Cedar Rapids City Council advances ban on UTVs

CEDAR RAPIDS — Utility task vehicles — or UTVs — would be banned from operating on city of Cedar Rapids streets under an ordinance advanced this week by the City Council.

The nine-member council unanimously advanced the ordinance on first consideration Tuesday. A state law enacted in 2022 allowed cities to regulate usage of the vehicles.

Under the proposed Cedar Rapids ordinance, all-terrain vehicles, off-road utility vehicles, golf carts and snowmobiles would not be allowed to operate on city streets, right-of-ways and other public property.

There would be exceptions allowing use of the vehicles for survey by a licensed engineer or land survey, by emergency personnel or by a governmental entity or political subdivision in the course of employment duties, such as Park Cedar Rapids’ work downtown. Allowable uses of a snowmobile under Iowa code also would be permitted.

Those who violate the ordinance, if approved, would be penalized with a traffic citation, police Sgt. Graham Campshure said.

Council members Marty Hoeger and Scott Olson were absent from the meeting Tuesday where the policy was considered. A second and possible third reading of the ordinance will come to the council for consideration March 12.

Council member Dale Todd said neighbors have complained to the city about the use of these vehicles locally in recent summers.

“This is simply a response to people who use ATVs/UTVs unsafely,” Todd said.

Neighboring jurisdictions such as Marion, North Liberty and Linn County in recent years have expanded ATV usage. But Campshure said city staff looked at other urban areas in Iowa including Des Moines, Davenport, Sioux City, Council Bluffs and Bettendorf that have a larger density where the vehicles are primarily allowed only for governmental or emergency personnel use.

Campshure said it would be too complicated to allow the vehicles in certain areas of Cedar Rapids but not others, resulting in staff drafting a blanket ban across the city.

“Obviously we’re the second largest city in the state, we have a very dense urban area and those cities have also banned ATVs/UTVs for recreational use in the city,” Campshure said. “ … That’s where we looked at to say, is this a good idea in Cedar Rapids or not.”

City Public Works staff are working to create signage notifying motorists that the vehicles are not allowed on city roads. The signs would go on city streets such as 16th Avenue SW or Beverly Road SW that are connected to county secondary roads where UTV use is allowed, Campshure said.

Council member Ashley Vanorny said crashes caused when these vehicles collide with cars are severe and injuries are often life-threatening if people survive them.

“Density is the big difference here,” Vanorny said. “ … With the exception of Des Moines, there really are no cities that are as large as we are in Iowa, so it is very particular to the size and density of our housing, of our businesses.”

Mike Summerwill, of Cedar Rapids, said he helps cars get unstuck in the snow and provides public service to people with his side-by-side. Given that the city is surrounded by others that permit ATVs, he asked the city to offer permits and licenses to regulate the vehicles’ use.

Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell asked if there was a permit process allowing citizens to use the vehicles for volunteer purposes, but Campshure said he hadn’t seen such a procedure in other cities’ ordinances. He said it would likely have to be some sort of business permit as there would be liability issues for citizens using the vehicles on public streets.

“In this day and age, it’s an amenity,” O’Donnell said. “It’s recreation in our rural areas. It’s a way to get from A and B, and restaurants take advantage of that in much less densely populated areas, so it seems prudent that we unfortunately let those cities benefit from the use of those.”

Parking rate changes

Under this ordinance change, the city also would change parking system rates.

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