The Michigan counties that allow ATVs on public roads are the ones whose boards of commissioners have adopted a road-use ordinance under Public Act 240 of 2008. There is no statewide list of open roads, and no county road is open by default. Most of the counties that have opted in sit in the northern Lower Peninsula and the Upper Peninsula, but even within an opted-in county, individual roads, townships, and villages can be closed to ATV traffic. Before you ride, check the ordinance for the specific county, and the specific township or municipality, where the road runs.
How a County Opens Its Roads to ATVs
State law gives eligible counties an opt-in. A county board of commissioners may adopt an ordinance authorizing ATV and other off-road vehicle operation on some or all county roads within its jurisdiction. Townships and municipalities within those counties can do the same for roads and streets they control. Before the vote, the county clerk must send certified-mail notice to the county road commission (and to the Department of Natural Resources if state forestland lies within the county) at least 45 days before a public hearing. Townships follow a similar process on a 28-day notice.
An ordinance is not the last word. The county road commission can still close specific roads to ATV traffic if operation there poses a demonstrable threat to public safety or the environment, though it cannot close more than 30 percent of the total linear miles of county roads under that authority. Townships and villages can also close roads within their borders that a county ordinance would otherwise open.
The practical effect is that coverage is patchwork. A road can be open on one side of a county line and closed on the other. Some ordinances restrict use to certain hours or seasons. Read the ordinance itself, and look for local signage, before you assume a route is legal.
Speed and How You Have to Ride
The maximum speed for an ATV on any road opened by ordinance is 25 miles per hour, or lower if the local ordinance posts a lower limit. The posted automotive speed limit does not matter. A 45-mph county road that allows ATVs is still a 25-mph road for you.
Ride with the flow of traffic on the far right of the maintained portion of the road. On state highway ATV connectors, use the right shoulder, or the right unmaintained portion if there is no adequate shoulder. Travel single file at all times, with the only exception being an active pass. Operating in a way that interferes with regular traffic is separately prohibited, which gives officers broad discretion to cite riders who weave or block lanes.
Equipment Your ATV Must Have
To be legal on a road opened by ordinance, an ATV needs:
- A hand- or foot-operated brake capable of decelerating at 14 feet per second on level ground at 20 miles per hour.
- A headlight and a taillight, both lit between half an hour after sunset and half an hour before sunrise.
- A brake light brighter than the taillight, visible from behind, that activates when the brake is engaged (required during that same nighttime window).
- A spark-arrester muffler approved by the U.S. Forest Service, in good working order and constant operation, with exhaust noise not exceeding 82 decibels for vehicles manufactured after January 1, 1986, measured at full throttle from 50 feet.
- A throttle that automatically returns to idle when the operator releases pressure.
Any of these missing or defective is a civil infraction carrying a fine of up to $500. The muffler standard trips people up most often; aftermarket exhaust that sounds fine on a private trail can fail the 82-decibel test.
ORV License, Title, and When Full Registration Kicks In
You need an ORV license from the Department of Natural Resources to ride on eligible county roads. It costs $26.25 per year and runs April 1 through March 31. The license also covers frozen surfaces of public waters, eligible state forest roads, and eligible national forest roads. A separate trail permit is needed for state-designated ORV trails and scramble areas; bundled with the license, the total is $36.25.
Michigan residents also have to obtain a certificate of title for the ATV through the Secretary of State, and the title application must be submitted within 15 days of purchase or transfer.
Titling and licensing are not the same as registration. A standard ATV titled for off-road use does not need a license plate, registration, or No-Fault insurance to use county roads under an ordinance. If you take the extra step of titling your ATV as an assembled vehicle for on-road use, it then needs a state-issued license plate, valid registration, and a Michigan No-Fault policy, just like a car.
Age and Driver’s License Rules
Children under 12 cannot cross any street, highway, or county road while operating an ATV. Riders between 12 and 15 may only cross roads, and only at right angles, under the direct visual supervision of an adult, and only if they hold a valid ORV safety certificate. For sustained travel on a road opened by ordinance, the practical minimum age is 16; the farming exception (below) sets 16 as its floor, and county ordinances generally align with or exceed that.
A driver’s license is not required for most standard four-wheel ATVs on county roads. State law triggers the license requirement only when the ATV is registered as a motor vehicle and is either more than 65 inches wide or has three wheels. A typical quad is under 65 inches with four wheels, so it falls outside that trigger. Individual county ordinances can impose their own license requirement, though, so check the local rules.
Insurance
Michigan does not require insurance for a standard off-road-titled ATV operated on county roads. Under the state’s No-Fault system, an ATV rider hit by a car can still receive medical benefits through the motor vehicle’s insurer without ever having carried coverage.
That is not a reason to ride uninsured. If you cause a crash and injure someone, you are personally liable for their damages. ATV-specific policies covering collision, theft, and liability are widely available. Note again that an ATV titled as an assembled on-road vehicle does require Michigan No-Fault coverage.
Riding on Roads in Counties Without an Ordinance
Even where a county has not opted in, state law allows a few specific road uses.
The farming exception is the most commonly used. A farmer, a farm employee, or a family member of a farmer who is at least 16 may operate an ATV on a street, county road, or highway while traveling between the farmer’s residence, work location, or fields during farming operations. The rules are specific:
- No operation from 30 minutes before sunset to 30 minutes after sunrise, or when visibility is substantially reduced by weather.
- The ATV must stay on the far right of the maintained portion, moving with traffic.
- It must display a reflective flag extending at least 8 feet from the road surface and at least 4 feet above the top of the vehicle. The flag itself must be at least 12 inches high by 18 inches long, with a minimum area of 100 square inches. A generic antenna flag from an auto parts store may not meet this.
Other exceptions include crossing a road at a right angle (subject to the age rules above), operating during a permitted special event, and use by permanently disabled persons in municipalities that have passed a separate enabling ordinance. There is no general “emergency” exception in the statute.
Penalties
Michigan splits ATV violations into civil infractions and misdemeanors. Most equipment and operating violations are civil infractions with fines up to $500. Misdemeanors carry up to 90 days in jail, a fine between $50 and $1,000, or both. Creating erosive conditions or damaging natural areas raises the minimum fine to $250 while keeping the 90-day maximum and $1,000 ceiling. Law enforcement can impound the ATV when the rider commits a misdemeanor-level violation or causes damage where the violation occurred.
Impaired Operation
Operating an ATV under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance is illegal and escalates quickly:
- First offense with no injuries is a misdemeanor with penalties comparable to the baseline ORV violations.
- Causing serious bodily injury is a felony punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine between $1,000 and $5,000.
- Causing death is a felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a fine between $2,500 and $10,000.
- A third or subsequent conviction, regardless of how many years have passed, is a felony carrying 1 to 5 years in prison and a fine between $500 and $5,000.
Riders under 21 face a zero-tolerance rule: any detectable bodily alcohol content is a violation, whether or not the rider appears impaired.