PORT ANGELES — Licensed all-terrain vehicles are now permitted on Clallam County roads with speed limits of 35 mph or less.
County commissioners Tuesday voted 3-0 to pass an ordinance allowing wheeled ATVs on rural roadways so long as drivers and machines are licensed by the state.
The new chapter in county code mirrors a 2013 state law that established licensing fees and safety requirements for street-legal ATVs.
“This ordinance just brings Clallam County into compliance with state law, and actually I think it provides a very clear pathway so that now law enforcement will know whether ATVs are legal and licensed and properly equipped,” Commissioner Mike Chapman said during a public hearing Tuesday.
“This was supported by industry and supported by both Republicans and Democrats.”
The state legislation gave ATV riders immediate access to 35 mph roads in counties of 15,000 residents or less.
Larger counties like Clallam can opt-in.
This actually makes our county safer,” said Chapman, a former law enforcement officer.
“It allows law enforcement to monitor who is legal and who isn’t. . . . They now will be able to tell from a distance whether an ATV is properly licensed.”
Two people spoke in favor of the ordinance at the hearing and two were against it.
Two emails were received in support of the county ordinance and 10 emails were against it.
“We are concerned about an increase in damage to our private property and to other people’s private property,” said Mary Morgan, who lives off Lost Mountain Road southwest of Sequim.
Because of a series of curves and hills, off-road vehicles “could be dangerous” to pedestrians and bicyclists who use Lost Mountain Road year-round, Morgan said.
“Lost Mountain Road may be representative of many eastern Clallam County rural roads, which are becoming more populated,” Morgan told commissioners.
“Do we really want to introduce the noise, the possible accidents and property damage to these increasingly residential areas? I along with many others would say no to this proposed ordinance.”
Richard Coulson, who lives off Monroe Road east of Port Angeles, said ATVs are less dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists than larger vehicles.
“Those are public roads,” Coulson said.
“ATVs are smaller. The ordinance does say that you have to comply just like cars.”
Coulsen said it has been an “inconvenience” to load and unload his quad into a trailer every time he travels the 2½ miles to state Department of Natural Resources property where he can legally ride and hunt.
“We are responsible people, and it has been illegal for us to use these vehicles in the less populated areas,” he said.
Allowing licensed ATVs on certain county roads will reduce the amount of diesel fuel needed to haul ATVs to approved lands, Chapman said.
“There’s just lots of law-abiding citizens who want a process so they can follow the law,” Chapman said.
“A few bad apples really give the whole industry a bad name,” he added.
“This was supported by industry. It was supported in the state Legislature, bipartisan, Republicans and Democrats, signed by the governor.
“In my mind, this makes our community much safer.”
Commissioner Bill Peach said the ordinance “very strongly supported in the West End.”
The license plate requirement will enable local citizens to identify ATV users who are breaking the law, Peach said.
The city of Forks is considering a draft chapter for its city code that would permit all-terrain vehicles on city streets with a posted speed limit of 35 mph.
“Mobility is basic to our way of life,” Commissioner Jim McEntire said.
“It seems to be a very common-sense ordinance to me.”
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5072, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
