Tracked ATVs in Maine: What the State Publishes

Maine addresses tracks in two separate places. First, the statutory ATV definition itself names tracked machines: an ATV "includes, but is not limited to, a multitrack, multiwheel or low-pressure tire vehicle." Second, MDIFW's published law summaries for both ATVs and snowmobiles state that a tracked ATV carrying a snowmobile registration may be operated on snowmobile trails. That reads as the practical exception to 12 M.R.S. sec. 13107, which otherwise bars non-snowmobiles from trails financed by the Snowmobile Trail Fund. Note what the permission turns on: it is the snowmobile REGISTRATION that opens the snowmobile trail, not merely the presence of tracks.

An ATV with tracks, registered as a snowmobile, may be operated on snowmobile trails.Maine Dept. of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, "Laws & Rules: All-Terrain Vehicles" (the snowmobile law page carries the same rule as "ATV's with tracks, registered as snowmobile can be operated on a snowmobile trail.") — source · read 2026-09-26

An ATV must be registered to be operated, with limited exceptions for the owner's own land and for certain commercial and governmental use. Resident season registration is $70 plus agent fee; nonresident season $115, 7-day $100. Registrations run July 1 to June 30. Sales or use tax is collected before registration. The size cutoff is what matters most to a track owner: an ATV wider than 65 inches or heavier than 2,000 pounds is "oversized" and cannot be registered in Maine, but the measurement is taken from the original manufacturer's specifications, not from the machine as you have modified it. Separately, a tracked ATV can be registered as a snowmobile (resident $56 plus agent fee), which is the route to snowmobile trail access. Maine's rail-trail rules contemplate a machine being registered as an ATV, a snowmobile, or both.

An oversized ATV is defined as an ATV that is wider than 65 inches or that weighs more than 2,000 pounds according to the original manufacturer's specifications. Oversized ATVs cannot be registered in the State of Maine.2025-2026 Maine ATV Quick Reference Guide (MDIFW), "Size Requirements" — source · read 2026-09-26

A different document, other jurisdictions
Registering a Tracked Quad sets several named agencies' own class definitions side by side, and shows that they are not written to a common test. It settles nothing for Maine; what Maine publishes is directly above.

Yes, on trails marked for the vehicle you are riding, and Maine's network is large. Permission is presumed on designated state-approved ATV trails, which carry green-and-white ATV markers. Two conditions to understand. First, marker type governs: snowmobile trails are not ATV trails unless they carry an ATV marker, and Interconnected Trail System (ITS) trails are not always open to ATVs. Second, season: ATV trails are not open year-round, typically opening in May in the southern half of the state and June in the north, and closing at various times in the fall. The tracked-machine advantage is the snowmobile side: with a snowmobile registration, the winter snowmobile trail network opens up.

Snowmobile trails are not ATV trails, unless they have an ATV trail marker.2025-2026 Maine ATV Quick Reference Guide (MDIFW), "Know Your Trail Markers" — source · read 2026-09-26

A different document, other jurisdictions
Groomed Snowmobile Trails quotes named agencies in other jurisdictions on the groomed-trail question, and they do not agree with each other. It settles nothing for Maine; what Maine publishes is directly above.

Not on the maintained travel portion of a public way as an ATV registration, but Maine has a real mechanism for road riding: ATV-access routes. The Department of Transportation, county commissioners, or municipal officers may designate a public way in their jurisdiction as an ATV-access route after determining that ATV travel on the extreme right can be conducted safely without interfering with vehicular traffic, and must provide signage. These routes connect trail systems. Outside a designated route, crossing is allowed for a distance not to exceed 500 yards on the extreme right of the traveled way. On an access route, yield to all traffic, ride right, never pass a vehicle, and do not exceed the posted speed limit.

Except as provided in this subsection, a person may not operate an ATV, other than an ATV registered with the Secretary of State under Title 29-A, on any portion of a public way maintained or used for the operation of conventional motor vehicles or on the sidewalks of any public way.12 M.R.S. sec. 13157-A(6) — source · read 2026-09-26

A different document, other jurisdictions
Roads, Shoulders and Crossings separates crossing a road from travelling along one in several named jurisdictions, because most of them do. It settles nothing for Maine; what Maine publishes is directly above.

Maine's public reserved lands road systems, state park trails, and ten multi-use rail trails are open to ATV use, administered by the Bureau of Parks and Lands within the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. Registration as an ATV and/or a snowmobile is the admission ticket; vehicles registered or built for on-road use (cars, trucks, jeeps, road motorcycles) are excluded. Two closures matter: rail trails close to ATVs once snow-covered, and trails close during mud season under "STOP TRAIL CLOSED DUE TO SATURATED SOILS" signs. Statutory closures apply everywhere to salt marsh, intertidal zone, marine sand beach, sand dune, and any cemetery or burying ground.

All motorized vehicles permitted on Multi-use Rail Trails must be legally registered as either an ATV and/or snowmobile.Maine DACF, Bureau of Parks and Lands, "ATVing" — source · read 2026-09-26

A different document, other jurisdictions
Public Land and Width Limits covers the federal land managers, who publish route designations rather than permissions and answer to nobody's state code. It settles nothing for Maine; what Maine publishes is directly above.