St. Mary's Co. Off-road Vehicles Prohibited on Roadways, Private Property

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Summer is coming to an end, but there is still plenty of warm weather left and the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office continues to receive complaints of people illegally operating unregistered motorcycles, dirt bikes, golf carts, off-road and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) on roadways and on private property.

The Sheriff’s Office reminds citizens the Maryland Transportation Article prohibits the operation of an unregistered motor vehicle on a public roadway. ATVs may only be operated on private property with the permission of the property owner.

Off-road vehicles, golf carts and ATVs may not be operated on:

1. Public roadways
2. Bicycle lanes
3. Three Notch Trail
4. Power-line right of ways or utility right of ways
5. All St. Mary’s County parks
6. All Maryland state parks

Any vehicle that is not registered may not be driven on public highways. Off-road vehicles are for use on private property only and with the permission of the landowner or agent. (State law provides for the operation of golf carts only in the communities of Golden Beach and Patuxent Knolls in Charlotte Hall with certain exceptions).

Individuals found to be operating off-road vehicles in violation of Maryland traffic law may face numerous citations to include Must-Appear citations in which a defendant will receive a court date in the mail and must see a judge. In addition to citations and/or court dates, the owner/operator of the vehicle will be subject to additional fees associated with the towing and storage of the vehicle.

The Sheriff’s Office reminds riders and operators of the following safety tips:

1. Ride with a partner or friend
2. Let someone know where you are riding and what time you should return
3. Familiarize yourself with the motor vehicle you are operating
4. Operate the vehicle in an ATV park or designated areas for off-road vehicles and ATVs

For additional questions, contact Cpl. Kenneth Flerlage at 301-475-4200, ext. 72237 or email kenneth.flerlage@stmarysmd.com or Sgt. Brian Connelly at 301-475-4200, ext. 78031 or email brian.connelly@stmarysmd.com.

Disclaimer: In the U.S.A., all persons accused of a crime by the State are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. See: https://so.md/presumed-innocence. Additionally, all of the information provided above is solely from the perspective of the respective law enforcement agency and does not provide any direct input from the accused or persons otherwise mentioned. You can find additional information about the case by searching the Maryland Judiciary Case Search Database using the accused's name and date of birth. The database is online at https://so.md/mdcasesearch . Persons named who have been found innocent or not guilty of all charges in the respective case, and/or have had the case ordered expunged by the court can have their name, age, and city redacted by following the process defined at https://so.md/expungeme.

 

[Sneakers]

That announcement is akin to Mr. Mackey. "Mmmm... Drugs are bad. M'kay?"

 

[Bare-ya-cuda]

Lawn mowers not mentioned anywhere.

 

[kom526]

Lawn mowers not mentioned anywhere.

George Jones approves of this message.

 

[glhs837]

Lawn mowers not mentioned anywhere.

Theres an old black guy runs his mower up and down 235. Saw him just after dark last week. Just south of the 235/Hermanville intersection. NO lights of course, he had a handheld flashlight he was waving backwards every second of so.... I dont think hes much of a risk. Not as much as the dirtbikes running around on GMR. And if they are running the Three Notch Trail, thats an accident waiting to happen.

 

[David]

We have a few families in my development who drive a golf cart on the streets. Often times just children. They are always very respectful and pull off and stop until the car passes by. I'm not about to call the police. If they were acting like jerks, that would be a different story.

But, frankly, I start to wonder WTF we are allowed to do any more in this country. Reminds me of the old song:

Sign, sign, everywhere a sign
taking up space, wasting my time
Do this, don't do that
Can't you read the sign?

A good example is Route 5 through St. Mary's City. I'm not sure you're allowed to breathe while you drive through there. The ****ing elites who control that tax-payer institution don't want the normal rabble coming through there and thinking they have any right to be there.

 

[Gilligan]

As I mentioned in another thread, we're going to petition to have the Piney Point/ St. Georges Island. Tall Timbers area approved for golf carts.

 

[Sneakers]

As I mentioned in another thread, we're going to petition to have the Piney Point/ St. Georges Island. Tall Timbers area approved for golf carts.

I was thinking south of the Lighthouse road would be fine. All the way up to TT too? That's a pretty long stretch with high speed traffic. I'd be surprised if that section is approved.

 

[Gilligan]

I was thinking south of the Lighthouse road would be fine. All the way up to TT too? That's a pretty long stretch with high speed traffic. I'd be surprised if that section is approved.

very wide shoulders to the TT point. A full lane wide actually.

 

[kom526]

I was thinking south of the Lighthouse road would be fine. All the way up to TT too? That's a pretty long stretch with high speed traffic. I'd be surprised if that section is approved.

I believe it is December 13 at the Chesapeake bldg that the SoMD delegation will be getting together with the BoCC for the legislative requests for the 2023 session.