Montana

ORV Visible Identification

Montana earned a B for its ORV registration and identification program. Read more from RTA's 2012 visible identification report.

Public Road Access

 Off-highway vehicles that have not been registered as street legal and do not display a license plate are permitted to cross roadways when necessary to access another authorized OHV area and to operate on certain forest development roads designated by the U.S. Forest Service. OHVs are permitted to operate on certain forest development roads designated by the U.S. Forest Service. Street legal OHVs are permitted on public roadways where the governing body with jurisdiction over the roadway has authorized OHV operation. 

Community Voices Demand Action in Montana

Montanans 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.

• "We continue to encounter problems with unlawful OHV use in Montana and really it's a problem in the entire West." -- Jim Kropp, law enforcement chief for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, "Stiff fines eyed for off-roading on closed lands", Associated Press, (3/19/09)

• "Illegal off-highway vehicle use is an issue all across the West. There are a lot more riders of off-highway vehicles than there were in the past..there are a certain amount of problems that come with that increased use." -- Jim Kropp, MT FWP Chief of Enforcement, "Illegal OHV use subject of proposed legislation", The Ravalli Republic (3/9/09)

• "But it's been our observation that ATV riders who disregard rules governing where they are allowed to go are more likely to also disregard rules of courtesy and outdoor etiquette — and in ATVers' cases it's pretty obvious who did the disregarding. That creates a very directed backlash that affects all riders, responsible or not." -- Great Falls Tribune Editorial Board, "Time for the annual reminder: Be a responsible ATV rider", Great Falls Tribune (10/9/09)

• "...an all-terrain vehicle operator who flouts the law by going off of authorized roads and trails will make things tougher for other riders in the long run. Such an ATV rider may get away with his destructive scofflaw activities for now, if only because authorities can't come even close to patrolling all of the millions of acres of public land and thousands of miles of roads and trails in Montana...But over the long haul, instances such as those cited in last Thursday's Outdoors section of the Tribune are likely to create a backlash among folks who might otherwise not care if an ATV rider wants to enjoy public lands with them." -- Great Falls Tribune Editorial Board, "ATV riders: Don't be the bad apples who spoil it for all", Great Falls Tribune (10/7/08)

• "They have been taking down fences and taking down signs. A lot of people don't know the rules and that is our responsibility to let them know, but a lot of people do know the rules. We have talked about it a lot — about how frustrating it is when we try to make it obvious to help people out by telling them with physical barriers and then have people destroy it the next weekend. Then the people who want to follow the rules don't know the rules." -- Tina Lanier, Belt District Ranger, "ATVs Scarring the Forest", Great Falls Tribune (10/2/08)

• "There are the people who seem to want to use the ATVs and do it right and then there is the other percentage, maybe 30 to 40 percent, who don't care about rules or regulations and seem to think they have a right to do what they want. They ride on routes they are not supposed to be on or routes with seasonal restrictions or they just go across country, which has not been legal since about 2000." -- Ron Wiseman, Judith District Ranger, "ATVs Scarring the Forest", Great Falls Tribune (10/2/08)

• “The more respect people have for public and private property, the more access is going to be open in the future.” -- Mark Jacobsen, Bureau of Land Management, "Crimes siphon money from outdoor programs — and could affect access, managers say", Billings Gazette (5/27/10)

• "You have to be responsible. If ATVs are misused you can cause a lot of damage. It takes a long time for the ground to recover if you get people in there when it is muddy. Like anything you have to be responsible and do what's right." -- Stan Paulson, ATV rider of Great Falls, "ATVs Scarring the Forest", Great Falls Tribune (10/2/08)

• "A [Montana Wildlife Federation] Landowner/Sportsmen Relations survey conducted in the autumn of 2007 identified increasing problems and intolerance for OHV hunters by private landowners. Averaged from nearly 150 private landowner respondents, the second most comment complaint was the improper use of motorized vehicles. More specifically, ATV users and abuse was indicated as two of the top ten influence’s on whether a landowner will or will not allow public hunting. Many went as far as saying that they give a preference to foot hunters over ATV and motorized hunters." -- "OHVs - Impacts, Conflicts & Solutions - Part II", Montana Wildlife Federation (August of 2008)

• "OHV issues occur on public and private land, but this [Montana Wildlife Federation] survey makes it clear OHV abuses hurt all hunters' chances for hunting access to private lands. If the trend continues, the FWP Commission has said hunters may see new restrictions on OHV use." -- Ray Paige, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks motorized trails specialist, "Are Off-Highway Vehicles and Hunting Compatible", Outdoor Central (8/20/08)

• "Off-road vehicles are powerful and popular machines with legitimate uses. But when they go where they're not appropriate, they steal opportunities from the rest of us. ATV riders should work to weed out those outlaws who damage the reputation of responsible ATV users who conscientiously obey the law." -- Greg Munther, Chair, Montana Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, "Montana outdoors group pays reward to deter illegal off-road vehicle use", The Missoulian (9/11/10)

• "We recognize that most OHV users are respectful of others and that they obey the law, but we're increasingly fielding complaints regarding the illegal and irresponsible use of OHVs while hunting... OHV users need to address these issues or they may soon face the kinds of restrictions and penalties the FWP Commission was asked to establish." -- Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Spokesman Ron Aasheim, "Complaints grow with growing OHV use", Great Falls Tribune (10/11/07)

• "There has just been so much damage to the resources... You can pull up images on Google Earth and see the impact. It looks like a spider web. That's all from dirt bikes. To me it's pretty impressive that we have so much resource damage that you can see it from a satellite." -- Missoula County Sheriff Mike McMeekin, "County turning away ATV riders in Deep Creek area", The Missoulian (6/22/08)

• “These types of illegal trails are not uncommon on National Forest System lands. They are usually located in the worst
  possible sites causing erosion and weed infestations.” -- Ron Archuleta, Livingston District Ranger, "Man to pay $27K for building ATV trail in Gallatin National Forest", Bozeman Daily Herald (1/15/10)

• "Bad guys abuse public land. Good guys take care of it. We are seeing too much lawlessness and damage on Montana's national forests. It's time for Montanans to stand up for the land that belongs to all of us." -- Hunter Joe Hundley, "Backcountry hunters and anglers offer reward for ATV violations", Great Falls Tribune (8/30/07)

Recent ORV-Related Media Coverage