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Are side-by-sides street legal in Massachusetts?

Massachusetts's law on side-by-sides and ATVs on public roads, quoted from its own page, with the conditions, equipment and plate rule.

The law in Massachusetts

  • Side-by-side (UTV): No, except to cross. Massachusetts allows a side-by-side on a public road only to cross it.

    "Section 25. Except as hereinafter provided, no person shall operate a snow vehicle or a recreation vehicle upon any state, county, city or town way in the commonwealth, nor on the plowed snowbanks of such ways, nor upon any other public way, nor upon the right-of-way limits of a controlled access highway. ... An operator of a snow vehicle or a recreation vehicle that meets the requirements of the preceding sentence shall, after coming to a full stop, cross, as directly as possible, a public way; provided, however, that for recreation vehicles, the public way and the crossing shall be marked and approved for use by recreation vehicles by the applicable state or local authorities as part of a publicly or privately authorized recreation vehicle trail system."

  • ATV (quad): No, except to cross. Massachusetts allows an ATV on a public road only to cross it.

    "Section 25. Except as hereinafter provided, no person shall operate a snow vehicle or a recreation vehicle upon any state, county, city or town way in the commonwealth, nor on the plowed snowbanks of such ways, nor upon any other public way, nor upon the right-of-way limits of a controlled access highway. ... An operator of a snow vehicle or a recreation vehicle that meets the requirements of the preceding sentence shall, after coming to a full stop, cross, as directly as possible, a public way; provided, however, that for recreation vehicles, the public way and the crossing shall be marked and approved for use by recreation vehicles by the applicable state or local authorities as part of a publicly or privately authorized recreation vehicle trail system."

M.G.L. c. 90B, s. 25: Operation on public ways; emergencies; regulations, checked November 2026.

Riding a dirt bike? Read Massachusetts's dirt bike rule.

Street Legal UTV Check

What do you ride?

Side-by-side (UTV) · Massachusetts. No, except to cross. Massachusetts allows a side-by-side on a public road only to cross it.

Side-by-side (UTV) · Massachusetts

Crossing only

No, except to cross. Massachusetts allows a side-by-side on a public road only to cross it.

"Section 25. Except as hereinafter provided, no person shall operate a snow vehicle or a recreation vehicle upon any state, county, city or town way in the commonwealth, nor on the plowed snowbanks of such ways, nor upon any other public way, nor upon the right-of-way limits of a controlled access highway. ... An operator of a snow vehicle or a recreation vehicle that meets the requirements of the preceding sentence shall, after coming to a full stop, cross, as directly as possible, a public way; provided, however, that for recreation vehicles, the public way and the crossing shall be marked and approved for use by recreation vehicles by the applicable state or local authorities as part of a publicly or privately authorized recreation vehicle trail system."

Conditions

  • "No person under 16 and one-half years of age shall operate a snow vehicle or a recreation vehicle across or on a public way unless the operator holds a valid license or right to operate a motor vehicle or is directly supervised by a person 18 years of age or older."
  • "provided, further, that an operator shall not cross a controlled access highway."
  • "Whenever it is impracticable to gain immediate access to an area adjacent to a public way where a snow vehicle or recreation vehicle is to be operated, said snow vehicle or recreation vehicle may be operated adjacent and parallel to the travelled portion of such public way or upon, but to the extreme right of, such travelled portion for the purpose of gaining access to the area of operation."
  • "Snow vehicles or recreation vehicles may be operated on any way that is not maintained or used for the operation of conventional motor vehicles."

Registration and plates

"A motorized vehicle originally designed and manufactured for off-road use, for example, a snow mobile or ski mobile, an all-terrain (ATV) vehicle, a utility vehicle, etc., that could be registered under M.G.L. c. 90B cannot be registered for on-road use, either in its original manufactured configuration or as modified for on-road use."
More from Massachusetts's law
"''All-terrain vehicle'', a motorized recreational vehicle designed or modified for travel on 4 low pressure tires and having a seat designed to be straddled by the operator and handlebars for steering control."
"''Recreation utility vehicle'' or ''utility vehicle'', a motorized flotation tire vehicle with not less than 4 and not more than 6 low pressure tires that is limited in engine displacement to less than 1,500 cubic centimeters and in total dry weight to not more than 1,800 pounds and that has a seat that is of bench design, not intended to be straddled by the operator, and a steering wheel for control."
"''Recreation vehicle'' or ''off-highway vehicle'', any motor vehicle designed or modified for use over unimproved terrain for recreation or pleasure while not being operated on a public way as defined in chapter 90 including, but not limited to, all-terrain vehicles, off-highway motorcycles, dirt bikes, recreation utility vehicles"

Source: M.G.L. c. 90B, s. 25: Operation on public ways; emergencies; regulations, checked November 2026.

Also read on: M.G.L. c. 90B, s. 20: Definitions · 540 CMR 2.05 Vehicle Registrations Requirements (Registry of Motor Vehicles)

Find off-road parks to ride without the road questionRiding a dirt bike? Check its road law

A guide to each state's published law, not legal advice. City and county ordinances and posted signs decide which roads are open; the linked law is the authority.

  • Each state's own law, quoted
  • Side-by-side or ATV
  • Conditions, equipment and plates

Riding in Massachusetts

12 off-road parks listed in Massachusetts. National forest roads open to your vehicle today.

See Massachusetts off-road parks

Other states

Side-by-side and ATV road laws in other states

Compare the 49 states we have checked

Common questions

Street legal UTV questions

No, except to cross. Massachusetts allows a side-by-side on a public road only to cross it. Source: M.G.L. c. 90B, s. 25: Operation on public ways; emergencies; regulations.

No, except to cross. Massachusetts allows an ATV on a public road only to cross it. Source: M.G.L. c. 90B, s. 25: Operation on public ways; emergencies; regulations.

Massachusetts's law says: "A motorized vehicle originally designed and manufactured for off-road use, for example, a snow mobile or ski mobile, an all-terrain (ATV) vehicle, a utility vehicle, etc., that could be registered under M.G.L. c. 90B cannot be registered for on-road use, either in its original manufactured configuration or as modified for on-road use."

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