Minitruck state laws
August 2010
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Minitruck:
sold as off-road vehicles for farms and construction sites and are far smaller than conventional on-road small trucks; can reach top speeds of 55 mph or more, but many have governors to limit their speed to 25 mph
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Passenger car:
must comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, including crashworthiness standards
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Medium-speed vehicle:
has a speed of at least 30 but not more than 35 mph and has some safety equipment such as lights, reflectors, mirrors, parking brake, windshield, and safety belts
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Low-speed vehicle:
has a speed of at least 20 but not more than 25 mph, is used primarily for short trips and recreational purposes, and has some safety equipment such as lights, reflectors, mirrors, parking brake, windshield, and safety belts
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Golf cart:
designed and manufactured for operation on a golf course
Minitrucks are sold as off-road vehicles for farms and construction sites and are far smaller than conventional small trucks sold for on-the-road use. These vehicles go by many names, including Japanese minitruck, Kei truck, microtruck, and utility transportation vehicle. Minitrucks have the capacity to reach top speeds of 55 mph or more, but many are sold with governors to limit their speed to 25 mph.
Federal safety standards don't apply to minitrucks because they are sold as off-road vehicles, even though they are permitted on public roads in some states. Seventeen states now allow minitrucks on specific portions of public roads. In Illinois and Missouri, minitrucks are allowed only by local ordinance. 5 states (Illinois, Kansas, Maine, New Hampshire, and Tennessee) require minitrucks to comply with federal safety standards for low-speed vehicles.
The table below describes state laws that specifically address the use of minitrucks on public roads. In states without those laws, there may be provisions in other state laws, such as those permitting incidental use of off-road vehicles on public roads, that allow the limited use of minitrucks on public roads.
| Alabama |
no state law |
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| Alaska |
no state law |
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| Arizona |
no state law |
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| Arkansas |
07/30/09 |
roads with a posted speed limit of 55 mph or less excluding interstate highways and controlled access highways
|
55 mph
|
mini-truck
|
| California |
01/01/07 |
natural islands larger than 20,000 acres with a population greater than 4,000,000
|
no
|
autoette
|
| Colorado |
no state law |
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| Connecticut |
no state law |
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| Delaware |
no state law |
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| District of Columbia |
no law |
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| Florida |
06/16/09 |
roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less
|
35 mph
|
mini truck
|
| Georgia |
no state law |
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| Hawaii |
no state law |
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| Idaho |
01/01/09 |
local option
|
no
|
utility type vehicle (UTV)
|
| Illinois |
08/31/07 |
roads with a posted speed limit of less than 35 mph if allowed by local ordinance
|
25 mph
|
neighborhood vehicle
|
| Indiana |
no state law |
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| Iowa |
no state law |
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| Kansas |
07/01/08 |
public roads except interstate, federal or state highways; within corporate city limits if allowed under local ordinance
|
no
|
micro utility truck
|
| Kentucky |
no state law |
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|
|
| Louisiana |
08/15/08 |
roads with a posted speed limit of 55 mph or less except interstate highways, controlled access highways, or multi-lane divided highways with partial or no control of access
(effective 08/15/10) |
no
|
mini-truck
(effective 08/15/10) |
| Maine |
est. 9/09 |
roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less
|
25 mph
|
low-speed vehicle
|
| Maryland |
no state law |
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| Massachusetts |
no state law |
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| Michigan |
no state law |
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| Minnesota |
08/01/09 |
local option
|
local option
|
mini truck
|
| Mississippi |
no state law |
|
|
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| Missouri |
08/14/08 |
local option
|
45 mph
|
utility vehicle
|
| Montana |
no state law |
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|
|
| Nebraska |
01/01/11 |
any road except interstate highways, freeways or expressways
(effective 01/01/11) |
no
(effective 01/01/11) |
minitruck
(effective 01/01/11) |
| Nevada |
no state law |
|
|
|
| New Hampshire |
9/11/10 |
roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less located within 25 miles of the registrant's home or place of business
(effective 09/11/10) |
no
(effective 09/11/10) |
low-speed utility vehicle
(effective 09/11/10) |
| New Jersey |
no state law |
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| New Mexico |
no state law |
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| New York |
no state law |
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| North Carolina |
no state law |
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| North Dakota |
08/01/07 |
any paved road except highways with a posted speed of more than 65 mph
|
55 mph
|
off-highway vehicle
|
| Ohio |
no state law |
|
|
|
| Oklahoma |
11/01/08 |
any road except interstate highways
|
no
|
mini-truck
|
| Oregon |
no state law |
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| Pennsylvania |
no state law |
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| Rhode Island |
no state law |
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| South Carolina |
no state law |
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| South Dakota |
no state law |
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| Tennessee |
07/01/08 |
streets where the posted speed limit is less than 40 mph; a county or municipality may prohibit the operation of medium-speed vehicles on any road under its jurisdiction if the governing body of the county or municipality determines that such a prohibition is necessary in the interest of safety
|
35 mph
|
medium-speed vehicle
|
| Texas |
no state law |
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|
|
| Utah |
10/01/08 |
any road except an interstate freeway; limited access highway; street within a county of the first class; municipality that is within a county of the first class; or municipality with a population of 7,500 or more people
|
45 mph
|
off-highway vehicle or street-legal all-terrain vehicle
|
| Vermont |
no state law |
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| Virginia |
no state law |
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| Washington |
no state law |
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| West Virginia |
no state law |
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| Wisconsin |
no state law |
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| Wyoming |
01/01/08 |
any road except interstate highways
|
if a multipurpose vehicle is incapable of achieving the maximum speed allowed on the specific highway, it shall be operated on the extreme right hand edge of the roadway
|
multipurpose vehicle
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