is that

it is designed by the manufacturer to travel on three or more low-pressure tires. A

UTV must be either originally manufactured with four or more low-pressure tires

or be designed by the manufacturer to travel on 3 or more low-pressure tires

depending on whether the UTV meets certain other requirements. This bill changes

these tire requirements so that the tires may also be non-pneumatic tires. The bill

provides that a non-pneumatic tire is a tire that, as designed by the manufacturer,

has a minimum width of six inches, has a reinforced structure, and is not supported

by air pressure. The bill also provides that in order to qualify as an ATV or UTV, the

vehicle must have been commercially designed and manufactured with the requisite

specifications.

Under current law, a device qualifies as a UTV if it weighs more than 900

pounds and meets certain other requirements. This bill specifies that a device does

not qualify as a UTV unless it also weighs no more than 2,000 pounds.

Under current law, a UTV that meets certain requirements must have seats,

designed not to be straddled, for at least two occupants. This bill eliminates this

requirement. The bill does not change current law that requires certain other UTVs

to have a seat designed by the operator to be straddled. The bill also prohibits a

person from operating a UTV while seated on or allowing other occupants to be

seated on a seat that is not original to the UTV as manufactured.