UTVs – utility terrain vehicles, the two-person four-wheelers often used for farmwork and hunting – will be able to be legally driven on Moorhead streets after the first of the year.

On Aug. 11, the Moorhead City Council approved a measure favored by residents of the Oakport area, annexed by the city in 2015. They have often been driven on roads in that more rural area.

The new city law applies only to the larger, beefier utility vehicles that can carry two passengers side by side, not to ATVs – all-terrain vehicles – ridden by one person who straddles the chassis and steers with handle bars. UTVs have a steering wheel and four to six wheels.

The new law permits the larger vehicles to drive on most city streets, but prohibits their use in parks, on bike paths and on U.S. Highways 75 and 10 as they cross the city. Drivers must observe all traffic laws.

Three-year permits will be available from the Moorhead Police Department for $30. They may be purchased by those over 16 who hold a current driver’s license. In addition to the permit, owners are required to have insurance. Their vehicles must be equipped with street-style equipment including turn signals, mufflers and rear-view mirrors. Either a windshield or protective eyewear must be used, along with seatbelts when provided by the manufacturer. The UTVs may only be ridden on city streets from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.