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HF73 • 2026

A bill for an act requiring persons to pass a written test and obtain an education certificate prior to operating an all-terrain vehicle, off-road motorcycle, or off-road utility vehicle on certain land, ice, and trails, providing fees, and making penalties applicable.(See HF 762 , HF 1005 .)

A bill for an act requiring persons to pass a written test and obtain an education certificate prior to operating an all-terrain vehicle, off-road motorcycle, or off-road utility vehicle on certain land, ice, and trails, providing fees, and making penalties applicable.(See HF 762 , HF 1005 .)

Education
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
MEGGERS
Last action
2025-03-05
Official status
Committee report approving bill, renumbered as HF 762 .
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

A bill for an act requiring persons to pass a written test and obtain an education certificate prior to operating an all-terrain vehicle, off-road motorcycle, or off-road utility vehicle on certain land, ice, and trails, providing fees, and making penalties applicable.(See HF 762 , HF 1005 .)

A bill for an act requiring persons to pass a written test and obtain an education certificate prior to operating an all-terrain vehicle, off-road motorcycle, or off-road utility vehicle on certain land, ice, and trails, providing fees, and making penalties applicable.(See HF 762 , HF 1005 .)

What This Bill Does

  • A bill for an act requiring persons to pass a written test and obtain an education certificate prior to operating an all-terrain vehicle, off-road motorcycle, or off-road utility vehicle on certain land, ice, and trails, providing fees, and making penalties applicable.(See HF 762 , HF 1005 .)

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2025-03-05 Iowa Legislature

    Committee report approving bill, renumbered as HF 762 .

  2. 2025-02-26 Iowa Legislature

    Committee vote: Yeas, 18. Nays, 2. Excused, 1. H.J. 448 .

  3. 2025-02-26 Iowa Legislature

    Committee report, recommending amendment and passage. H.J. 448 .

  4. 2025-02-06 Iowa Legislature

    Subcommittee recommends amendment and passage.

  5. 2025-02-05 Iowa Legislature

    Subcommittee Meeting: 02/06/2025 12:30PM RM 102.

  6. 2025-01-29 Iowa Legislature

    Subcommittee: Meggers, Behn and Gosa. H.J. 140 .

  7. 2025-01-16 Iowa Legislature

    Introduced, referred to Transportation. H.J. 86 .

Official Summary Text

A bill for an act requiring persons to pass a written test and obtain an education certificate prior to operating an all-terrain vehicle, off-road motorcycle, or off-road utility vehicle on certain land, ice, and trails, providing fees, and making penalties applicable.(See HF 762 , HF 1005 .)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
House

File

73

-

Introduced

HOUSE

FILE

73

BY

MEGGERS

A

BILL

FOR

An

Act

requiring

persons

to

pass

a

written

test

and

obtain

an

1

education

certificate

prior

to

operating

an

all-terrain

2

vehicle,

off-road

motorcycle,

or

off-road

utility

vehicle

on

3

certain

land,

ice,

and

trails,

providing

fees,

and

making

4

penalties

applicable.

5

BE

IT

ENACTED

BY

THE

GENERAL

ASSEMBLY

OF

THE

STATE

OF

IOWA:

6

TLSB

1095YH

(6)

91

th/ns

H.F.

73

Section

1.

Section

321I.1,

subsection

1,

paragraph

b,

Code

1

2025,

is

amended

to

read

as

follows:

2

b.

Off-road

motorcycles

shall

be

considered

all-terrain

3

vehicles

for

the

purpose

of

registration.

Off-road

motorcycles

4

shall

also

be

considered

all-terrain

vehicles

for

the

purpose

5

of

titling

if

a

title

has

not

previously

been

issued

pursuant

6

to

chapter

321

.

An

operator

of

an

off-road

motorcycle

is

7

subject

to

provisions

governing

the

operation

of

all-terrain

8

vehicles

in

this

chapter

,

but

is

exempt

from

the

education

9

instruction

and

certification

program

requirements

of

sections

10

321I.25

and

321I.26

.

11

Sec.

2.

Section

321I.1,

subsection

11,

Code

2025,

is

amended

12

to

read

as

follows:

13

11.

“Education

certificate”

means

an

all-terrain

vehicle

14

education

certificate,

approved

by

the

commission,

which

is

15

issued

to

a

qualified

applicant

who

is

twelve

years

of

age

or

16

older

.

17

Sec.

3.

Section

321I.1,

subsection

17,

paragraph

b,

Code

18

2025,

is

amended

to

read

as

follows:

19

b.

The

operator

of

an

off-road

utility

vehicle

is

subject

20

to

provisions

governing

the

operation

of

all-terrain

vehicles

21

in

section

321.234A

,

this

chapter

,

and

administrative

rules

,

22

but

is

exempt

from

the

education

instruction

and

certification

23

program

requirements

of

sections

321I.25

and

321I.26

.

An

24

operator

of

an

off-road

utility

vehicle

shall

not

operate

the

25

vehicle

on

a

designated

riding

area

or

designated

riding

trail

26

unless

the

department

has

posted

signage

indicating

the

riding

27

area

or

trail

is

open

to

the

operation

of

off-road

utility

28

vehicles.

Off-road

utility

vehicles

are

subject

to

the

dealer

29

registration

and

titling

requirements

of

this

chapter

.

A

30

motorized

vehicle

that

was

previously

titled

or

is

currently

31

titled

under

chapter

321

shall

not

be

registered

or

operated

32

as

an

off-road

utility

vehicle.

33

Sec.

4.

Section

321I.25,

subsection

3,

Code

2025,

is

amended

34

to

read

as

follows:

35

-1-

LSB

1095YH

(6)

91

th/ns

1/

4

H.F.

73

3.

Upon

completion

of

the

course

of

instruction,

the

1

commission

shall

provide

for

the

administration

of

either

a

2

written

test

or

the

demonstration

of

adequate

riding

skills

to

3

any

student

who

wishes

to

qualify

for

an

education

certificate.

4

Sec.

5.

Section

321I.26,

subsections

1

and

3,

Code

2025,

are

5

amended

to

read

as

follows:

6

1.

A

person

twelve

years

of

age

or

older

but

less

than

7

eighteen

years

of

age

shall

not

operate

an

all-terrain

vehicle

,

8

off-road

utility

vehicle,

or

off-road

motorcycle

on

public

9

land,

public

ice,

a

designated

riding

trail,

or

land

purchased

10

with

all-terrain

vehicle

registration

funds

in

this

state

11

without

obtaining

a

valid

education

certificate

approved

by

12

the

department

and

having

the

certificate

in

the

person’s

13

possession.

This

subsection

does

not

apply

if

the

operation

14

is

part

of

a

prescribed

education

training

course

and

the

15

operation

is

under

the

direct

supervision

of

a

certified

16

all-terrain

vehicle

education

instructor.

17

3.

Any

person

who

is

required

to

have

an

education

18

certificate

under

this

chapter

and

who

has

completed

a

course

19

of

instruction

established

under

section

321I.2,

subsection

20

1

,

paragraph

“i”

,

including

the

successful

passage

of

an

21

examination

which

includes

either

a

written

test

relating

to

22

such

course

of

instruction

or

the

demonstration

of

adequate

23

riding

skills

,

shall

be

considered

qualified

to

receive

an

24

education

certificate.

25

EXPLANATION

26

The

inclusion

of

this

explanation

does

not

constitute

agreement

with

27

the

explanation’s

substance

by

the

members

of

the

general

assembly.

28

Under

current

law,

a

person

12

years

of

age

or

older

29

but

less

than

18

years

of

age

is

required

to

obtain

a

valid

30

education

certificate

approved

by

the

department

of

natural

31

resources

(DNR)

prior

to,

and

have

the

certificate

in

the

32

person’s

possession

while,

operating

an

all-terrain

vehicle

33

(ATV)

on

public

land,

public

ice,

a

designated

riding

trail,

or

34

land

purchased

with

ATV

registration

funds

in

Iowa.

Persons

35

-2-

LSB

1095YH

(6)

91

th/ns

2/

4

H.F.

73

operating

an

off-road

motorcycle

or

off-road

utility

vehicle

1

(UTV)

are

excepted

from

the

education

instruction,

certificate,

2

and

associated

fee

requirements.

3

This

bill

strikes

such

exceptions

for

off-road

motorcycles

4

and

UTVs

and

the

age

range

associated

with

education

5

certificates.

As

a

result,

the

bill

requires

every

person

to

6

obtain

a

valid

education

certificate

approved

by

DNR

prior

to,

7

and

have

the

certificate

in

the

person’s

possession

while,

8

operating

an

ATV,

off-road

motorcycle,

or

UTV

on

public

land,

9

public

ice,

a

designated

riding

trail,

or

land

purchased

with

10

ATV

registration

funds

in

Iowa.

A

person

is

not

required

to

11

possess

an

education

certificate

if

the

operation

is

part

of

a

12

prescribed

education

training

course

and

the

operation

is

under

13

the

direct

supervision

of

a

certified

ATV

education

instructor.

14

The

bill

does

not

amend

similar

education

certification

15

requirements

in

Code

chapter

321G

(snowmobiles)

for

persons

12

16

though

17

years

of

age

operating

a

snowmobile

in

Iowa.

17

Under

current

law,

the

fee

for

an

education

certificate

is

18

$5

and

an

education

certificate

must

be

issued

to

a

qualified

19

applicant

who

successfully

completes

an

education

course

and

20

pays

the

fee.

The

fees

are

credited

to

the

special

ATV

fund

21

and

must

be

used

for

educational

programs.

Any

person

who

22

has

completed

a

course

of

instruction

established

under

DNR

23

rules,

including

the

successful

passage

of

an

examination

which

24

includes

either

a

written

test

relating

to

such

course

of

25

instruction

or

the

demonstration

of

adequate

riding

skills,

is

26

considered

qualified

to

receive

an

education

certificate.

An

27

education

certificate

does

not

expire

and

remains

valid

until

28

the

certificate

is

suspended

or

revoked

by

the

DNR

director

as

29

a

result

of

a

Code

chapter

321I

(ATVs)

law

or

rule

violation.

30

The

bill

strikes

the

ability

of

a

person

who

wishes

to

obtain

31

an

education

certificate

to

do

so

by

demonstrating

adequate

32

riding

skills,

thus

requiring

all

such

persons

to

successfully

33

complete

a

written

test.

This

aligns

these

provisions

with

34

the

written

test

requirements

for

students

qualifying

for

a

35

-3-

LSB

1095YH

(6)

91

th/ns

3/

4

H.F.

73

snowmobile

education

certificate

under

current

law.

1

A

person

who

is

required

to

have

a

valid

education

2

certificate

and

who

operates

an

ATV,

UTV,

or

off-road

3

motorcycle

without

a

valid

education

certificate

commits

a

4

simple

misdemeanor

punishable

by

a

$70

scheduled

fine.

5

-4-

LSB

1095YH

(6)

91

th/ns

4/

4