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OHV operator age / safety cert laws by state

People search “OHV operator age / safety cert by state”, “OHV operator age / safety cert laws by state”, and “OHV age map” when a road trip, boat, bike, or load is about to cross a line. This page is the 50-state index for ohv operator age / safety cert. Colors and quotes are written for someone in that state today, not for what that state demands of its own registered vehicles.

Open the OHV age difference map

How states differ

Minimum age, adult supervisor, and safety certificate on public OHV land — dirt bike / OHM, not the street license.

  • Every operator on public land needs this state’s OHV / ATV safety card
  • Published min age and/or under-X adult + certificate
  • Age/cert statute is ATV-framed; no dirt-bike / OHM trail-age sentence found
  • No statewide dirt-bike / OHV-trail operator-age statute found

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If you typed any of these — or a close variant with a state name — this is the Crosstatelaws topic that should show up:

  • OHV operator age / safety cert by state
  • OHV operator age / safety cert laws by state
  • OHV age laws by state
  • OHV operator age / safety cert map
  • OHV operator age / safety cert traveling across state lines
  • does ohv operator age / safety cert change by state
  • dirt bike age limit by state
  • OHV safety certificate required
  • minimum age to ride a dirt bike on public land
  • OHV operator age / safety cert in California / Texas / Florida / New York
  • is ohv operator age / safety cert legal while traveling

All 50 states

One-line traveler summary for each state. Open the map for the quoted rule and footnotes.

Alabama (AL)
Alabama: No statewide dirt-bike / OHV-trail operator-age or safety-certificate statute found.
Alaska (AK)
Alaska: No statewide OHV-trail minimum age found. Anchorage / Nome local ages exist — not this card.
Arizona (AZ)
Arizona: A.R.S. § 28-1174 publishes no numeric trail floor and no ASI / OHV certificate. Under-12 language is operation/citation rules, not a ban.
Arkansas (AR)
Arkansas: ATV-only: under 12 needs an 18+ supervisor or parent land (A.C.A. § 27-21-107). Dirt-bike / OHM trail age: no statute found.
California (CA)
California: OHM: no min age — operator must reach all controls (CVC 38304). ATV: under 14 needs a parent/authorized adult (§ 38503); under 18 needs an ASI certificate, an adult who holds one, or an in-course ride.
Colorado (CO)
Colorado: Dirt trails: no published floor. Designated OHV roads: 10+. Unlicensed 10+ on those roads needs a licensed supervisor in visual contact (2 CCR 405-5).
Connecticut (CT)
Connecticut: ATV on state land: 12+. Ages 12–16 need an 18+ who completed the safety course. Under 18: ATV operation certificate (CGS §§ 23-26b, 23-26e). Dirt-bike / OHM: no statute found.
Delaware (DE)
Delaware: No hard floor. Under 12: 18+ direct supervision, or parent/guardian land (21 Del. C. § 6824). Ch. 68 includes 2-wheel OHVs.
Florida (FL)
Florida: No hard floor. Under 16: adult supervisor + approved OHV safety course. Nonresident in the state ≤30 days is exempt from the course (Fla. Stat. § 261.20(2)–(3)). Ch. 261 includes motorcycles.
Georgia (GA)
Georgia: No statewide dirt-bike / OHM trail-age or safety-certificate statute found.
Hawaii (HI)
Hawaii: No statewide public-OHV trail-age or safety-certificate statute found.
Idaho (ID)
Idaho: Trails / open areas / MX: no license or cert age. Unlicensed under 16 on state/federal roads (not the highway system): licensed adult 18+ within 300 ft. Unlicensed under 16 on USFS roads: IDPR-approved OHV course (Idaho Code §§ 49-302, 49-301).
Illinois (IL)
Illinois: No DNR-trail operator-age statute found. 625 ILCS 5/11-1426.1 is roadway non-highway vehicles — not a dirt-bike trail age.
Indiana (IN)
Indiana: No hard floor. Under 14: 18+ supervisor, or parent/guardian land. ORV includes OHM (IC 14-16-1-20). No statewide safety-certificate mandate.
Iowa (IA)
Iowa: No hard floor. Under 12 on public land/trail: parent/guardian 18+ with a DL (experienced) or a certified instructor (Iowa Code § 321I.21). ATV ages 12–17: education certificate. ORM is in the age rule and exempt from the ATV cert sections.
Kansas (KS)
Kansas: No statewide dirt-bike / OHM trail-age or safety-certificate statute found.
Kentucky (KY)
Kentucky: ATV-only: parent may not allow under 6; ANSI age-label (KRS 189.515). Dirt-bike / OHM trail age: no statute found.
Louisiana (LA)
Louisiana: No statewide dirt-bike trail-age statute found. R.S. 32:299 is farm-shoulder ATV, not trails.
Maine (ME)
Maine: 10+ (12 M.R.S. § 13154-A). Ages 10–15: adult + IFW-approved ATV course. The ATV chapter includes 2-wheel off-road motorcycles.
Maryland (MD)
Maryland: No statewide dirt-bike / OHM trail-age or safety-certificate statute found.
Massachusetts (MA)
Massachusetts: DCR land: 12+. Statewide recreation vehicle (includes dirt bikes): under 18 needs an approved recreation-vehicle safety course (M.G.L. c. 90B).
Michigan (MI)
Michigan: No hard floor. Under 16: direct visual adult + ORV safety certificate in possession. Under 12 may not cross a street (MCL 324.81129). ORV includes motorcycles.
Minnesota (MN)
Minnesota: OHM: 6+ to operate on public land (with cert). Ages 6–15: OHM safety certificate (nonresident MSF / other-state OK). Under 12: accompanied by 18+ (Minn. Stat. § 84.793).
Mississippi (MS)
Mississippi: No published numeric floor. Public property: driver’s license or an approved off-road safety course (Miss. Code § 63-31-3). The ATV definition in that chapter is 3+ tires — dirt-bike coverage is the “off-road vehicle” sentence, not the ATV definition.
Missouri (MO)
Missouri: No trail OHM age statute found. § 304.013 is highway ATV, not a dirt-bike trail age.
Montana (MT)
Montana: No statewide dirt-bike / OHM trail-age or safety-certificate statute found.
Nebraska (NE)
Nebraska: No statewide dirt-bike / OHM trail-age or safety-certificate statute found.
Nevada (NV)
Nevada: No statewide trail min age. Local option: under 16 visual 18+ on designated OHV highways (NRS 490.090–.130). No statewide safety card.
New Hampshire (NH)
New Hampshire: No hard floor. Under 14 on land not owned/leased by the family: 18+ who meets training/license (RSA 215-A:29). Ages 12+: OHRV training or DL evidence. OHRV includes trail bikes.
New Jersey (NJ)
New Jersey: No statewide dirt-bike / OHM trail-age or safety-certificate statute found.
New Mexico (NM)
New Mexico: Under 18: OHV safety permit (NMSA 66-3-1010.3). Under 10: age-appropriate ATV + visual supervision (ATV wording). Ages 10–17: visual parent/guardian/licensed 18+ unless 13+ motorcycle license + permit or 15+ DL/permit + OHV permit. OHV includes off-highway motorcycle.
New York (NY)
New York: No hard floor. NY ATV = 2+ wheels, so a dirt bike is an ATV. Under 14: adult (18+, or 16–17 with ASI cert) or parent land. Ages 14–15: same, or unsupervised with a DMV ATV safety certificate (VAT § 2410).
North Carolina (NC)
North Carolina: G.S. 20-171 is ATV-defined. Dirt-bike / OHM trail age: no statute found.
North Dakota (ND)
North Dakota: 12+. Ages 12–15: Parks OHV safety certificate (or DL/permit). Under 16 without DL/permit/cert: parent land or organized event only (N.D.C.C. § 39-29-10). OHV includes dirt bikes.
Ohio (OH)
Ohio: No hard floor on parent land. Under 16 off parent land: accompanied by a licensed 18+. Public land/street: valid DL (ORC 4519.44). Off-highway motorcycle is named.
Oklahoma (OK)
Oklahoma: No statewide dirt-bike / OHM trail-age or safety-certificate statute found.
Oregon (OR)
Oregon: Class III (off-highway motorcycle): 7+. Every operator on public land needs a Class III ATV Safety Education Card (ORS 390.575 / 821.172). Under 16: accompanied by an 18+ who holds an ATV operator permit and can give immediate direction.
Pennsylvania (PA)
Pennsylvania: ATV on state land: 8+. Ages 8–15: safety certificate. Dirt-bike / OHM trail age: no statute found (75 Pa.C.S. § 7725 is ATV).
Rhode Island (RI)
Rhode Island: DEM land: 12+. Ages 12–15: adult + required safety course (250-RICR-80-00-8.13; R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-3.2-7).
South Carolina (SC)
South Carolina: ATV-only: 16 or younger must be accompanied by an adult (S.C. Code § 50-26-40). Dirt-bike / OHM trail age: no statute found.
South Dakota (SD)
South Dakota: No statewide dirt-bike / OHM trail-age or safety-certificate statute found.
Tennessee (TN)
Tennessee: No statewide dirt-bike / OHM trail-age or safety-certificate statute found.
Texas (TX)
Texas: Tex. Transp. Code ch. 551A age/cert is ATV/ROV/UTV/sand rail — § 551A.001 excludes a motorcycle. Dirt-bike trail age: no statute found. ATV-class under 14 on public OHV land: parent/authorized adult + safety cert path.
Utah (UT)
Utah: Every operator on public land/trail needs a Utah OHV education certificate — youth or adult (Utah Code § 41-22-31). No published numeric floor in the 2026 § 41-22-30 compilation (must reach every control). Under 18 with no DL: 18+ within 300 ft only on a public highway open to cars — not an exclusive OHV trail.
Vermont (VT)
Vermont: ATV: 12 to cross a highway; under 12 only parent land / written permission / 18+ supervisor. Under 18: safety education certificate (23 V.S.A. § 3506). Dirt-bike if it is not an ATV: no statute found.
Virginia (VA)
Virginia: No statewide dirt-bike / OHM trail-age or safety-certificate statute found.
Washington (WA)
Washington: RCW 46.09 has equipment and helmet — no trail minimum age or safety-certificate statute found.
West Virginia (WV)
West Virginia: No statewide dirt-bike trail-age statute found. Hatfield-McCoy (trail-system, not statewide): manufacturer min age; ORV 16+ with a DL (W. Va. CSR § 204-1-4).
Wisconsin (WI)
Wisconsin: No hard floor off-roadway. Under 12 may not operate on a roadway; under 12 off-roadway: parent/guardian or designated 18+. Born after Jan 1, 1998 and age 12+: OHM safety certificate (Wis. Stat. § 23.335(13)).
Wyoming (WY)
Wyoming: No published trail floor and no safety card. No DL required on designated ORV trails. W.S. 31-5-1601 is roads, not a trail age.

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Not legal advice. Confirm statutes before you travel. Disclaimer.