Minnesota sets registration-free ATV weekend for Otter Tail County trails

Minnesota set aside one weekend each year when riders can use state and grant-in-aid ATV trails without a registration, a change that matters for trails in Otter Tail County and the Perham area. The break is meant to make it easier for occasional riders to try the trail system first and sort out paperwork later, but it does not erase Minnesota’s normal registration requirements.

Under Minnesota Statutes section 84.922, ATVs on public trails must be registered unless they fall under an exemption. The law also says the commissioner of natural resources must designate, by written order published in the State Register, one weekend each year when an all-terrain vehicle may be operated on state and grant-in-aid ATV trails without a registration issued under that section.

That weekend exemption sits alongside a separate set of registration exceptions. Minnesota law exempts certain government vehicles, qualifying nonresident ATVs with a nonresident trail pass, some track-racing vehicles, and ATVs 25 years old or older that meet the statute’s definition. For riders bringing machines into Otter Tail County, that distinction matters: the free-riding weekend is one narrow window, while the other exemptions apply on their own terms.

The state’s registration system is also specific. Minnesota generally processes ATV registrations through the snowmobile registration system, and registration certificates and decals are valid for up to three years. That means riders planning to head into Perham or other Otter Tail County trail areas still need to know whether their ATV is already covered, whether it qualifies for an exemption, and whether the weekend designation applies to the route they want to ride.

Minnesota has used the idea before. A 2018 Minnesota Legislature document described a “No ATV Registration or Nonresident ATV Trail Pass Weekend” on June 8-10, 2018, when riders could use state and grant-in-aid trails without either requirement. The latest weekend follows the same basic model, opening the trails for one weekend while leaving the rest of the state’s ATV rules in place for the rest of the year.