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Sunday, March 29, 2009

Ind. Law - "Indiana laws govern use of off-road vehicles"

The South Bend Tribune has an article today on the laws governing off-road vehicles (ORV). The long article begins:

With many Hoosiers enjoying the warmer weather and the outdoor activities associated with it, the Department of Natural Resources is reminding off-road vehicle operators about the laws regarding registration of their ORVs and them being operated on public roads.

All ORVs operated on public property must be registered with the DNR. In addition, all ORVs purchased after Dec. 31, 2003, must be registered.

Registration forms are available from most dealers, most license branches and the Department of Natural Resources Customer Service Center, or they can be printed from the Web site www.in.gov/dnr/ outdoor/ohv/ohvfaq.htm.

Any ORV five model years or less, and purchased after Dec. 31, 2005, must have a certificate of title from the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. This titling change came about to help curb the theft and sale of stolen ORVs from within Indiana and surrounding states.

Many ORV operators have been misinformed or have not taken the time to educate themselves about the laws pertaining to operating their ORVs on public roads, and in some counties this presents problems for law enforcement.

The article is useful and contains several links to more information, but nowhere in the article is the term "off-road vehicle" defined. So the ILB turned the the statute, IC 14-16-1, "Off-Road Vehicles," for a definition. In vain.

"Off-road vechicle" is not defined in the statute. The term "vehicle" is defined, at IC 14-16-1-7:

IC 14-16-1-7 "Vehicle" defined

Sec. 7. As used in this chapter, "vehicle" refers to an off-road vehicle or a snowmobile.
As added by P.L.1-1995, SEC.9. Amended by P.L.186-2003, SEC.40.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on March 29, 2009 09:05 AM
Posted to Indiana Law