ATV Licensing In
Nebraska
by Dan
Nitzel, Business Manager and Co-founder
Nebraska Off Highway Vehicle Association
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According to news articles on our state newspapers, several Nebraska State Senators are planning to propose voluntary or mandatory licensing of ATVs in Nebraska. While exact details are not known at this time, NOHVA has called and written key state senators that were mentioned as promoting the licensing of ATVS and has asked to be involved in the drafting of legislation. No response has been received from them – yet.
This is not a good sign for recreational ATV trail users as State Senators know little about where we ride, our interests, our economic impact, the dynamics of our sport and our desires for public places to ride in the future. All of the manufacturers of ATVs are extremely opposed to the licensing of ATVs for use on streets, roads and highways due to a long history of lawsuits.
The end result of a state-wide licensing program for ATVs is to create a way to identify ATVs in the event of a theft, but would also require owners to pay taxes and carry insurance. Authorities would have your registration information and would know where ATV owners live. In December, NOHVA held a special meeting to decide how our members felt on these issues. Here are some of our concerns –
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ATV operators may be required to have a drivers license. Would riders be required to have a drivers license on trails? What about children who ride ATVs on trails, will they be excluded?
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Licensed ATVs would be required to pay property taxes. None of the taxes collected would be used for trails, and about 66% would go the your local school district.
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NOHVA is very concerned about what could happen to sport type ATVs. Sport type are machines that include stock and modified Raptors, Banshees, EX300, EX400, KFXs, 450s, performance two wheel and four wheel drive ATVs. Some towns that now allow ATVs on their local streets and roads allow only utility machines to use the streets and roads and do not allow sport type machines. Will the state carry this policy over into legislation?
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Will ATVs be required to be licensed to ride on public trails at the Nebraska National Forest near Halsey or the Headworks OHV Park near Genoa? This is a very real possibility. If so, and if you own a sport machine, drag racing or pulling ATV, in all likely hood you will not be able to be license it and thus would not be allowed to ride at some or all or the public areas in Nebraska. If special consideration is not made for the sport riders and sport and competitive ATVs, WHERE will the owners of these machines be allowed to ride?
NOHVA believes that the utility, sport and competitive ATV users in Nebraska should NOT be discriminated against, and we think that we should not be taxed unless there are funds set aside to help fund existing ATV trails and develop new places to ride ATVs in Nebraska.
More on this issue will be emailed to our members and posted on this web site as it develops and as soon as we see the proposed legislation. I will have more information at our Annual Meeting on January 18th in Grand Island.
For now, if you know who your State Senator is, call or write them and tell them YOUR concerns. To find your State Senator, visit: http://www.nebraskalegislature.gov/senators/senator_find.php
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and non-member rider survey, click on one of the links below -