The Legislature has enacted several laws that affect the regulation of Off-Road Vehicles (ORVs) on public roads. Public Acts 117-119 of 2013 amended various sections of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act (NREPA) to expand the areas where ORVs may be allowed on county roads and state highways from certain northern counties to the entire state. As a result, the authority to permit ORVs on public roadways has now been extended to all “southern counties” which are defined as Muskegon, Kent, Ionia, Clinton, Shiawassee, Genesee, Lapeer, or Macomb counties and any other county lying south of those counties. Public Acts 117-119 address the authority of all counties, cities, villages, and townships throughout Michigan to permit the operation of ORVs on public roadways and to close county roads to ORVs when otherwise permitted by county or local ordinance.
If you have any questions regarding these legislative changes or if your local unit of government wishes to consider an ordinance permitting the operation of ORVs or closing roads to ORVs when otherwise permitted, please do not hesitate to contact us.