Tracked ATVs in South Dakota: What the State Publishes

South Dakota's off-road-vehicle chapter does not mention tracks, treads or belts anywhere; it is worded by wheels. SDCL 32-20-1(4) defines an 'off-road vehicle' as 'any self-propelled, two or more wheeled vehicle designed primarily to be operated on land other than a highway and includes all terrain vehicles, dune buggies, and any vehicle whose manufacturer's statement of origin or manufacturer's certificate of origin states that the vehicle is not for highway use,' and the road-licensing route in SDCL 32-20-13 is open to 'any all-terrain vehicle with four or more wheels' of 200 cubic centimetres or more. Two readings of that text pull in opposite directions and neither has been resolved by the state. Against a tracked machine: it has no wheels in contact with the ground, so on a plain reading it is not a 'two or more wheeled vehicle,' and it is not an 'all-terrain vehicle with four or more wheels' for 32-20-13. For a tracked machine: the definition's second, inclusive prong is not worded by wheel count at all - it also takes in 'any vehicle whose manufacturer's statement of origin or manufacturer's certificate of origin states that the vehicle is not for highway use,' which describes essentially every factory ATV, and a track unit contains wheels of its own that a reader could count. Track language does appear in South Dakota law, but only in the snowmobile chapter and in a form a four-track quad may not satisfy: SDCL 32-20A-1(8) defines a snowmobile as a machine 'which uses sled type runners or skis with an endless belt tread or similar means of contact with the surface upon which it is operated' and not exceeding forty-eight inches in width. 'Endless belt tread' is track language, but it is paired with sled-type runners or skis, and a four-track conversion steers on driven tracks rather than skis or runners, so read against that text it does not appear to be a snowmobile. Reporting the text, not advising: the state agencies are the ones who resolve all of this.

"Snowmobile," any engine-driven vehicle of a type which uses sled type runners or skis with an endless belt tread or similar means of contact with the surface upon which it is operated and the vehicle does not exceed forty-eight inches in widthSDCL 32-20A-1(8) (snowmobile definition); compare SDCL 32-20-1(4) (off-road vehicle) and SDCL 32-20-13 (licensing as a motorcycle) — source · read 2026-09-26

Off-road vehicles in South Dakota must be titled but are not registered and licensed for highway use, except by way of SDCL 32-20-13. The Department of Revenue issues a certificate of title for off-road vehicles the same as for other motor vehicles; a resident's unit is titled in South Dakota through the county treasurer's office. Titling is the permissive part for a tracked owner - nothing in the titling provisions turns on wheels, tires or tracks, so a machine already titled stays titled after a conversion. SDCL 32-20-13 is the separate route to public-highway use: an ATV 'with four or more wheels' with an engine of 200 cc or more (or an electric ATV with four or more wheels) may be licensed as a motorcycle under chapter 32-5 for public-highway use, after meeting the light, brake and accessory requirements applicable to motorcycles in chapters 32-15, 32-17 and 32-18. A vehicle licensed that way may not be operated on the interstate highway system.

Off-road vehicles need not be registered and licensed for use upon the highways except as provided in 32-20-13. Off-road vehicles shall be titled. The Department of Revenue shall issue a certificate of title for off-road vehicles the same as for other motor vehicles subject to the provisions of chapter 32-3.SDCL 32-20-12; SDCL 32-20-13 — 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 South Dakota; what South Dakota publishes is directly above.

South Dakota's two designated off-highway vehicle areas are the two GF&P names for open riding, and the requirements it publishes for them are lighter than for other state park areas: at Oahe Downstream Off-Highway Vehicle Area (almost 400 acres of hilly grassland, river bluff and vegetated shale slopes, 5 miles north of Fort Pierre off SD 1806) and Revheim Bay Off-Highway Vehicle Area (a 1.1-mile track, 1 mile southeast of Mobridge off US Hwy 12), GF&P states that 'Vehicles are not required to be registered or to have a park entrance license' and that riding is allowed only inside the designated off-road vehicle area. At Oahe Downstream the boundaries are marked but, in GF&P's words, 'there are no designated trails' - it is an open riding area, not a trail system. In all other state park areas the machine must be registered, needs a park entrance licence and proof of insurance, must carry a horn, headlight, brake light and rearview mirror, must be operated by someone 14 or older with a valid driver's licence, and may only be operated on designated park roads - not on paved or unpaved trails or shorelines. GF&P also bars off-road vehicles on land it owns, leases or controls except on a designated off-road vehicle area or designated trail. The published handout lists the machine categories it covers as ATVs, UTVs, motorcycles, motocross bikes, golf carts, mopeds and scooters; it has no tracked category and says nothing about tracks either way, so eligibility for a tracked quad is a question for the park, not something these pages settle. The state's 1,500+ miles of snowmobile trails (open December 15 to March 31) are a separate system governed by the snowmobile chapter.

At Oahe Downstream and Revheim Bay Off-Highway Vehicle Areas: Vehicles are not required to be registered or to have a park entrance license. Riding is allowed only inside the designated off-road vehicle area.SD Game, Fish and Parks, Operating Recreational Vehicles in South Dakota State Parks; SDCL 32-20-12 — 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 South Dakota; what South Dakota publishes is directly above.

The ditch is the permission worth knowing, and it is also the one most exposed to the wheel wording. SDCL 32-20-12 bars off-road vehicles from a public street or highway except to cross from one side to the other, then expressly allows ditch travel: a person twelve years of age or older may operate an off-road vehicle in a highway ditch if it is kept as close as possible to the outer edge of the highway right of way. Four carve-outs apply: not in a ditch along the interstate highway system; not on land owned, leased or controlled by GF&P or any highway ditch within it, except on a designated off-road vehicle area or designated trail; not in a ditch designated as part of the state snowmobile trails system under chapter 41-19; and not on a public bike trail. Violation is a Class 2 misdemeanor. Full public-highway use is the separate SDCL 32-20-13 motorcycle-licensing route. Both the ditch permission and the licensing route are worded around wheels - 'off-road vehicle' means a 'two or more wheeled vehicle' and 32-20-13 says 'four or more wheels' - so neither can be relied on for a track-converted machine until the Department of Revenue or a county treasurer says the machine still qualifies. A vehicle licensed under 32-20-13 may not be operated on the interstate highway system, and must first meet the light, brake and other accessory requirements applicable to motorcycles under chapters 32-15, 32-17 and 32-18.

No person may operate on a public street or highway an off-road vehicle except for crossing from one side of the road to the other. A person twelve years of age or older may operate an off-road vehicle in a highway ditch if the vehicle is operated as close as possible to the outer edge of the highway right-of-way. However, no person may operate an off-road vehicle in a highway ditch along the interstate highway system, or operate an off-road vehicle on any lands owned, leased, or controlled by the Department of Game, Fish and Parks, or any highway ditch located within, except on a designated off-road vehicle area or designated trail, or operate an off-road vehicle in a highway ditch that is designated as part of the state snowmobile trails system pursuant to chapter 41-19 or a public bike trail.SDCL 32-20-12 — 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 South Dakota; what South Dakota publishes is directly above.

Beyond the two state OHV areas, GF&P's own off-highway vehicle handout points riders to federal managers and tells them to contact local law enforcement agencies for regulations: Black Hills National Forest, Custer National Forest, Buffalo Gap National Grassland, Fort Pierre National Grassland, Grand River National Grassland, and the Bureau of Reclamation Dakotas Area Office. On GF&P land itself, SDCL 32-20-12 permits off-road vehicles only on a designated off-road vehicle area or designated trail. The handout also states that ATVs under 200cc and three-wheeled ATVs cannot be licensed and cannot operate on park roads.

Off-roading on Federal lands Contact local law enforcement agencies for regulations.SD Game, Fish and Parks, Operating Recreational Vehicles in South Dakota State Parks — 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 South Dakota; what South Dakota publishes is directly above.