Mills County board sets hearing on updated ATV, UTV ordinance

Mills County Courthouse

(Glenwood) -- Mills County officials are considering re-instating county ATV and UTV regulations.

During its regular meeting Tuesday, the Mills County Board of Supervisors set a public hearing for August 15th during its regular meeting for an updated ATV/UTV ordinance for recreational use. Several KMAland counties had been developing or adopting similar regulations before the Iowa Legislature passed a law in 2022 that put in place regulations for all of the state's gravel county roads. However, County Treasurer LuAnne Christiansen says at least one county in southwest Iowa still enforces its own regulations for certain roads.

"Pottawattamie (County) has done it all along, and we started doing it in '20 and '21, and then we quit in '22 when the Governor signed the law," said Christiansen. "I did speak with other counties and most of them are not, but Pottawattamie County is and they're charging $50 per road permit."

The county regulations would be in addition to state law that, among other things, requires those wanting to operate an ATV or UTV on two-lane state highways, unpaved county roads, or city streets to be 18 years of age, have a driver's license and proof of insurance, and register through the Iowa DNR. Christiansen added that they could remove the proof of insurance stipulation from the county ordinance to avoid redundancy. She said it should be easy enough for residents to complete the county and state registrations simultaneously.

"They could come in and just register it because they have to have it through the DNR," she said. "They wouldn't need proof of insurance, they would just need to show us the title and registration and that they are the owners."

The county ordinance also would require a decal to be placed on the rear of the vehicle, clearly visible, that is good for up to one calendar year. While the previous county ordinance had included a $30 annual fee, the board felt it would be fair to bump that up to $50 to match Pottawattamie County. Supervisor Richard Crouch adds they should also keep an eye on what types of vehicles would fall under local and state regulations.

"There's more and more of them running up and down my road all the time," said Crouch. "I'm also looking out in the future and they're getting these, what you might call, electric side-by-sides and everything else they're starting to sell for people to run around in. What are we going to do with them?"

The regulations would be strictly for recreational use as the state also provides exemptions for ATVs and UTVs for farm operations or agricultural purposes.

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