Wisconsin Rapids is looking at their ATV/UTV ordinance again

WISCONSIN RAPIDS, Wis. (WFHR / WIRI) – The Wisconsin Rapids ATV/UTV ordinance was a topic on the agenda again during last week’s Public Works Committee meeting. The city does have an ordinance but only allows ATV/UTV traffic on about 600 feet of roadway on the southeast side of Wisconsin Rapids.

Voters rejected an ordinance in November 2024

Residents in the city voted down an ordinance to allow recreational vehicle traffic on all city streets last November. The ordinance on the ballot was similar to the one in Wood County that allows 12-15 year olds to operate the vehicles with some restrictions. Residents who spoke up during meetings leading up to the November vote were concerned about safety, noise, and busy streets.

A referral was brought to the Common Council through the Public Works Committee in early 2025. The decision was made by the Common Council in February to only allow ATV/UTV traffic on a stretch of road under debate on the southeast side of the city. City and county officials aren’t sure which of them owns a 600 foot stretch of County Road Z/Griffith Avenue and it creates a barrier for ATV/UTV traffic to access the open roads.

The current city ordinance addressed voter concerns

Alderperson Madalyn Palmquist said when creating the ordinance, city officials took care to address concerns raised by those who voted against the original ordinance.

“The city does have an existing ATV/UTV ordinance that covers all of the rules that were points of concern,” says Palmquist. “Such as age, insurance, having a valid drivers license. All of those things are within our city’s ordinance.”

New referral before the Public Works Committee

This new referral is being brought to the Public Works Committee after members are hearing from people who are frustrated they can’t access their open roads.

“I made this referral after being contacted by a handful of residents from our surrounding communities,” said Palmquist.

With Wood County roads being open and many surrounding municipalities also having open roads, certain property owners are running into the difficulty of being “land locked” due to the road they use to access their property. This happens either because the road they live on is owned by the city of Wisconsin Rapids or its half and half owned by a different municipality and people don’t want to violate the rules of the city.

“The point would be to open the roadways that are split so that the other residents can use their roads to access existing open municipalities,” says Palmquist. “Like Grand Rapids, Portage County, Plover, Biron, everywhere else, but to be able to leave without violating the rules of our municipality or theirs.”

Committee asked for more information on which roads are involved

The Public Works Committee closed out the discussion by requesting a list of split roads that are shared by municipalities before any further action is taken.

Report of the Public Works Committee Meeting 10/09/25

From the meeting notes:
“4. Discuss and consider revision to All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) and Utility Terrain Vehicle Traffic (UTV) Ordinance.”

The Committee requested staff to review the areas bordering the neighboring communities and create a list of streets that are half in the city, streets that are fully in the city but have adjacent properties in the neighboring community, number of signs needed and any other landlocked areas and notable items. This report should be provided at a future meeting.”