What's the minimum age to legally drive an ATV in Michigan?

The Michigan law that regulates children on ATVs is pointlessly complicated. We will break it down for you.

Spring weather is finally making an appearance in Michigan. That means we put away the snowmobiles that we didn't use this year and get ready for some off-road fun of the 4-wheeling kind. There is an age minimum for driving an ATV but, it depends on a couple of factors.

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We all know that you have to be at least 16 years of age to drive a car in the state of Michigan. In fact, you can qualify for a Level 1 license and operate a vehicle as young as 14 years and 9 months old. So, how old do you have to be to operate a 4-wheeler? It could be 12 years old and it could be 10 years old, depending on a couple of factors according to CPSC.GOV,

A parent or legal guardian of a child less than 12 years of age shall not permit the child to operate a 4-wheeled ATV, unless the child is not less than 10 years of age and is on private land owned by a parent or legal guardian of the child.

It's not unusual for a law to be worded in a pointlessly complicated way. However, this one takes the cake. Here's our attempt to simplify the wording of this Michigan ATV age restriction law. Parents and/or legal guardians are responsible for making sure their children under 12 do not operate a 4-wheeled ATV with one exception. A parent or guardian can permit a child between the ages of 10-12 to operate a 4-wheeled ATV only on property the parent or guardian owns.