Boone County could become the most populous county in Kentucky to allow street-legal side-by-sides on public roads after officials held a public hearing on the idea Thursday, Sept. 24.
Assistant County Administrator Matt Dowling presented the Boone County Fiscal Court with an overview of how the county could regulate utility terrain vehicles (UTVs) on public roads, as first reported by LINK nky. The hearing drew residents who want to drive the vehicles for errands, recreation and winter chores like plowing snow.
No vote was taken. Judge/Executive Gary Moore and fiscal court members said they want to keep exploring the regulations.
UTVs seat passengers side-by-side, earning them the nickname "side-by-sides." Unlike all-terrain vehicles, which seat a single rider with handlebars, UTVs have a steering wheel and enclosed cab. Currently, 72 of Kentucky's 120 counties permit them on public roads, but most are rural. Boone County would be the most populous to join that list.
How the law works
Kentucky Senate Bill 63 became law March 26, 2025, without the governor's signature. It does not automatically put UTVs on public roads. Each county or city must pass its own ordinance.
Under state law, street-legal UTVs must have a roll bar or roll cage, seatbelts, headlights, taillights, brake lamps and turn signals. Owners must register the vehicle, carry motorcycle-level insurance and pass a certified inspection. The vehicles cannot travel more than 20 miles on a road with centerline markings and are banned from interstates and parkways.
Local governments can add their own rules on speed limits, helmets, passenger ages, doors, exhaust noise and mud control.
Enforcement headaches
Dowling flagged several concerns: noise complaints, trespassing, unauthorized use in county parks, mud on roadways and the difficulty of enforcing rules where city and county lines overlap.
"It would be very challenging from a law enforcement standpoint … (and) anyone involved to really manage this program, if the … cities and the county have differing rules and regulations," Dowling said at the hearing.
He pointed to subdivisions where one stretch of road falls within Florence and the next within Union. If the cities and county adopt different rules, enforcement gets complicated fast.
Residents speak up
Jerry Palmer, a Boone County resident, told the fiscal court he uses his UTV to plow snow in winter and help his elderly mother who lives nearby. He called the vehicles useful for both everyday tasks and recreation.
Commissioner Chet Hand first asked county staff to study the issue in June. He cited neighboring Grant County as a jurisdiction that has already passed a UTV ordinance.
The next Boone County Fiscal Court meetings are Tuesday, Oct. 6, at 8:30 a.m. and Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 5:30 p.m. at the Boone County Administration Building, 2950 Washington St., Burlington. No vote on the UTV ordinance has been scheduled.
