Police report: ATV/UTV ordinance has produced warnings, few arrests and one minor crash in six months
October 22, 2025 | Fort Atkinson, Jefferson County, Wisconsin
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Police Chief Bump presented a six‑month review of the city’s ATV/UTV ordinance at the Oct. 20 meeting, as required by municipal code section 95‑160.
Bump said calls for service specific to ATVs and UTVs remained lower than vehicle contacts involving automobiles, but the six‑month period included the city’s first minor on‑street crash involving a UTV (property damage only) and several incidents that resulted in arrests for operating while intoxicated or under the influence of drugs. The crash, he said, was initially investigated as a hit‑and‑run because the UTV operator left the scene; subsequent investigation showed the UTV operator was at fault.
Bump said most enforcement contacts were ordinance violations — for example, driving after permitted hours, improper registration or failing to display registration — rather than reckless driving. He said the department has four to five officers who are most comfortable enforcing ATV/UTV rules and that those officers typically make most of the contacts.
Council members asked whether the department’s earlier concerns about increased incidents had materialized. Bump said that early worries were replaced by actual data; he still considered UTVs and ATVs on public roads less safe than automobiles and said the city had been “fortunate” that incidents remained limited over the six‑month period. He also said an unintended consequence of the ordinance has been off‑road and other non‑ATV devices (mini bikes, dirt bikes) showing up as residents assume similar allowances.
A council member noted that a local ATV club helped raise approximately $60,000 for the Fort Atkinson Hospital grama program in a recent fundraiser, an example offered during the meeting of community benefits tied to ATV/UTV activity.
No policy change or vote was taken; the presentation was the required six‑month report under the municipal code.
Ending: Police will continue to enforce the ordinance and report back at the next review period; the department recommended continued monitoring.
Bump said calls for service specific to ATVs and UTVs remained lower than vehicle contacts involving automobiles, but the six‑month period included the city’s first minor on‑street crash involving a UTV (property damage only) and several incidents that resulted in arrests for operating while intoxicated or under the influence of drugs. The crash, he said, was initially investigated as a hit‑and‑run because the UTV operator left the scene; subsequent investigation showed the UTV operator was at fault.
Bump said most enforcement contacts were ordinance violations — for example, driving after permitted hours, improper registration or failing to display registration — rather than reckless driving. He said the department has four to five officers who are most comfortable enforcing ATV/UTV rules and that those officers typically make most of the contacts.
Council members asked whether the department’s earlier concerns about increased incidents had materialized. Bump said that early worries were replaced by actual data; he still considered UTVs and ATVs on public roads less safe than automobiles and said the city had been “fortunate” that incidents remained limited over the six‑month period. He also said an unintended consequence of the ordinance has been off‑road and other non‑ATV devices (mini bikes, dirt bikes) showing up as residents assume similar allowances.
A council member noted that a local ATV club helped raise approximately $60,000 for the Fort Atkinson Hospital grama program in a recent fundraiser, an example offered during the meeting of community benefits tied to ATV/UTV activity.
No policy change or vote was taken; the presentation was the required six‑month report under the municipal code.
Ending: Police will continue to enforce the ordinance and report back at the next review period; the department recommended continued monitoring.
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