ATVs | All-Terrain Vehicles
- No person under age 12 may operate an ATV on any area open to the public.
- All ATV operators at that have had their 12th birthday must possess a valid ATV/UTV Safety Certificate issued by this state or any other state or province. Operators must be in possession of this certificate while operating in areas open to the public such as trails, routes and frozen waterways and display it to a law enforcement officer upon request. Certified operators may transport other passengers. ATV Safety Institute (ASI) certificates are not valid in Wisconsin.
- ATV operators under age 12 may operate on private land if they are under the supervision of an adult. No safety certificate is required while operating on private property owned by the operator’s immediate family or other private property with permission if they are accompanied by a designated adult.
- No operators under age 12 may operate on a roadway for any reason, even to cross.
- All ATV safety certified operators between ages 12 and 15 must also be accompanied by an adult while operating on a designated ATV route except for operation for agricultural purposes with adult supervision.
- Links to ATV/UTV safety courses are included at the bottom of the page.
UTVs | Utility Terrain Vehicles
- No person under age 16 may operate a UTV on any area open to the public.
- All UTV operators that have had their 16th birthday must possess a valid ATV/UTV Safety Certificate issued by this state or any other state or province. Operators must be in possession of this certificate while operating in areas open to the public such as trails, routes and frozen waterways and display it to a law enforcement officer upon request. Certified operators may transport other passengers. ATV Safety Institute (ASI) certificates and Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle Association (ROVHA) certificates are not valid in Wisconsin.
- UTV operators under age 16 may operate on private land if they are under the supervision of an adult. No safety certificate is required while operating on private property owned by the operator’s immediate family or other private property with permission if they are accompanied by a designated adult.
- All UTV passengers must have their seatbelts fastened at all times.
- Links to ATV/UTV safety courses are included at the bottom of the page.
Other General Reminders
- All ATV/UTV operators and passengers under age 18 must wear a DOT-approved helmet with the chin strap properly fastened. Bicycle helmets are not acceptable. Goggles and visors are optional but at minimum should be DOT-approved.
- Helmets are not required for the following situations:
- The person is at least 18 years of age.
- The person is traveling for the purpose of hunting or fishing and is at least 12 years of age.
- The ATV or UTV is being operated for an agricultural purpose.
- The ATV or UTV is being operated by a person on land under the management and control of the person’s immediate family.
- The person is being transported for medical reasons while under the care of emergency personnel, or the operator is an emergency responder who is responding to an emergency.
- Helmets are not required for the following situations:
- All ATV trails are generally open to UTVs unless specifically signed as closed to UTVs.
- A trail is different than a route and will generally never be on a road or in a ditch. You are only likely to be on a road involving a trail when you cross the road at marked intersections. The county, town, city or village may designate corridors on land it controls to be used as ATV trails.
- Some trails may be designated as multiple use trails. On these trails, you could encounter other traffic such as horses, motorcycles, ATVs, UTVs and bicyclists.
- Do not assume that you can ride on or next to roads (ditches) the same way snowmobilers do. These general allowances do not exist for ATV/UTV operation.
- ATVs/UTVs are required to have lighted headlamp(s) and tail lamp(s) at all times during operation.
- Passengers are only allowed on machines sold as 2 or more person machines. No person may ride in or on any part of an ATV or UTV that is not designed or intended to be used by passengers. Aftermarket seating does not comply with the new law change.
- Children that are still using a 5 point harness car seat or booster seat in an automobile do NOT have any special requirements for riding UTVs other than the normal DOT-approved helmet and wearing a seatbelt.
- FYI: I (Krystle Holt) personally called the Wisconsin DNR on March 25th, 2024 and asked specifically if a 5 point harness car seat or booster seat could be used in a UTV. The man I spoke to (Casey) said that YES, you CAN use a 5 point harness car seat in a UTV as long as it is securely fastened/seat belted tightly with the belt locked (as you would in an automobile. Booster seats can also be used, but do not need to be fastened/seat belted in, as they are not fastened/seat belted in, in an automobile. Smaller children at the very least should use a booster seat to allow for the seat belt to be more at the chest level of the child.
ATV/UTV Safety Certification Courses
- Safety certification is obtained by completing a classroom course or an online course. Links to the Wisconsin DNR approved courses are provided below.
- Prior to enrolling in a safety course, you must obtain a DNR customer identification (account) number. You can do so by visiting GoWild.wi.gov, by calling 888-936-7463, or by visiting a DNR Service Center. If you purchased a Wisconsin hunting or fishing license in the past, you already have a customer account.
Other Resources