MOTOR VEHICLES – Amends existing law to provide that speed limits for vehicles with five or more axles operating at a gross weight of more than 26,000 pounds shall be the same as for other vehicles.

LEGISLATURE
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IDAHO
Sixty-eighth
Legislature
Second
Regular
Session
-
2026
IN
THE
HOUSE
OF
REPRESENTATIVES
HOUSE
BILL
NO.
664
BY
TRANSPORTATION
AND
DEFENSE
COMMITTEE
AN
ACT
1
RELATING
TO
SPEED
LIMITS;
AMENDING
SECTION
49
-
654,
IDAHO
CODE,
TO
PROVIDE
2
THAT
THE
SPEED
LIMITS
FOR
VEHICLES
WITH
FIVE
OR
MORE
AXLES
OPERATING
AT
3
A
GROSS
WEIGHT
OF
MORE
THAN
TWENTY
-
SIX
THOUSAND
POUNDS
SHALL
BE
THE
SAME
4
AS
FOR
OTHER
MOTOR
VEHICLES;
AND
DECLARING
AN
EMERGENCY
AND
PROVIDING
AN
5
EFFECTIVE
DATE.
6
Be
It
Enacted
by
the
Legislature
of
the
State
of
Idaho:
7
SECTION
1.
That
Section
49
-
654,
Idaho
Code,
be,
and
the
same
is
hereby
8
amended
to
read
as
follows:
9
49
-
654.
BASIC
RULE
AND
MAXIMUM
SPEED
LIMITS.
(1)
No
person
shall
drive
10
a
vehicle
at
a
speed
greater
than
is
reasonable
and
prudent
under
the
con
-
1
1
ditions
and
having
regard
to
the
actual
and
potential
hazards
then
exist
-
12
ing.
Consistent
with
the
foregoing,
every
person
shall
drive
at
a
safe
and
13
appropriate
speed
when
approaching
and
crossing
an
intersection
or
railroad
14
grade
crossing,
when
approaching
and
going
around
a
curve,
when
approaching
15
a
hillcrest,
when
traveling
on
any
narrow
or
winding
highway,
and
when
spe
-
16
cial
hazards
exist
with
respect
to
pedestrians
or
other
traffic
or
by
reason
17
of
weather
or
highway
conditions.
18
(2)(a)
Where
no
special
hazard
or
condition
exists
that
requires
lower
19
speed
for
compliance
with
subsection
(1)
of
this
section,
the
limits
as
20
hereinafter
authorized
shall
be
maximum
lawful
speeds,
and
no
person
21
shall
drive
a
vehicle
at
a
speed
in
excess
of
the
maximum
limits:
22
(i)
Thirty
-
five
(35)
miles
per
hour
in
any
residential,
business
23
or
urban
district,
unless
otherwise
posted
in
accordance
with
sec
-
24
tion
49
-
207(2)
or
(3),
Idaho
Code;
25
(ii)
Seventy
-
five
(75)
miles
per
hour
on
interstate
highways,
26
unless
otherwise
posted
in
accordance
with
section
49
-
201(4),
27
Idaho
Code,
and
provided
that
this
speed
may
be
increased
to
eighty
28
(80)
miles
per
hour
if
the
department
completes
an
engineering
and
29
traffic
study
on
the
interstate
highway
and
concludes
that
the
30
increase
is
in
the
public
interest
and
the
transportation
board
31
concurs
with
such
conclusion;
32
(iii)
Sixty
-
five
(65)
miles
per
hour
on
state
highways,
unless
33
otherwise
posted
in
accordance
with
section
49
-
201(4),
Idaho
34
Code,
and
provided
that
this
speed
may
be
increased
to
seventy
35
(70)
miles
per
hour
if
the
department
completes
an
engineering
and
36
traffic
study
on
the
state
highway
and
concludes
that
the
increase
37
is
in
the
public
interest
and
the
transportation
board
concurs
38
with
such
conclusion;
39
(iv)
Fifty
-
five
(55)
miles
per
hour
in
other
locations,
unless
40
otherwise
posted,
up
to
a
maximum
of
seventy
(70)
miles
per
hour.
41

2
(b)
Subject
to
all
other
applicable
motor
vehicle
laws,
a
driver
of
a
1
passenger
car,
motorcycle
or
pickup
truck,
not
towing
any
other
vehi
-
2
cle,
may
exceed
the
posted
speed
limit
by
up
to
fifteen
(15)
miles
per
3
hour
while
passing
another
vehicle
traveling
at
less
than
the
posted
4
speed
limit,
in
order
to
safely
pass
the
vehicle.
The
overtaking
vehi
-
5
cle
shall
return
to
the
right
-
hand
lane
and
reduce
speed
to
the
posted
6
speed
limit
as
soon
as
practicable.
This
paragraph
shall
be
applicable
7
only
to:
8
(i)
Passing
on
the
left
on
roadways
divided
into
two
(2)
lanes
9
providing
only
one
(1)
lane
of
traffic
in
each
direction
and
10
where
the
posted
speed
limit
is
fifty
-
five
(55)
miles
per
hour
or
1
1
greater;
or
12
(ii)
Passing
one
(1)
or
more
vehicles
traveling
in
the
same
di
-
13
rection
while
in
a
passing
lane.
For
the
purposes
of
this
sub
-
14
paragraph,
"passing
lane"
means
an
extra
roadway
lane
created
by
15
widening
a
length
of
roadway
to
allow
faster
-
moving
vehicles
to
16
overtake
slower
-
moving
vehicles
traveling
in
the
same
direction
17
without
crossing
into
an
opposing
travel
lane.
This
subparagraph
18
shall
not
apply
to
a
vehicle
that
passes
on
the
right
within
a
pass
-
19
ing
lane
area
or
to
a
vehicle
that
overtakes
another
vehicle
by
20
moving
into
an
opposing
traffic
lane.
This
subparagraph
shall
not
21
apply
to
roadways
with
a
posted
speed
limit
below
fifty
-
five
(55)
22
miles
per
hour
or
to
any
portion
of
a
roadway
that
is
within
an
in
-
23
corporated
city.
24
(iii)
This
paragraph
shall
not
be
applicable
in
construction
25
zones.
For
purposes
of
basic
rule
violations
and
penalties
im
-
26
posed
pursuant
to
this
section
and
Idaho
infraction
rule
9,
the
27
fifteen
(15)
mile
per
hour
allowance
in
passing
situations
pro
-
28
vided
in
this
paragraph
shall
be
deemed
to
be
the
maximum
speed
29
limit
from
which
fines
are
determined.
30
(3)
For
vehicles
with
five
(5)
or
more
axles
operating
at
a
gross
weight
31
of
more
than
twenty
-
six
thousand
(26,000)
pounds,
the
maximum
lawful
speed
32
limit
s
on
interstate
highways
,
in
nonurban
areas
shall
not
exceed
ten
(10)
33
miles
per
hour
less
,
in
urban
areas,
on
state
highways,
or
in
other
locations
34
shall
be
the
same
as
for
vehicles
with
less
than
five
(5)
axles
and
operating
35
at
a
gross
weight
of
twenty
-
six
thousand
(26,000)
pounds
or
less
,
and
in
ur
-
36
ban
areas
the
maximum
lawful
speed
limit
on
interstate
highways
for
such
ve
-
37
hicles
shall
not
exceed
sixty
-
five
(65)
miles
per
hour
.
38
SECTION
2.
An
emergency
existing
therefor,
which
emergency
is
hereby
39
declared
to
exist,
this
act
shall
be
in
full
force
and
effect
on
and
after
40
July
1,
2026.
41