New York State UTV Owners

dfeck · Apr 22, 2008

Hi,

I'm about to make a out-of-state private purchase of a Polaris Ranger and would like to know if I need to register my Polaris Ranger with New York State. I know all ATV's need registration in NYS but haven't found anything about the Ranger. I know I'll call the NYS DMV and they'll have no clue what a UTV is and assume it's a ATV. Can any NYS residents that own a UTV give me some insight?

Thanks,
Doug
Western, NY

Will_C · Apr 22, 2008

Doug,
As I understand it, the State views them the same as an ATV- if you are leaving your property, it should be registered and insured.
Will

Deerlope · Apr 22, 2008

My RTV is considered to be a tractor and has no VIN number to register it. I think that anything under 1200 pounds has to be registered.

dfeck · Apr 23, 2008

I called my John Deere dealer and he says they're considered a tractor and there's no need to register. Matter of fact he says the ONLY time he needed to register a Gator is when they're operated commercially within the city. I'm going to call the Polaris dealer and ask him the same question.

Doug

JDGREEN4ME · Apr 23, 2008

dfeck said:
I called my John Deere dealer and he says they're considered a tractor and there's no need to register. Matter of fact he says the ONLY time he needed to register a Gator is when they're operated commercially within the city. I'm going to call the Polaris dealer and ask him the same question.

Doug

Thats good to know, I live in PA but have property in NY and sometimes we have the Gator up there. I have a SMV on it but it isn't registered...

Double D · Apr 23, 2008

Doug,
As I recall anything self powered, under 1000 lbs, and less than 70 in. is considered an ATV in N.Y. and should be registered. The Term ATV does not apply to vehicles used for agricultural purposes as long as they aren't used for hire..

DD

dfeck · Apr 23, 2008

I called the local Polaris dealer and he says anything under 1000lbs needs to be registered in NYS. He says the Ranger does NOT need to be registered because of the weight. He did however say that the RZR needed to be registered because it weighs under 1000lbs. He seemed to know his stuff and said that NYS will probably include the UTV soon because of the amount of UTV's sold in the last few years.

Doug

jmfox · Apr 23, 2008

The UTV is too heavy to be consider an ATV (>1,000 lbs). There is no procedure to register your zero turn mower or your UTV.

jmf

art · Apr 23, 2008

They just had a ride at a club in the Adironacks and the police were on hand. Not good news as the rangers and RTV's and UTV's and everyone that thought they were exempt from having to register got tickets! It is a vague area that is not covered by DMV and it really is in the hands of the officer. The tickets were for liability insurance and registration. That being said, how do you register something that isn't recognized as a veichle?

Talking to a State Trooper that wasn't involved in this he told me it is a problem and it has been brought up to their attention at DMV. He to is a rider and I know he would like to see it delt with!

Albany is again with it's head buried in the sand! They will wake up when they realize they can make more revenue, might take several years before it will happen, they still try to ignore problems hoping that they won't have to deal with them and they will go away.

jmfox · Apr 23, 2008

art said:
It is a vague area that is not covered by DMV and it really is in the hands of the officer.

It seems that New York Vehicle & Traffic Law covers it. Note that we are not a police state so a policeman's ticket is not law.

jmf

§ 2281. Definitions. For the purposes of this article: 1. (a) "All
terrain vehicle" or "ATV" means any self-propelled vehicle which is
manufactured for sale for operation primarily on off-highway trails or
off-highway competitions and only incidentally operated on public
highways providing that such vehicle does not exceed seventy inches in
width, or one thousand pounds dry weight. Provided, however, this
definition shall not include a "snowmobile" or other self-propelled
vehicles manufactured for off-highway use exclusively designed for
travel on snow or ice, steered by skis or runners and supported in whole
or in part by one or more skis, belts or cleats which utilize an endless
belt tread.