Board approves new off-road vehicle
ordinance
If you’re a person who likes to ride ATVs off-road, be
careful: It could be three strikes and you’re out if you drive in undesignated
areas.
Following the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisor’s
adoption of a new off-road vehicle ordinance April 22, violators who trespass
private property and drive off-road vehicles in undesignated areas will face infraction
charges and a small fine on the first two offenses and a misdemeanor charge and
a $1,000 fine on the third offense.
The board’s unanimous approval of the new ordinance
follows two previous hearings, in which the board received the first and second
reading of the ordinance.
“It’s great to have a progression citation approach,” said
1st District Supervisor Salud Carbajal,
at the April 15 board meeting.
“If a kid is out there and they get a slap, hopefully they
don’t do it again…I think we do need to make sure that even though we want to
take a infraction approach there is substantial pain in it so individuals get
the point and stop doing what they’re doing.”
The ordinance governs where motor vehicles, including
passenger cars, vans, trucks, dune buggies and ATVs, can be driven.
The amendments were requested by the Sheriff’s department
and include changes to penalties.
It also provides a provision allowing agriculture
businesses to operate off-road vehicles on undesignated private and public property
in the interests of agriculture.
Sheriff Bill Brown said his department was prompted to
amend the off-road vehicle ordinance because it received a number of complaints
from private property owners, who say unauthorized use of off-road vehicles on
private property is a nuisance that disturbs live stock and riverbeds and
violates property rights.
The ordinance takes effect immediately.