SF 2042 (LSB 5609XS (1) 90)

SENATE FILE 2042

BY  LOFGREN

A BILL FOR

An Act relating to the operation of off-road utility vehicles on state park road systems.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  Section 321I.10, Code 2024, is amended by adding the following new subsection:
   NEW SUBSECTION.  2A.  A registered off-road utility vehicle may be operated on state park road systems, and may be operated anywhere within the boundaries of a state park that a motor vehicle required to be registered under chapter 321 is authorized to operate.
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   Current law generally prohibits the operation of all- terrain vehicles (ATVs) and off-road utility vehicles (UTVs) on roadways and highways unless otherwise authorized by law. Registered ATVs and UTVs are allowed to operate on undivided two-lane primary highways that are not part of the interstate road system between specified locations, on unpaved secondary roads, on certain paved, undivided secondary roads between specified locations, or on roads or streets otherwise authorized by the county board of supervisors or a city.
   This bill authorizes registered UTVs to be operated on state park road systems, and anywhere within the boundaries of a state park that a motor vehicle required to be registered under Code chapter 321 (motor vehicles and law of the road) is authorized to operate. “State park road system” means those roads and streets wholly within the boundaries of state lands operated as parks (Code section 306.3).
   A person who violates Code section 321I.10 commits a simple misdemeanor punishable by a scheduled fine of $70.
   Pursuant to Code section 461A.36, the maximum speed limit of all vehicles on state park roads and highways is 35 miles per hour, unless a lower speed limit is posted. All driving must be confined to designated roadways. A violation of this provision is a simple misdemeanor punishable by a scheduled fine under Code section 805.8A(5). The amount of the fine is based on the vehicle’s speed in excess of the applicable limit.