HF 2242 (LSB 5504YH (1) 83)

HOUSE FILE 2242

BY  MAY, ALONS, WATTS, and QUIRK

A BILL FOR

An Act relating to the operation of all-terrain vehicles on highways, providing a registration fee, and making a penalty applicable.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  Section 321.117, Code 2009, is amended to read as follows:
   321.117  Motorcycle, all-terrain vehicle, motorized bicycle, ambulance, and hearse fees.

   For all motorcycles the annual registration fee shall be twenty dollars. For all motorized bicycles the annual registration fee shall be seven dollars. When the motorcycle is more than five model years old, the annual registration fee shall be ten dollars.

   1.  The annual registration fee for a motorcycle is twenty dollars. When the motorcycle is more than five model years old, the fee is ten dollars. For purposes of registration under this section, “motorcycle” includes an all-terrain vehicle as provided in section 321.234A, subsection 4A.
   2.  The annual registration fee for a motorized bicycle is seven dollars.
   3.  The annual registration fee for ambulances and hearses shall be is fifty dollars. Passenger car plates shall be issued for ambulances and hearses.
    Sec. 2.  Section 321.234A, subsection 2, Code 2009, is amended to read as follows:
   2.  A person operating an all-terrain vehicle on a highway shall have a valid driver’s license and the. Unless registered pursuant to subsection 4A, an all-terrain vehicle shall be operated at speeds of thirty-five miles per hour or less.
    Sec. 3.  Section 321.234A, Code 2009, is amended by adding the following new subsection:
   NEW SUBSECTION.  4A.  a.  An all-terrain vehicle with four or more wheels and a combustion engine having a piston or rotor displacement of two hundred centimeters or more may be issued a certificate of title under this chapter and registered as a motorcycle pursuant to section 321.117 to be operated on highways. An all-terrain vehicle registered as a motorcycle is subject to the lighting and equipment requirements applicable to motorcycles under this chapter.
   b.  A person shall not operate an all-terrain vehicle registered as a motorcycle on an interstate.
    Sec. 4.  Section 321I.9, unnumbered paragraph 1, Code 2009, is amended to read as follows:
   Registration under this chapter shall not be required for the following described all-terrain vehicles:
    Sec. 5.  Section 321I.9, Code 2009, is amended by adding the following new subsection:
   NEW SUBSECTION.  4.  All-terrain vehicles, as defined in section 321.1, which are titled and registered in accordance with section 321.234A, subsection 4A.
    Sec. 6.  Section 321I.31, subsection 1, Code 2009, is amended to read as follows:
   1.  The owner of an all-terrain vehicle acquired on or after January 1, 2000, other than an all-terrain vehicle used exclusively as a farm implement or, an all-terrain vehicle titled and registered in accordance with section 321.234A, subsection 4A, or a motorcycle previously issued a title pursuant to chapter 321, shall apply to the county recorder of the county in which the owner resides for a certificate of title for the all-terrain vehicle. The owner of an all-terrain vehicle used exclusively as a farm implement may obtain a certificate of title. A person who owns an all-terrain vehicle that is not required to have a certificate of title may apply for and receive a certificate of title for the all-terrain vehicle and, subsequently, the all-terrain vehicle shall be subject to the requirements of this chapter as if the all-terrain vehicle were required to be titled. All all-terrain vehicles that are titled shall be registered.
EXPLANATION
   This bill allows all-terrain vehicles of a certain size to be operated on noninterstate highways.
   Under the bill, an all-terrain vehicle that has four or more wheels and a combustion engine having a piston or rotor displacement of 200 centimeters or more may be issued a certificate of title by the county treasurer and registered as a motorcycle for operation on highways, subject to the lighting and equipment requirements applicable to motorcycles. The annual registration fee is $20, and when the vehicle is more than five model years old, the fee is reduced to $10. Pursuant to current law, a vehicle subject to registration is also subject to a fee for new registration in the amount of 5 percent of the purchase price, payable upon application for a new registration and certificate of title.
   Currently, a person operating an all-terrain vehicle on a highway is required to have a valid driver’s license and limit the vehicle’s speed to 35 miles per hour or less. The bill specifies that an all-terrain vehicle registered as a motorcycle is not subject to the 35-mile-per-hour speed limitation, but operation is restricted to noninterstate highways. 
   The bill makes conforming amendments to provide that an all-terrain vehicle that is titled and registered as a motorcycle for operation on highways under Code chapter 321 is exempt from the registration requirements for all-terrain vehicles and off-road utility vehicles administered by the department of natural resources under Code chapter 321I.
   A violation of provisions governing the operation of all-terrain vehicles on a highway is a simple misdemeanor, punishable by a scheduled fine of $50.