Know the critical stuff before you ride your ATV or UTV on Wisconsin trails and routes!

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The ordinance summaries below are current as of late 2024. We make every effort to ensure data is up to date and accurate, but we encourage you to explore the law resources listed above in case a change is missed.

Statewide Wisconsin ATV laws and regulations summary:

• ATVs & UTVs currently registered in WI do not need an additional trail pass to ride.
• Non-residents must purchase an ATV trail pass in order to ride – visit our page for info.
• Every driver and passenger that is under 18 years of age must wear a well-fitting, and fastened, DOT-compliant helmet (ie motorcycle or atv helmet). A bicycle helmet, or oversized adult helmet on a young child will NOT cut it folks!
• Age requirements- read beyond this summary too.
  • ATV drivers must be at least 12 years old and possess a safety certificate if born on or after Jan 1, 1988, plus- drivers 12-15 years old, must be accompanied by an adult when operating on a road.
  • UTV drivers must be at least 16 years old and possess a safety certificate if born on or after Jan 1, 1988
  • No ATV driver under the age of 12, and no UTV driver under the age of 16 may operate on a road
• All occupants in a UTV must wear a properly-fastened seatbelt.
• A driver’s license is NOT required to ride trails or road routes in Wisconsin.
• Liability insurance is NOT required to ride trails or road routes in Wisconsin – but it is highly recommended.
• There is no ‘access to the trail from lodging’ for ATVers on roads, or in road right-of-ways, shoulders, or ditches, as there is for snowmobilers- ATV/UTV riders must trailer their machines to a trail or legal route if their home or lodging is not located on a trail or legal route.
• You must slow your machine down to 10 mph when within 100 feet of any pedestrian, ice shanty/fisherman or any other non-motorized person, when on a road route, trail, frozen body of water.
• ATVs and UTVs cannot pass others on a road unless the vehicle they are passing is parked or at a standstill.
• ALL machines must have their headlights and taillights on- day or night
• Road routes- ride single file, stay on the right side of the paved portion (not on the shoulder), use hand signals or blinkers to indicate turns.
• It is illegal to drive an ATV or UTV drunk. Just don’t do it folks, I’ll soon have some great info on my Safety page, once I finish that.

Sawyer County-specific laws, regulations and pointers

• County Road ATV Ordinance adopted 2024. Essentially, all county roads, outside of the LCO Indian Reservation, were opened for ATV use in June of 2024.
• Most Sawyer County towns and municipalities have opened their local roads to ATV use. New in Trail Treker for 2025 and our paper map- towns open to ATV use will be indicated. (watch for a future page with town ATV info and local ordinances)
• Learn about the different road types – see Road Routes for further explanation.
• LCO Tribal Reservation – a large landowner with special ATV rules – see my page about riding through LCO for more information.
• State Highways (named with numbers) are NOT ATV routes unless specifically signed, and only a few, short segments are legal and signed in Sawyer County. For the love of Pete- quit riding on Hwy 63 anywhere in Sawyer County! You can cross it at intersections, but you can’t ride on Hwy 63!
• Road route speed limits- all roads in Sawyer County; the ATV speed limit on any legal route is the same as the regular vehicle traffic, unless posted otherwise.
• Currently we don’t have speed limits on most of our trails, but use common sense; stay to the right all the time, slow down around corners, and watch for other trail users you might encounter such as bikers, hikers, etc.
• UTV use is restricted on some trails once snowmobile grooming begins – only ATVs (no UTVs) that are 900 lbs. and under are allowed on our dual use trails. For full details can be found at Winter ATV/UTV Riding in Sawyer County.
• Federal, state, and county forest trails close each spring for ‘spring thaw’ – to prevent damage to trail beds while the ground thaws. Dates vary with each forest entity and may change with weather and trail conditions. Closure dates general fall between Mar 15 and May 15.
• The Tuscobia State Trail and nine-mile loop (Trails 10 & 11) are open year-round to both ATVs and UTVs other than when the Tuscobia is closed for hunting from Nov 15-Dec 15 annually.
• Trails within the Flambeau River State Forest in the SE area of Sawyer County, close to all ATV/UTV use annually from Nov 15-May 15
• Our map lists other regular trail closing dates- visit our Sawyer County Snowmobile & ATV Alliance Facebook page for updates on all trail open/close dates.
• ATVing is a major income stream for our community – but we are constantly under threat of losing routes and access – read on how you can help us keep the routes and trail access we enjoy, intact for future use.

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Visit The Driving Force page on ATV Registration and Trail Pass for info on trail passes, and where to get ATV trail passes in Sawyer County.

Wonder what tickets cost? Breeze through the WI forfeiture bond book to see how much stupidity might cost you on your ride…..

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