S-1847               _______________________________________________

                                                   SENATE BILL NO. 5933

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              50th Legislature                              1987 Regular Session

By Senator Metcalf

Read first time 2/19/87 and referred to Committee on Transportation.

AN ACT Relating to off-road and nonhighway vehicles; and amending RCW 46.09.020.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

        Sec. 1.  Section 7, chapter 47, Laws of 1971 ex. sess. as last amended by section 1, chapter 206, Laws of 1986 and RCW 46.09.020 are each amended to read as follows:

          As used in this chapter the following words and phrases have the designated meanings unless a different meaning is expressly provided or the context otherwise clearly indicates:

          "Person" means any individual, firm, partnership, association, or corporation.

          "Nonhighway vehicle" means any motorized vehicle when used for recreation travel on trails and nonhighway roads or for recreation cross-country travel on any one of the following or a combination thereof:  Land, water, snow, ice, marsh, swampland, and other natural terrain.  Such vehicles include but are not limited to, off-road vehicles, two, three, or four-wheel vehicles, motorcycles, four-wheel drive vehicles, dune buggies, amphibious vehicles, ground effects or air cushion vehicles, and any other means of land transportation deriving motive power from any source other than muscle or wind.

          Nonhighway vehicle does not include:

          (1) Any vehicle designed primarily for travel on, over, or in the water;

          (2) Snowmobiles or any military vehicles; or

          (3) Any vehicle eligible for a motor vehicle fuel tax exemption or rebate under chapter 82.36 RCW while an exemption or rebate is claimed.  This exemption includes but is not limited to farm, construction, and logging vehicles.

          "Off-road vehicle" or "ORV" means any nonhighway vehicle when used for cross-country travel on trails or on any one of the following or a combination thereof:  Land, water, snow, ice, marsh, swampland and other natural terrain.

          "ORV use permit" means a permit issued for operation of an off-road vehicle under this chapter.

          "ORV trail" means a  multiple-use corridor designated and maintained for recreational travel by off-road vehicles that is not normally suitable for travel by conventional two-wheel drive vehicles and is posted or designated by the managing authority of the property that the trail traverses as permitting ORV travel.

          "ORV use area" means the entire area of a parcel of land except for camping and approved buffer areas that is posted or designated for ORV use in accordance with rules adopted by the managing authority.

          "ORV recreation facility" includes ORV trails and ORV use areas.

          "Owner" means the person other than the lienholder, having an interest in or title to a nonhighway vehicle, and entitled to the use or possession thereof.

          "Operator" means each person who operates, or is in physical control of, any nonhighway vehicle.

          "Dealer" means a person, partnership, association, or corporation engaged in the business of selling off-road vehicles at wholesale or retail in this state.

          "Department" means the department of licensing.

          "Hunt" means any effort to kill, injure, capture, or purposely disturb a wild animal or wild bird.

          "Nonhighway road" means any road owned or managed by a public agency, including but not limited to the United States forest service, or any private road for which the owner has granted a permanent easement for public use of the road, other than a highway generally capable of travel by a conventional two-wheel drive passenger automobile during most of the year and in use by such vehicles and that is not built or maintained with appropriations from the motor vehicle fund.

          "Highway," for the purpose of this chapter only, means the entire width between the boundary lines of every way publicly maintained by the state department of transportation or any county or city when any part thereof is generally open to the use of the public for purposes of vehicular travel as a matter of right.

          "Organized competitive event" means any competition, advertised in advance through written notice to organized clubs or published in local newspapers, sponsored by recognized clubs, and conducted at a predetermined time and place.