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New Utah Motorcycle Laws (effective 01/01/2026)

J

jao

<°)))><
Joined
Nov 2, 2015
Location
Southern Utah
Moto(s)
cb300f, xr150l
I know that this is a Bay Area Forum, but I thought I would post in case anyone heads out to Utah next year as one of the potential penalties is having your motorcycle impounded for any of the below violations. (It is a may, not a shall, and the endorsement part only applies to Utah driver’s licenses with a motorcycle endorsement).


Prohibition on performing a wheelie (41-6a-606.1)
  • Infraction
  • Motorcycle can be impounded
  • Endorsement suspended 90 days (1st), 180 days (2nd), permanent (3rd conviction)

Lane Splitting prohibited (41-6a-704)
  • Infraction
  • Motorcycle can be impounded
  • Endorsement suspended 90 days (1st), 180 days (2nd), permanent (3rd conviction)

Proper display of motorcycle license (41-6a-404(b))
[Can’t be on underside of wheel well, or not clearly visible, horizontal position, no cover]
  • Infraction
  • Motorcycle can be impounded
  • Endorsement suspended 90 days (1st), 180 days (2nd), permanent (3rd conviction)
Utah Bill: HB0190
 
If they impounded my bike for “accidentally splitting” as a dumb CA stick I would not be very pro Utah. 😂

Thanks for the info.
 
I thought Utah made lane splitting legal a few years ago. It had a few weird restrictions, like traffic had to be stopped AND the speed limit had to be 45 or less. It baffles me why the speed limit makes a difference if traffic is stopped anyway. So that law got killed off by this newer one?

I see a lot more riders without helmets in Utah than in Idaho, and I can't understand the difference, since helmets are not required in either state.
 
As Bojangle posted above, Utah has

"Lane filtering" means, when operating a motorcycle other than an autocycle, the act of overtaking and passing another vehicle that is stopped in the same direction of travel in the same lane.

"Lane splitting" means, when operating a motorcycle other than an autocycle, the act of riding a motorcycle between clearly marked lanes for traffic traveling in the same direction of travel while traffic is in motion

(Will be subsections (34) and (35) of 41-6a-102 come January next year.)
 
Well thanks for clarifying things. If traffic is stopped and speed limit is 45 or lower, you can "filter" to the front. If traffic is moving at all, you can't squeeze between cars or you get a big penalty.

I'm out of the habit anyway, since none of that is allowed where I live.
 
I wouldn’t bother owning a bike if I lived in Utah. Imagine losing your license permanently for wheelieing a bike.
 
Blankpage said:
I wouldn’t bother owning a bike if I lived in Utah. Imagine losing your license permanently for wheelieing a bike.
Click to expand...
Good reason not to live in Utah.

And Norman K Thurston must be one f@cking goody two shoes dweeb.
 
Just thought I would post a follow-up since the new laws have been in effect for a little over two months.

So far in my neck of the woods what I see is that the main enforcement change is more people are being stopped for wheelies (lane splitting was already enforceable as well as a non visible license plate (for all vehicles)).

No impounds for the above 3 new laws.

Lane splitting seems to be almost exclusively people with out of state motorcycles. Still all warnings so far this year.

So far for my agency it looks like every person/group stopped for wheelies they also had no license (at least one person in the group). (Meaning no driver's license at all not just no motorcycle endorsement). So far it also looks like all the people stopped for wheelies also had no insurance.

From the small sample size so far it looks like the ability to impound hasn't been a factor in enforcement. It also appears the wheelies may be resulting in more stops, but there were also other equipment violations that would have provided probable cause. (My opinion is that the wheelies probably drew the attention of officers that might not have noticed the equipment violations otherwise. I know for me it has drawn my attention to the riders.) So far no citations in my area for wheelies.

I think the number of complaints about people riding on city streets doing wheelies has remained fairly steady.

On a side note, I have been able to get in much more dirt riding since moving out here, and have met far more riders than when I lived in the bay area.
 
I like yearly sojourns to ride southwest Utah roads. Not sure I’ve had the need to filter or wheelie while there although I might have passed when a slow moving vehicle pulled over.😉 Always good to have regional knowledge..
 
budman said:
Good reason not to live in Utah.
Click to expand...
Frankly, there's a ridiculously long list of things keeping me away from Utah. No ocean nearby tops the list.
By the time I get down to moto do's and don'ts, Utah is already off the list.
 
Ironically I didn't know about the polygamists in Southern Utah until I moved here. I have been told by many people that Hilldale / Colorado City (Arizona side), still has a large percentage of the population practicing this.

Personally, still enjoying the riding out here, but California does have some pretty great rides.
 
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