Can You Drive a UTV at Night in Wisconsin? Lights, Curfews & Rules

You can drive a UTV at night in Wisconsin, provided the machine carries the headlamp and tail lamp the statute requires, you are riding somewhere UTVs are authorized, and no local curfew closes the hours you want to ride. Every other rule that governs daytime operation, from registration to safety certification to the OWI limit, applies after dark too.

Lights Your UTV Must Have

Wis. Stat. § 23.33(6) requires every UTV in operation to display a lighted headlamp and tail lamp. The headlamp has to emit a white light strong enough to reveal a person, vehicle, or other solid object at least 200 feet ahead. The tail lamp has to show a red light visible from 500 feet to the rear during hours of darkness.¹ Without both lamps working, the vehicle is not legal to operate at any hour, let alone at night.

The statute also controls what auxiliary lights you can run. Anything visible from the front must be white or amber. Anything visible from the rear must be red, yellow, amber, or white. Flashing or rotating lights are banned unless they are yellow or amber. If your UTV wears aftermarket light bars or spot lamps, you cannot light more than four front-facing lamps at once when you are within 500 feet of an oncoming vehicle, and you have to dim or tilt any high-beam or auxiliary lamps when you approach another vehicle from the front within 500 feet, or follow one within the same distance.¹

An equipment violation carries a forfeiture of up to $250.² Check both lamps before you leave, and confirm any add-on lighting complies with the color and flashing rules.

Where Night Riding Is Legal

UTV operation, day or night, is limited to areas opened for it. Three categories exist under state law:

Designated ATV/UTV trails established by the Department of Natural Resources or local governments.
Designated ATV/UTV routes, which are public highways that a town, village, city, or county has opened for UTV traffic. State trunk highways and connecting highways do not qualify unless the Department of Transportation approves.
Frozen public waterways. Ice conditions are your own judgment call; the statute does not guarantee them.¹

Trails are off-road corridors. Routes are stretches of public road you share with cars and trucks. Signs at the start and end of authorized zones mark the boundary. Ride outside those zones and you risk the general $250 forfeiture, plus separate trespassing consequences if the land is private.²

Local Curfews That Close the Night

State law lets towns, villages, cities, and counties regulate UTV operation on trails and routes within their jurisdiction, including the power to set effective time periods and restrict riding to specific hours.¹ Many communities use that authority to impose nighttime curfews. The Village of Brandon, for one, prohibits UTV operation between 9:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.³ Other municipalities set different windows.

A local curfew binds you even if your UTV meets every state equipment standard and you hold every required credential. Signage at the start of a route sometimes lists permitted hours, but not every municipality posts them clearly. Before a night ride in unfamiliar territory, look up the local ordinance through the town or county clerk’s office or the municipality’s website. Forfeiture amounts for curfew violations depend on the municipality’s own schedule.

The Rules That Don’t Change After Dark

Everything else that governs UTV operation applies to night riders exactly as it applies during the day.

Registration

Any UTV operated on public trails, routes, or frozen waterways must carry valid registration with the decal properly displayed. Public use registration costs $30 for the initial term and $30 for each two-year renewal. Private use registration for agricultural or non-agricultural purposes costs $15 and stays valid until ownership transfers.⁴ Non-residents can skip Wisconsin registration by buying a nonresident trail pass: $35 annually, expiring March 31, or $20 for five consecutive days.⁵ Operating without a required nonresident trail pass carries a forfeiture of up to $1,000.²

Safety Certificate

If you were born on or after January 1, 1988, you need a valid ATV safety certificate before operating a UTV on any public riding area. UTV operators must be at least 16 and have completed the course. Carry the certification card and produce it when law enforcement asks. Certificates from other states or Canadian provinces are accepted.⁶ Riders born before January 1, 1988, are exempt from the requirement.

Seating and Seat Belts

Every occupant must sit on a seat the manufacturer designed for a passenger. Riding in the cargo bed or standing on a running board is illegal, and you cannot tow anything carrying a person on a trail or route. Beginning June 1, 2026, both the driver and every passenger must wear a seat belt, closing an earlier gap in the statute that reached only passengers.¹

Operating Under the Influence

The Wisconsin OWI rules that apply to cars apply to UTVs. The blood alcohol limit is 0.08, or any detectable amount above 0.0 if you are under 21. Operating with a detectable amount of a restricted controlled substance in your blood is also illegal at any age.¹ A first offense carries a $150 to $300 forfeiture. A second offense within five years carries a $300 to $1,100 fine and 5 days to 6 months in jail. Third or subsequent offenses within five years carry a $600 to $2,000 fine and 30 days to one year in jail. Minimum and maximum penalties double if a passenger under 16 is on the UTV. Causing injury while intoxicated is a separate charge with a $300 to $2,000 fine and 30 days to one year in jail.²

Crash Reporting

If your UTV is in a crash causing death or injury requiring physician treatment, notify a conservation warden or local law enforcement immediately. You then have 10 days to submit a written crash report to the Department of Natural Resources. Failing to file carries a forfeiture of up to $250.¹

1
Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Statutes 23.33 (2025) – All-Terrain Vehicles and Utility Terrain Vehicles
2
Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Statutes 23.33(13)(a)
3
eCode360. Village of Brandon Ordinance 2021-03 – Rules and Regulations Relating to the Use of ATVs and UTVs Upon Public Ground/Public Right-of-way
4
Wisconsin DNR. All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) and Utility-Terrain Vehicle (UTV) Registration
5
Wisconsin DNR. Nonresident ATV and UTV Trail Passes
6
Wisconsin DNR. Safety Education – ATV/UTV