Florence, South Carolina – South Carolina is preparing for a new chapter in roadway travel after Gov. Henry McMaster signed legislation establishing rules for certain Utility Terrain Vehicles, or UTVs, on public roads. Signed on May 18, 2026, the measure creates a legal route for qualifying vehicles to travel beyond private property and off-road trails, but only under safety, licensing and location requirements.
The law, Act No. 164 and Senate Bill 222, adds Article 5 to Chapter 2, Title 56 of the South Carolina Code. According to the Florence County Sheriff’s Office, it defines a UTV as a side-by-side, four-wheel-drive, off-road vehicle built to carry people, cargo or both, with a top speed above 55 miles per hour.
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The vehicle must also have an engine of at least 450 cubic centimeters, measure no more than 80 inches wide, use a steering wheel and nonstraddle seating, travel on at least four wheels or qualifying tracks, and have a gross vehicle weight rating of no more than 4,000 pounds.
When the rules take effect, operating a registered UTV on a public highway will require more than owning one.
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Drivers must be at least 17 years old and carry a valid driver’s license, proof of liability insurance, a registration certificate and a license plate. Beginner’s permit holders cannot drive a UTV on a public highway, even with a licensed adult present. The restriction also applies to people holding only a moped or motorcycle license, as well as temporary alcohol, route-restricted or provisional licenses.
Passengers are covered by the law as well. Every operator and passenger must wear a fastened safety belt while traveling on a public highway.
Children younger than 8 may not ride as passengers on public roads. Anyone younger than 21, whether driving or riding, must wear the protective gear required under state law, including helmet and face-protection requirements.
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The vehicle itself must be road-ready. Each registered UTV must include Type 2 seat belts at designated seating positions, working headlights, brake lights, taillights and turn signals. A UTV with an exhaust system modified to make it louder than its manufactured design cannot legally be operated on a road.
The new law does not open every roadway. UTVs remain barred from interstate highways, and the South Carolina Department of Transportation may prohibit them on additional roads when safety requires it.
Cities and counties may set local rules for hours, locations and methods of travel, including nighttime operation, but UTV road use is limited to highways with speed limits of 55 miles per hour or less.
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Where no local ordinance exists, registered UTVs may be used only on secondary highways with speed limits of 55 miles per hour or less, generally within 10 miles of the registered address or a gated community entrance or exit. They may cross a faster highway at an intersection.
The complete measure is available in the South Carolina General Assembly’s official record of Act No. 164. Although signed in May, the UTV roadway provisions take effect six months after the governor’s approval date: November 18, 2026.
