The word from COHVCO is that this law which has been on the books since 1991 is now gonna be enforced. Plated bikes will need an OHV tag to ride th trails.

The statute:

33-14.5-112. Off-highway use permit

On and after January 1, 1991, the owner of every vehicle required to be registered pursuant to article 3 of title 42, C.R.S.

Taxing scheme applies to vehicles to be operated on Colorado highways. The taxing scheme applies, with some exceptions, to all vehicles which are owned by Colorado residents and are primarily designed to be operated on Colorado highways. Sifuentes v. Weed, 186 Colo. 109, 525 P.2d 1157 (1974).][/size][/font], and the owner or operator of every motor vehicle and off-highway vehicle from another state or country, when such vehicle is being used for recreational travel upon designated off-highway vehicle routes, shall obtain and display on such vehicle an off-highway use permit.

This statute would require plated vehicles on designated OHV routes to have a permit. A vehicle registered pursuant to article 3 of title 42 would be a street legal, plated vehicle. OHV registrations and OHV permits both cost $25.25, but are not the same thing.

33-14.5-101. Definitions.

(4) "Off-highway vehicle route" means any road, trail, or way owned or managed by the state or any agency or political subdivision thereof or the United States for off-highway vehicle travel.

Funds collected from OHV registrations and permits go into a dedicated fund for the State OHV program and last year over $4,000,000 of grants were given out to the FS, BLM, state and local governments for OHV trail projects.

This season:

State Parks OHV Trail Rangers began an educational effort on plated vehicles who do not have a "permit" as the statute requires. CO statute requires both residents and non-residents to purchase an OHV "permit" if they have a plated vehicle traveling on a designated OHV route or have an OHV with an OHV registration from their home state and they will be in CO for less than 30 consecutive days.

FS MVUMs identify trails for all vehicle types including "trails open to all Vehicles" (full size included), "trails open to vehicles 50" or less" or "trails open to motorcycles only". State Parks officers are considering these "trails" as the routes at a minimum which will require a CO OHV Permit for travel on with a plated vehicle of any type. Educational efforts and any verbal warnings will be limited to these routes that are designated as "trails". No citations have been issued by State Parks officers and any warned users have been given a copy of the statute or had the statute explained. Parks officers have also visited powersport dealers when possible to discuss statute and its requirements.

The CO State OHV Program has been in contact with several FS Ranger Districts to discuss and interpret these statutes to gain consistent enforcement. Some FS and BLM LEOs may or could interpret these statutes differently than each other or the state. We are in the process of working with the FS and BLM on an MOU to identify which types routes will be enforced consistently as designated OHV routes and needing permits. This is one reason State Parks has began educating instead of writing citations.

This does not mean a citation cannot or will not be written by other LE agencies. Currently most fed LEOs are making the distinction between a "road" and a "trail" with roads open to all vehicles not needing a permit and trails needing OHV registrations and permits (this is my opinion).

Once an agreement (MOU) has been reached with FS and BLM, I will be able to provide information on consistent enforcement information from all agencies. State Parks will then implement a educational program on permits and the requirements. People who are concerned about possible citation should consider or not purchasing a permit or registration after reading the statute. There has been much discussion on this topic but I have not heard of anyone getting a citation. Are you aware of any?

I am more than happy to answer questions or hear people's concerns on this issue....I can be reached at 303-791-1957 x 4132


Tom Metsa
Colorado State Parks
State OHV/Snowmobile Program Manager
303-791-1957 x 4132
303-470-0782 Fax



Looks like they are trying to get some double taxation in

Edited by danbart, 01 March 2012 - 04:54 PM.

I will have to take note on how many Jeeps/4x4's I see with stickers this summer.  I bet it will be a slow process to get everybody's mentality switched over.  This is the first I have heard about it.

been talks of it for a while.  some thought it was in force last year. ive never heard of any citations, just much confusion about the issue.

i dont know, ive always ran both anyway to try and support ohv but something discomforting about being forced to do anything as of late...

I really see nothing wrong with it. If you are on the trails you should have your stickers regardless.

One good thing is that the OHV Tag gives you some SAR coverage in case anything happens.

Hit_the_set, on 02 March 2012 - 09:03 AM, said:

Spoken by a guy who apparently did not also pay about $400-$500 just to get his bike plated and will have to pay $95 per year minimum for insurance and about $75-$100 to license each year it so you can ride on a county maintained dirt road to connect between trails without being hassled by law enforcement and pay $25.25 just in case you ride on a motorcycle only trail or a trail for vehicles less than 50" wide.

Hit_the_Set.  I mean nothing personal about my criticism, but I just spent about $1500 just to get 3 of my bikes plated to avoid being hassled by our law enforcement personnel.  Now I get to be hassled by the forest service because I didnt pay for their special OHV permit.  By the way....$25.25 per bike starts adding up when you want to have the whole family ride and when you add this on top of yearly licensing and insurance fees.  Frankly, I think compliance starts going out the window, when it begins to appear that it might be cheaper to take the occasional fine (ifj and when you get caught) rather than ponying up big bucks each year to comply with ridiculous overlapping fees and regulations.  My impression is our bureaucrats and government are trying to put so many roadblocks in place just to permanently eliminate these activities they dont like.

The permit used to be $10 per year...which wasnt bad.  Now costs 2.5 times that amount.  And the enforcement wont be fair.  4 wheelers, hikers, day-trippers, tourists all use the colorado backcountry, but yet the motorcycle riders and ATV'ers all have to foot the bill with the OHV permits.

I object to the fact that our legislators think that citizens are cash cows that can be milked to no end and have to pay for multiple bureaucratic idiosyncracies just to ride legally over a 4 wheel drive pass such as Webster or Red Cone.  Beyond bitching at the LEO and Forest Rangers who may attempt to enforce, I think all of us should give our politicians an earful and vote them all out on their ass.

The rule has been in effect but unenforced since 1991. The difference is now that we have Dimmocrats in control of Colorado government, and they never met a fee that they didn't like, and can't stop spending money. So, we are being fleeced again.

The double user fee may not apply to jeeps. As explained above, it is initially going to be applied more to OHV-only trails, such as single track, where full size vehicles are not permitted. Time will tell if our out-of-control government will get a taste for money that they can't resist, and force even full size to pay. I suspect that will be their downfall, because the public will finally fight back a little harder.

If Co and Utah would quit having this current pi**ing contest, we wouldn't have to spend a fortune registering a whole family's worth of dirt bikes when we go for a three day ride at Moab. Reciprocity seems fair to me. But, it's all about money in the end, and our voices aren't loud enough.

Edited by Leardriver, 02 March 2012 - 10:36 AM.

Leardriver, on 02 March 2012 - 10:35 AM, said:

Yeah....it sounds like they wont and that is my point.  Jeep roads, 4 wheel roads, forest roads, etc all bring people into the high country and the come out and enjoy it (which is fine by me) whether they are on roads, stopping and picnicking in the forest, hiking trails, walking on tundra, whatever, but yet the ATV's and the Motorcycles are the only ones paying for using these natrual assets with the OHV fee and only if we go down a motorcycle only or less than 50" trail.  All these carveouts are nonsense.

I can only hope that they piss off the rest of the citizens and it causes them to finally vote these jokers out of office.  Sorry to stray into the political aspect....I know that is what Town Square is for....it's just that politics seems to seep into every aspect of life especially with regard to taxes and government restrictions (and it's been a one way direction for my entire life here in Colorado).

Ok let me take a stab at some of this.

Before we start pointig fingers at political parties and rumors start to brew.

When the original legislation was put in place, the language was added by the 4WD clubs to help contribute to the fund. When this process was founded, there were not a lot of ATVs and honestly not a lot of plated dirtbikes. MOST of the trail users were us, the two wheeled guys...but the Jeep guys use OHV trails as well. We already complain (rightfully so) that WE are the only ones who pay to play. Would it be even worse if ONLY the Two-wheel guys paid into the fund?

While I'm not one to pass up taking a stab at the "left wingers" , this is not a "money grab" or "tax them to death" scheme. other than a slim margin for administrative, the VAST majority of the sticker money goes to US in the form of OHV grants. While the anti's have tried and tride to raid the fund, to destroy it from the inside and even apply for our money to close trails, COHCVCO and the Colorado TPA have been vigilant in keeping our money directed at OHV.

Yes the Cost did go up. But you know what, there had not been an increase in the cost in 15 years.

Silverfox, I fully understand your argument that you have paid out a bunch in plates...but NONE of THAT money goes back into the trails you use. Is that fair?

Leardriver, can you point to any use of the OHV fund money that has gone to anything other than OHV?  It's easy to say "it's another government fee" but this is not the case.

While you are right, the plated jeeps etc... will probably have an easier time, but 99% of them never get farther off road than a gravel road. If those jeeps are on actual Trails then you bet, they need a sticker as well.

Rodzilla, on 02 March 2012 - 01:36 PM, said:

I just hope it is equal enforcement.  I guess I would hate to be singled out on my D/S bike while other Plated/Jeeps/4x4's get a pass.  I don't mind paying the extra $25 for my D/S bike as I believe it goes to a good place/fund, but if I have to pay so should they.  I already pay for all my offroad only bikes as I should.

If the legislation could be written in such a manner that the funds were permanently exempt from being raided for other than being pumped RIGHT BACK into the trail programs, I am all for it. I have plated bikes, and non plated. I don't use the plate really much at all but it's nice to have for that once in a while situation.

Let's be honest. Politicians and government in general take in a lot of money and there's always SOMEONE that doesn't like what they do with it. That is a sad reality and needs addressing. that's a post for another day and another forum.

As far as I am concerned, $25.25 if worth every penny to have the access to the resources that I do every year. I have a lot more than that tied up in bikes/trailer/tow vehicle and I bit the bullet on that because it was worth it. No disrespect meant towards anyone, but if you can't afford $2.10/month to ride a motorcycle it's time to give it up.

Rod....totally get your argument about the OHV permit fee going toward trails/trail maintenance.  That is why i was OK with $10 per bike per year...maybe even $25.25 per bike per year.  But even that adds up with 5 or 6 bikes.  Not everyone gets out each weekend to enjoy thier toys due to our limited riding season and I think the increased permit cost keeps plenty of folks from even bothering to permit their equipment since they might only get out a handful of times over the summer.  Here's something to consider:  maybe a lower fee would bring in more overall revenue since more people would register their OHVs or register their plated bikes.

What also pisses me off is that our Colorado politicians aren't giving any of that plating money back to OHV maintenance which they should be doing because us plated dirt bike users are not using and wearing out our paved road infrastructure.  Maybe if they had a brain in their head, they might design a special usage category that lets OHV's connect from trail to trail and use county maintained roads, etc without having to do the whole off-road to on-road conversion process and licensing, but yet charges a bit more than an ordinary OHV permit and still gets at least most of the $25.25 fee going toward OHV trail maintenance.  They might even find that thousands of people would be willing to pay a bit more  for such a special permit rather than the few who decide to be pulled through a knothole with the conversion and plating process.   Nah...that would make too much sense.  God forbid that our government would operate like a competitive business and identify the root cause of the problem, come up with a win-win solution, and find a way to generate even more revenue for maintaining trails.  Instead, they just drive out participation in the long term and slowly strangle their revenue stream.  I suppose we can blame all of us collectively for not incenting our best and brightest to go into government.  Instead we seem to get career bureaucrats and idiot politicians that I really dont think have what it takes to be successful in a competitive world.

And...i dont care if jeeps aren't even getting off the gravel forest service road and 4 wheel drive roads....those are within our national forests and those people get out of their jeeps/4 wheelers and enjoy all the same national forest assets as the OHV'ers and they should be paying too.   But as you stated none of their annual licensing fees go toward maintaining any of these forest service roads and 4 wheel drive roads.  By the way, kudos to those 4 wheeler groups whose time, effort and money goes toward maintaining the 4 wheel drive trails.

Rod...I understand you are dealing with the system how it is.  I am saying the system sucks and needs to be dismantled and to start over.  Ever try to buff a turd?  It just comes apart on the buffing wheel and flys up into your face.  We are clearly buffing a turd right now.  And you are valiantly trying to deal with just the OHV trail use maintenance aspect of it.  The best way I know to deal with the LARGER problem is vote all the politicians out of office, dismantle their sh*tty and unfair systems, and get smart people (like yourself) to design something that makes sense that will maintain natural assets, attempts to charge all users for their fair share, and eliminates the bureaucratic nightmare that make normal ordinary citizens not want to comply and lose all faith in government. - - that would be me.  I have no hope that the world my children will face in twenty years will be any better.  I fact I can guaran - damn - tee it that with the help of government 'solutions' it will be many factors worse.   I sure hope I am proven wrong, but I doubt it.

Keep fighting the good fight.  The only thing i see for the future of the US is ever larger government control that will ultimately end in the likely disintegration of our wonderful country (with liberals and big government advocates cheering the whole way).  Name me one thing that big government has done well that has improved systems, resource allocation or efficiency in the last 30 years.  Go ahead...I'll wait.  It's a short list (if you can even come up with 1 or 2 items), ain't it?

redhurricane....you apparently are forgetting the hundreds that I am already paying for the privilege of plating my motorcycle just so that I can occasionally ride on a restricted dirt road while I am out on my trail riding adventures.  And....not sure about you, but I can't/dont ride year round so it's a bit more than $2.10 per month of actually usage or when figured on a per ride basis.

I currently own 6 motorcycles and pay $25.25 for each of them.  If our bureaucrats push me out of motorcycling....where will that $150 that i am contributing every year come from?  Do we just keep jacking up that OHV fee per remaining user when others drop out?  I can 'afford' it but it's not just $25.25 a year for all these resources at my disposal.  I pay in excess of $40K per year of federal income taxes, state income taxeses, property taxes, sales taxes, registration fees, insurance, gas taxes.  I also pay for a house and four cars that need to be maintained and insured (2 of my 3 kids are driving).  I am also saving to put all three kids through college and saving for our retirement.....so save the lecture about not being in the sport if I cant afford it.  I earn the money, it is my right to determine how it should be spent and my government does not have any innate claim to what I earn.  The government needs to 'earn' our taxes just like any other competitive business.  If I as a taxpayer dont see any reasonable direct benefit, I don't want my money going to taxes and fees regardless of whether someone thinks I can afford it.  I owe them nothing.  Remember the government works for you and me.  They are here to serve us ....not the other way around.  And, if they arent adding efficiency and providing needed services then they don't deserve any money.  That is the local, state and national argument we are having right now and will continue for a long, long time.

Mt Bikers should get OHV tags too since they ride some of the same trails!

Edited by danbart, 02 March 2012 - 09:33 PM.

danbart, on 02 March 2012 - 09:33 PM, said:

AND since they got some of the trails that used to moto legal, like Top o the World and north 16th (Fruita) and Summit Co, and countless others.

Rod,

I am not convinced that this current re-vamping of enforcement priorities is about OHV. We all like the good that the funds do, although you know as well as I that it is a struggle to get other agencies to keep their mitts off of the money. It seems like it is a juicy target for being raided.

I think there is a direct attempt to set the stage for writing citations, in order to collect revenue. Nothing more complex than that. Plated vehicles have already jumped through many more hoops than simple OHV registered bikes, but now plates aren't enough. It smells like another fleecing coming.

I don't own a plated bike. I buy an OHV tag. I have just become suspicious of our government's motivations.

Maybe you're right. We sure can't trust them. And I support 100% tagging mtn bikes as well!

The OHV fund is already earmarked for OHV only. Could that rule be changed or overruled? You bet. THAT is why it is so important to Join COHVCO and the TPA. Without these organizations the fund would already have been raided.

Do you know there are over 100,000 stickerd vehicles in Colorado?  take a guess at how many members there are in COHVCO? (Hint it's under 4,000)

"Do you know there are over 100,000 stickerd vehicles in Colorado? take a guess at how many members there are in COHVCO? (Hint it's under 4,000)"

pathetic!

last weekend when i was watching the Atlanta supercross they said the place was sold out at 70000 people. Just think what we (dirt bikers) could accomplish if all 70K people joined the AMA/BRC/COHVCO etc.

big bad dirt bikers getting our butts kicked by tree huggers. LAME!!

Apathy has always been our enemy. Most of the people I know that are successful enough to have OHV's are too busy working and producing to be out protesting and troublemaking.

SilvFx, on 02 March 2012 - 08:25 PM, said:

Appreciate your response.

I have 3 teenagers, 4 cars, 2 trailers, 1 boat, and 5 bikes of which 2 are plated AND tagged. Oh, and the house payment and insurance as well. I have not forgotten the hundreds/thousands that are spent to have the priveleges that we do. It all comes at a price. What I was saying with my comment about affording it is that the cost of tags is really insignificant in the large scheme of things in my mind. Your mileage may vary.

$25.25 per year divided by 12 months is in fact $2.10/mo. Regardless of the amount of time you ride, the cost remains the same. I have not ridden since October, and that's part of the reason I am having this debate on a motorcycle forum to find some sort of outlet for my riding withdrawals.

As for the original topic, my statement was that if the funds are going to actually be returned to the trail fund, I am all for paying the small price. Not that I am in the market to just throw $20 bills out the window, but really the cost is reasonable in my opinion.

Here's a thought-

For those of us that have plated bikes, lets say the Gubment tacks on a special use fee of around $25.25 to the registration to ENSURE that we can use our dirt bikes on public roads as well as OHV only trails. Would you pay it? I would. The cost is not much more than the $70-$90 per year that I already pay to have a plate hanging off the back of my dirt bike. I'd do it.

Again, others opinions may be different than mine.

As for Insurance, the search and rescue "freebie" gained with purchase of the tags are more than worth it in my mind. A flight from Air Methods, Inc (the world's largest air ambulance service provider) is not nearly as chceap as a Southwest Airlines flight to Vegas.

Rod, my appreciation for all that you do to be the ambassador to the sport. I met Tom Metsa last year. Interesting guy with a lot of responsibility/accountability.


My sincerest apologies to anyone that I have offended, maybe we all just need to get out and ride and forget the things that we have to deal with due to government involvment. I know that when I am riding that NOTHING else is on my mind but what I am thoroughly enjoying.

Mike