Illinois

Illinois defines an off-highway motorcycle as any motorized device designed to travel primarily off-highway on 2 wheels, having a seat or saddle for the use of the operator, upon or by which any person, persons or property may be transported or drawn. The Recreational Trails of Illinois Act defines an off-highway vehicle as a motor-driven recreational vehicle capable of cross-country travel on natural terrain without benefit of a road or trail, including an all-terrain vehicle and off-highway motorcycle as defined in the Illinois Vehicle Code; it does not include a snowmobile, a motorcycle, a watercraft, snow-grooming equipment when used for its intended purpose, an aircraft or a large non-highway vehicle. The first definition uses the words "motorized device" and the second "motor-driven".

625 ILCS 5/1-153.1; 20 ILCS 862/10, checked 2026-10-01. Official text for Illinois, 625 ILCS 5/1-153.1; 20 ILCS 862/10, external site

It is unlawful to operate an off-highway motorcycle on publicly owned lands unless they are designated for use by all-terrain vehicles or off-highway motorcycles. No person may operate an off-highway vehicle within the State unless it has an Off-Highway Vehicle Usage Stamp attached, displayed prominently on the forward half. Listed exceptions from display, besides government vehicles, commercial business use and golf carts: a vehicle operated on lands solely owned by the operator, his or her immediate family, or both (not clubs, associations, or lands leased for hunting or recreational purposes); used only on competition circuits in events with written permission from the governmental unit having jurisdiction; used on an off-highway vehicle grant assisted site and displaying an Off-Highway Vehicle Access decal; displaying a valid motor vehicle registration issued by the Secretary of State or any other state; operated by, or by a person assisting, a holder of the listed disability card or placard; or used only at commercial riding parks. In public off-highway vehicle parks paid for, operated, or supported by the State grant program, the vehicle must also display an off-highway vehicle trails public access sticker, unless it is used on private land or government-owned. The sticker costs $30 for 3 years for individuals, and $50 for residents of a state with no reciprocal agreement with the Department or for an off-highway motorcycle that does not have a title.

625 ILCS 5/11-1427(h); 20 ILCS 862/26(b), 862/28, 862/34, 862/25.5(b), (c), (d), checked 2026-10-01. Official text for Illinois, 625 ILCS 5/11-1427(h); 20 ILCS 862/26(b), 862/28, 862/34, 862/25.5(b), (c), (d), external site

Except as the section provides, it is unlawful to drive or operate a non-highway vehicle, a term that includes an off-highway motorcycle as defined by Section 1-153.1, upon any street, highway, or roadway in Illinois. A municipality, township, county, or other unit of local government, or the Department, may authorize non-highway vehicles on roadways under its jurisdiction if it determines that the public safety will not be jeopardized; operation is then only on streets where the posted speed limit is 35 miles per hour or less, though the subsection does not prohibit crossing at an intersection a road or street posted at more than 35 miles per hour. The operator must have a valid driver's license and is subject to the mandatory insurance requirements, and the vehicle must have at least brakes, a steering apparatus, tires, a rearview mirror, red reflectorized warning devices in the front and rear, a slow moving emblem on the rear, a headlight, a tail lamp, brake lights, and turn signals. No operator may make a direct crossing of any tollroad, interstate highway, or controlled access highway, or of any other highway under State jurisdiction except at an intersection of the highway with another public street, road, or highway.

625 ILCS 5/11-1426.1(a), (b), (b-5), (c), (d), (e), (g), checked 2026-10-01. Official text for Illinois, 625 ILCS 5/11-1426.1(a), (b), (b-5), (c), (d), (e), (g), external site

A low-speed electric bicycle is a bicycle equipped with fully operable pedals and an electric motor of less than 750 watts that meets Class 1, Class 2 or Class 3. Class 1 and Class 3 motors provide assistance only when the rider is pedaling and cease to assist at 20 and 28 miles per hour respectively; a Class 2 motor may be used exclusively to propel the bicycle and is not capable of providing assistance when the bicycle reaches 20 miles per hour. A low-speed electric bicycle is not a moped or a motor driven cycle.

625 ILCS 5/1-140.10, checked 2026-10-01. Official text for Illinois, 625 ILCS 5/1-140.10, external site