What Kentucky law says about riding an electric dirt bike, question by question. 6 of 6 answered from official text. Where the state has no rule on a question, the page says "No statewide rule found" and what the law does cover.
Kentucky's traffic chapter defines an all-terrain vehicle as any motor vehicle used for recreational off-road use; those words give no wheel count and name no power source. A separate section defines an off-road vehicle as a motor vehicle capable of cross-country travel without the benefit of a road or trail, not including farm, military, law enforcement, construction, mining or other industrial vehicles, aircraft, or any other vehicle registered under state law.
These rules are written for an "all-terrain vehicle", which KRS 189.010(24) defines as any motor vehicle used for recreational off-road use. A person may not operate an all-terrain vehicle on public property unless the governmental agency responsible for the property has approved the use of all-terrain vehicles. On or after July 1, 2010, a state resident who purchases an all-terrain vehicle as defined in KRS 189.010 must apply for and obtain a certificate of title in the purchaser's name within fifteen (15) days of purchase, and the owner of an all-terrain vehicle is not eligible to obtain a certificate of registration pursuant to KRS 186.020.
This rule is written for an "all-terrain vehicle", which KRS 189.010(24) defines as any motor vehicle used for recreational off-road use. Except for vehicles authorized to operate on a public highway, a person 16 or older operating an all-terrain vehicle on public property must wear approved protective headgear, in the manner prescribed by the secretary of the Transportation Cabinet, at all times that the vehicle is in motion. The requirement does not apply when the operator is engaged in farm or agriculture related activities, mining or mining exploration activities, logging activities, any other business, commercial or industrial activity, use of the vehicle on private property, or the crossing of a public roadway with a posted speed limit of 55 miles per hour or less. A person under 16, when operating or riding as a passenger on an all-terrain vehicle, must wear approved protective headgear at all times that the vehicle is in motion.
These rules are written for an "all-terrain vehicle", which KRS 189.010(24) defines as any motor vehicle used for recreational off-road use. A parent or legal guardian may not knowingly allow a minor under 6 to operate an all-terrain vehicle, and a person under 16 may not operate one except under direct parental supervision. A parent or guardian may not knowingly allow a minor who is under 16, or who does not hold an instruction permit, intermediate license or operator's license, to carry a passenger while operating an all-terrain vehicle, or allow a minor under 16 to operate one in violation of the manufacturer's age restriction warning label required by the federal all-terrain vehicle standards.
These rules are written for an "all-terrain vehicle", which KRS 189.010(24) defines as any motor vehicle used for recreational off-road use. Except for vehicles authorized to operate on a public highway as of July 15, 1998, and except as provided in subsection (7), a person may not operate an all-terrain vehicle upon any public highway or roadway or upon its right-of-way. Subsection (7) covers a two-lane public highway when the operator is engaged in farm or agricultural related activities, construction, road maintenance or snow removal, and those public highways, segments and adjoining rights-of-way that the Transportation Cabinet or a city or county government designates. A person operating on a public highway under subsection (7) must possess a valid operator's license and comply with all applicable traffic regulations; the vehicle must have at least one headlight and two taillights, illuminated at all times it is in operation; and operation is restricted to daylight hours, except when engaged in snow removal or emergency road maintenance. The page also still prints subsection (7)(a), on crossing a two-lane public highway at as close to a 90 degree angle as is practical and safe without travelling on the highway for more than two-tenths of a mile, together with a Legislative Research Commission note that (7)(a) was amended by Section 7 of 2021 Ky. Acts ch. 186 and that Section 9 of that Act provides: "Sections 6 to 8 of this Act are part of a pilot program and shall sunset on July 1, 2024.
No statewide electric bicycle definition found. Kentucky's bicycle safety standards regulation, 601 KAR 14:020, defines a bicycle as a device with an attached seat propelled primarily by human power upon which a person rides astride or upon, regardless of the number and size of the wheels in contact with the ground.
That is not the same as no rule: land managers, local governments and tracks set their own, so ask whoever manages the ground before you ride.
This page restates state law in plain words and links the text it came from. It is not legal advice. Cities, counties and the agencies that manage federal land (the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service) add rules of their own, so check with whoever manages the ground you plan to ride.
