Kentucky

ORV Visible Identification

Kentucky does not require visible identification on ORVs.

View our report to learn more about the 37 states that do require visible identification. Learn how Kentucky ranks compared to other states on visible identification requirements.

Recent Legislative Action

2009

HB53: Requires ORV titling and bans from paved roads (3/24/09: Enacted)

2008

SB 196: Expand the Recreational Trails Authority membership and charge it with running an informational campaign on responsible riding focusing on implications of trespass, vandalism, and littering. It also directs the Authority to study ATV trespassing and gives authority to local governments to charge a general use permit. (Signed into law, 4/11/08)

HB613: Establish a permit for ATVs and authorizes state agencies to designated riding trails. (3/13/08: Passed House, Sent to Senate)

HJR153: Calls for study of ways to increase responsible riding and reduce ATV-related trespassing. (3/14/08: Passed House, Sent to Senate)

2007

HJR14: Direct the Kentucky Recreational Trails Authority to study illegal trespass by ATV users on private and public property; direct the Governor to appoint a member to the authority representing Kentucky Farm Bureau. (2/12/07: Passed House, Sent to Senate)

Community Voices Demand Action in Kentucky

Kentuckians are increasingly voicing their concerns about a growing contingent of reckless riders who break the law, damage public and private land, injure themselves and others, and ruin hunting, fishing and hiking experiences for the rest of us.

• "One of the more common problems is the use of all-terrain vehicles in the forest, and ATV use is prohibited in the Shawnee." -- Bob Monroe, USFS recreation staff officer for the Shawnee's Hidden Spring District, The Paducah Sun (11/17/08)

• "Promoting a network of trails for ATVs invites the worst, not the best, in nature tourism. Just ask the citizens of Laurel County near the notorious '909 Site,' which was finally closed due to the devastation wreaked by ATVs. You'll hear tales of trespassing and threats against landowners - provided they're not still too intimidated to talk." -- Al Fritsch (Ravenna) and Kristin Johannsen (Berea), Letter to the Editor, "Real ecotourists wouldn't damage land with ATVs", Lexington Herald-Leader (10/17/08)

• "We've had some problems on farms where they get out on somebody's land and run some of the crop." -- David Maddox, Marshall County Sheriff's Department Chief Deputy, "Off-road fun, on-road danger: Misuse of ATVs can send riders to hospital or worse", The Paducah Sun (9/28/08)

• "We've had people who do doughnuts on ATVs out on our gravel roads, and it damages our roads...I've encountered people who seem to think that buying an ATV guarantees them a place to ride it, but besides being destructive to wildlife habitat, ATVs are very disruptive to other people who use management areas, people who are licensed hunters and fishermen and are, in effect, paying the bills for the area." -- Tim Kreher, manager of West Kentucky Wildlife Management Area, "Off-road fun, on-road danger: Misuse of ATVs can send riders to hospital or worse", The Paducah Sun (9/28/08)

• "Right now there is no organization. We have four-wheelers everywhere. We have trespassing everywhere." -- Daniel Mongiardo, Lt. Gov. of Kentucky, "Pledge given to protect trails", Lexington Herald-Leader (9/5/08)

• "If Lt. Gov. Daniel Mongiardo wants to promote Kentucky as a destination for adventure tourism, he should make clear that ATVs don't belong in wildlife areas, nature preserves or parks...Irresponsible off-roaders tear through woods and streams, with no regard to property lines or trail markings, leaving giant mud holes, invasive species and wrecked streams in their paths. The public's interest is in enforcing the law to protect public and private property, not inviting more destruction." -- Lexington Herald-Leader Editorial Board, "Keep ATVs in their place", Lexington Herald-Leader (8/22/08)

• "...we should be very careful about opening public land to ATVs. They can do a lot of environmental damage, especially in areas with steep hills or sandy soil. Big ATV wheels dig up vegetation that holds soil in place, allowing erosion that sends silt into steams and rivers. Much of the erosion around Red River Gorge eventually ends up in the Kentucky River, which is the water supply for Lexington and many other towns." -- Tom Eblen, Lexington Herald-Leader Columnist, "4-wheeler traffic erodes scenic arch", Lexington Herald-Leader (8/21/08)

• "We have a constant problem with ATVs running through and doing damage to the grasses and so on, cutting off trails and running up hills." -- Taylor Orr, Kentucky Wildlife Commission, "'Adventure tourism' push stirs concerns", Lexington Herald-Leader (8/21/08)

Recent ORV-Related Media Coverage