Georgia

For Georgia's off-road vehicle chapter, an off-road vehicle is any motorized vehicle designed for or capable of cross-country travel on or immediately over land, water, snow, ice, marsh, swampland or other natural terrain and not intended for use predominantly on public roads; the term includes two-wheel vehicles and any other means of transportation deriving power from any source other than muscle or wind. It excludes motorboats, military, fire, law enforcement or other government vehicles being used for official purposes, vehicles used exclusively on airports, farm machinery, farm tractors and other vehicles used exclusively for agricultural purposes, self-propelled forestry, land-clearing, utility, earth-moving, construction and mining equipment, and self-propelled lawnmowers, snowblowers, garden or lawn tractors and golf carts while being used exclusively for their designed purposes. The definition does not name electric power; it covers power from any source other than muscle or wind.

O.C.G.A. § 40-7-3, checked 2026-10-01. Official text for Georgia, O.C.G.A. § 40-7-3, external site Statute text read through a published copy of O.C.G.A. § 40-7-3, external site where the official page would not load.

On wildlife management areas (WMAs), a Department of Natural Resources rule restricts all motor vehicles, including off-road vehicles, to open roads (roads not closed with a gate, sign, earthen berm or similar device), and ATVs, a term the rule says includes off-road motorcycles (dirt bikes), are restricted to roads within WMAs, from 2 hours before sunrise to 2 hours after sunset one day prior to and during big game, small game and special hog only hunts, by hunters actively participating in the hunt, except where otherwise specified in Rule 391-4-2-.70. Motor vehicles must meet safety, insurance, licensing and registration requirements for use on public roads; however, 3-wheel and 4-wheel ATVs need not be licensed (tagged) to be operated on a WMA unless the WMA is on National Forest lands. Vehicles, including ATVs, marked by official handicap license plates, placard or sticker are excepted on roads otherwise closed to vehicles but specifically designated by the department for handicapped hunter access.

Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 391-4-2-.62(1)(a)-(b), (2)-(5), checked 2026-10-01. Official text for Georgia, Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 391-4-2-.62(1)(a)-(b), (2)-(5), external site Statute text read through a published copy of Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 391-4-2-.62(1)(a)-(b), (2)-(5), external site where the official page would not load.

On wildlife management areas, the Department of Natural Resources rule requires ATV operators to be at least 16 years old. For that rule an ATV is a tracked or wheeled motor vehicle powered by an electrical or motor fuel engine and intended for off-road use on natural terrain, and the term includes off-road motorcycles (dirt bikes).

Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 391-4-2-.62(1)(a), (6), checked 2026-10-01. Official text for Georgia, Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 391-4-2-.62(1)(a), (6), external site Statute text read through a published copy of Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 391-4-2-.62(1)(a), (6), external site where the official page would not load.

Except as subsections (b) and (d) of Code Section 40-2-20 and Code Section 40-2-47(a) provide (subsection (b) lists mopeds and golf cars among the vehicles the registration duty does not apply to), every owner of a motor vehicle, including a motorcycle, must register it during the owner's registration period each year and obtain a license plate or revalidation decal to operate it for the 12 month period until the next registration period. No person may own, rent, lease or operate a vehicle required to be registered under that section upon a highway in Georgia without registering it; a violation is a misdemeanor punished by a fine of $100.00 for each day the vehicle is in violation. These sections set the general registration rule; they do not say whether a particular off-road electric dirt bike can be registered.

O.C.G.A. §§ 40-2-20(a)(1)(A), (b)(6)-(7); 40-2-8(a), checked 2026-10-01. Official text for Georgia, O.C.G.A. §§ 40-2-20(a)(1)(A), (b)(6)-(7); 40-2-8(a), external site Statute text read through a published copy of O.C.G.A. §§ 40-2-20(a)(1)(A), (b)(6)-(7); 40-2-8(a), external site where the official page would not load.

An electric assisted bicycle is a device with two or three wheels that has a saddle and fully operative pedals for human propulsion and an electric motor with a power output of not more than 750 watts. A Class I or Class III electric assisted bicycle has a motor that provides assistance only when the rider is pedaling and ceases to provide assistance at 20 or 28 miles per hour respectively, and a Class II motor may be used exclusively to propel the vehicle but is not capable of reaching 20 miles per hour. Georgia's definition of motor vehicle excludes electric assisted bicycles.

O.C.G.A. §§ 40-1-1(15.3), (33); 40-6-300, checked 2026-10-01. Official text for Georgia, O.C.G.A. §§ 40-1-1(15.3), (33); 40-6-300, external site Statute text read through a published copy of O.C.G.A. §§ 40-1-1(15.3), (33); 40-6-300, external site where the official page would not load.