OLE Logo    
Commonwealth of Massachusetts  
Massachusetts Environmental Police  

Aaron Gross, Director

  
   

Massachusetts Recreation Vehicle Safety Laws

 
 
The following abstracts summarize some important Massachusetts recreation vehicle laws as of
August 2001. For the complete law refer to Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 90B (Sections 20-
35) and 323 Code of Massachusetts Regulations 3.00, available in booklet form. 
 
Recreation Vehicle-Defined:
Any motor vehicle designed or modified for use over unimproved terrain, if used for recreation or pleasure
off a public way. Also, includes all legally registered motor vehicles when used off a public way. Any
motor vehicle registered under Chapter 90 will not be subject to registration under Chapter 90B, but must
display a current motor vehicle registration.
 
Age Restrictions:  No person under 14 years of age shall operate a recreation vehicle, except as
provided below:
  • A person who is 12 or 13 years of age may operate if directly supervised by a person 18 years of age or older.
  • A person, who is 10 or 11 years of age, may operate if directly supervised by a person 18 years old or older and the vehicle is operated on land upon which the operator lives.
  • A person under 14 years of age may operate in a sanctioned race, rally, or organized event, which has been approved by the appropriate local authority.
  • Under no circumstances, may a person operate who is less than 10 years of age.
  • No person under the age of 16 and ½ years of age shall operate a recreation vehicle across a public way.
 
Prohibited Operation: The following are examples of prohibited operation:
  • Operating under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
  • Operating on public ways or upon the right-of-way limits of a controlled access highway.
  • Failure to come to a complete stop when crossing a public way (must yield to motor vehicle traffic). No person under 16½ years of age shall operate across a public way.
  • Operating so as to endanger any person or property.
  • Operating at an unreasonable, improper, and unsafe speed for existing conditions.
  • Operating on land of another without permission of the owner. (Permission may be given to an individual or group).
  • Operating within 150 feet of an occupied residence without permission of the owner.
  • Operating on an ocean beach or sand dune in a manner so as to destroy, damage or break down any beach, dune or dune grass.
  • Operating in a manner so as to harass or chase wildlife or domestic animals.
  • Operating on a wetland such as a bog, marsh, or swamp so as to destroy or damage the wetland, if such area has been designated and posted as a protected wetland area.
  • Operating in Wildlife Management Areas.
 
Safety Equipment: Persons operating or riding on a recreation vehicle shall wear an approved helmet.
Each recreation vehicle  must also be equipped with an adequate braking system. An adequate muffler
designed to reduce unusual or excessive noise and obnoxious fumes is required. Each recreation
vehicle must be equipped with and display after sunset, one or more headlights, a red rear light and red
rear reflector. Trailers attached to recreation vehicle must have a red rear reflector.
 
Trail Etiquette:  Observing trail etiquette is important, particularly when trails are heavily used.  Whenever
possible all recreation vehicles shall keep to the right side of trails. Please stay within the trail corridor
and respect adjacent private and public land. When passing hikers, horseback riders, and other such
trail users, operators shall reduce speed, yield right-of-way, and not pass until it can be accomplished
with complete safety. Operators shall not accelerate until beyond 50 feet of such trail users.
 
Registration, Decals and Trail Permits:  
  • Recreation vehicles operated on public or private property must be registered through the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, except if used solely on land owned by the operator. Out-of-state recreation vehicle registrations are not valid in Massachusetts.
  • The registration certificate shall be in possession for examination by a law enforcement officer or landowner.
  • The registration plate shall be displayed on the back of each recreation vehicle.
  • For further registration information call (617) 626-1610.
 
Violations:  To report violations of off-road recreation vehicle, environmental, or wildlife laws please contact the Environmental Police Radio Communications Center at 1-800-632-8075.
 
Riding Area Information:  The Department of Conservation and Recreation has designated areas and trails for the use of recreation vehicles. For additional information contact the regional DCR offices or their main Boston office at (617) 626-1250.
 
Accidents:  The operator or owner of a recreation vehicle involved in a collision, accident or other such causality resulting in death or injury to a person or damage to property in excess of $50.00 shall notify a law enforcement officer immediately and file a written report of the incident with the Massachusetts Environmental Police within 48 hours. To obtain accident report forms or further safety/legal information contact the Boat & RV Safety Bureau at (508) 759-0002.
 
 
This is only a summary of some recreation vehicle laws, which are subject to change. You must
know and observe all local, state, and federal laws. For further information on recreation vehicle laws
contact Massachusetts Environmental Police at (508) 759-0002.
 
 
Boat and Recreation Vehicle Safety Bureau
5205 Ent Street
Buzzards Bay, MA 02542-9998
Phone: 508-564-4961
FAX: 508-564-4961
 
Page Last Updated:  12/15/2011 Contact Us
Accessibility Statement Privacy Policy
Commonwealth of Massachusetts Home Page Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs

|| Home || EOEEA || Dept. of Agricultural Resources || Dept. of Conservation and Recreation || Dept. of Environmental Protection || Dept. of Fish and Game || Division of Conservation Services || Mass Environmental Policy Act || Coastal Zone Management||MassGIS||OLE||Water Resources Commission || Licenses ||