Driving Four-Wheelers on Alaskan Streets is now Legal with a Catch: NMA E-Newsletter #679


At the start of the new year, the state of Alaska inaugurated new regulations that allow four-wheelers on roads with a speed limit of 45 mph or less. In the past, rules allowed these motorized vehicles to cross state roads only.

Alaska defines all-purpose vehicles as any self-propelled device on wheels or tracks that make contact with the ground. This includes four-wheelers, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), utility terrain vehicles, and side-by-sides. Snowmobiles (in Alaska, they’re called snowmachines) and hovercrafts, originally part of the proposed regulation earlier in the year, were dropped from the new rules in October.

In some instances, just like with golf carts in retirement communities, many Alaskans use ATVs to get around in small towns. High school students often use them to go to school. Rural residents generally use four-wheelers on private property and permitted trails.

Proponents say that expanding the legal use of ATVs aligns regulations with the realities of daily life in Alaska. The most northern US state has one of the highest rates of off-road vehicle ownership in the nation. Residents have long used ATVs in villages and other less trafficked areas regardless of local or state laws. Many rural areas are not connected by state highways. Alaska has only 12 numbered highways, and half of the public roads are unpaved.

At least six other states (AZ, MT, ND, SD, WA, WY) allow owners to use four-wheelers on public roads if they are registered, and drivers and passengers use safety equipment. Also, a driver’s license or permit is required for legal operation. Here is a link to a state-by-state guide on ATVs.

Fairbanks ATV Dealer Craig Compeau applauded the change to allow all-purpose vehicles on roads posted at 45 mph or less. He stated in an October 2021 interview that it makes sense to prohibit snowmachines on state roads and added, ‘If you think about it, there’s 50 states in the union here, and if they only had one state where four-wheelers should be allowed on the road, it would be Alaska.”

The new law requires:

  • A valid driver’s license for operation.
  • A standard motor vehicle registration with front and rear license plates.
  • Mandatory insurance.
  • The vehicle itself must have a headlight, one rear-facing red light, one rear-facing red reflector, and one rear-facing red-brake light. It must also have brakes, a muffler, a carburetor, and a throttle to be street-legal.
  • Adherence to all traffic laws, subject to stops by state troopers or local police.
  • Helmets for passengers (but not drivers).
  • Seat belts to be worn by all.

Some local and state police, firefighters, and other city officials are not happy with the new regulations. One provision allows cities and boroughs to opt out. Some urban regions are doing just that, citing safety concerns. Unfortunately, that creates a patchwork of traffic laws on the state’s established road system.

Fairbanks banned ATVs on public roads in late November, and Kenai followed suit in December. Sitka and Valdez have placed similar bans on four-wheelers.

Two of the three largest Alaskan cities, Anchorage and Juneau, have banned ATVs for decades. Anchorage banned snowmachines from the roads sometime before 1978 and then expanded the city code in 1989 to include all ‘off-highway vehicles,” including ATVs. Municipal code allows ATVs to cross roads but not travel along them.

If you travel into the Kenai Peninsula Borough from Anchorage, using four-wheelers on roads is legal. Borough Mayor Charlie Pierce said, “ATVs will be permitted on all borough roads and historically have been permitted. As a second-class borough, we do not have police powers, and as such, the Alaska State Troopers handle any violations.”

Alaska does not have counties but instead organized and unorganized boroughs. Organized boroughs are similar to counties with supervision by a small assembly.

Most of the boroughs along the roadway system are not following the dictates of the larger cities and towns. According to an article in the Anchorage Daily News, these boroughs may agree with those municipalities, but the elected officials have limited powers that exclude transportation issues. For example, the Fairbanks North Star Borough is considered a second-class borough, and its road issues are handled by several service area boards and not the borough itself.

Even organized borough governments that include larger cities and towns don’t have the same safety concerns due to their more rural nature. The Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Kenai Peninsula Borough, Denali Borough, and Fairbanks North Star Borough allow ATVs on roads, though the cities within those boroughs may not.

The cities of Soldotna, Kenai, and Homer have also banned four-wheelers on roads. Soldotna has a specific issue, according to city manager Stephanie Queen. The city limits run down the centerline of some local roadways. She added, “We feel this will be confusing for motorists and ATV operators and potentially unsafe as well.”

All traffic is indeed local, even in Alaska!

As more of these smaller motorized vehicles become street-legal, the impact on safety might well become a concern for motorists since the regulations are not uniform from place to place.

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