Moab to Remove Unenforceable OHV Speed Limit Signs Before Easter Jeep Safari

The 15 mph speed limit signs posted on Moab's streets for OHV traffic had a problem nobody had fixed: under Utah state law, they were never enforceable. City staff told the council at its March 24 meeting that the signs carried incorrect legal terminology, referenced a speed limit the city has no authority to impose on a specific vehicle type, and left police with no reliable basis for citations or traffic stops. The signs are coming down within roughly a month.

City Manager Michael Black and staff explained that the signs used the term "OHV" rather than "street-legal ATV," the specific classification controlled under state statute. That mismatch meant the restrictions could not survive legal scrutiny, and enforcement officers had been operating with signage they could not stand behind in a citation. Moab police told the council the signs had created persistent confusion in the field.

The removal timeline places the work squarely in the run-up to Easter Jeep Safari, the nine-day event that draws thousands of off-road enthusiasts through town each spring. The streets in question are primary connectors to destinations like Sand Flats and Slickrock, which means the change hits directly during the weeks when OHV traffic is at its peak.

The original 15 mph restriction was aimed at reducing noise and improving neighborhood safety. Those goals haven't gone away; the mechanism simply failed legal scrutiny. Black told the council that the sponsor of any replacement program must "really … say they identify with Moab," a signal that city officials want the next approach built around local values and community identity, not just regulatory compliance.

City officials have already been in conversations with state legislators about potential statutory fixes, suggesting the city is thinking beyond a sign swap. Without new state language or a legally sound local ordinance, any replacement signs face the same vulnerabilities as the ones being pulled. The city heads into its busiest visitation stretch with the original goals still intact and the mechanism to achieve them still unresolved.