ATV and Snowmobile Insurance in Maine: Registration, Trails and Who Is Liable

By Jon Merwin, Founder and CEO

Maine runs on two trail networks. In winter, groomed snowmobile corridors link Kittery to the County, crossing farms, wood lots and frozen lakes. From spring to fall, ATV clubs keep a separate system open through forest land and back roads. Almost all of it sits on private land, and the state’s laws put the burden on riders and the people who lend them machines. That is what a Maine ATV or snowmobile policy is really protecting against.

Portsmouth Atlantic Insurance, a family-run independent agency in Portsmouth, NH, is licensed in Maine and just over the bridge from Kittery. We write ATVs, UTVs and snowmobiles for Maine riders by phone and email, along with the camp, home, auto and umbrella policies that go with them, through 40+ carriers. Call (603) 431-4020.

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Joint liability: the Maine rule that matters most

Maine law goes further than its neighbors on who pays. For ATVs, the owner, anyone who gives or furnishes the ATV to another person, and a parent or guardian responsible for a minor under 18 are jointly and severally liable with the operator for damages caused in operating the vehicle (12 M.R.S. §13158-A). The same section also makes it a civil violation for an owner to have an ATV operated in violation of the chapter. For snowmobiles, the owner, the person who furnishes the sled to someone under 18 and that minor’s parent or guardian are jointly and severally liable for damage the minor causes (12 M.R.S. §13108).

“Jointly and severally” means an injured person can collect the full amount from any one of the people the law names. Lend your sled to a neighbor’s sixteen-year-old for a run across the lake, and you, the teenager and the teenager’s parents can all be on the hook. Before you lend a machine, check that your policy covers permissive operators and that the limits are high enough to matter.

Registering an ATV in Maine

Unless an exception applies, an ATV must be registered with the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and carry its registration numbers on stickers in the spaces provided on the front and rear of the machine (12 M.R.S. §13155). Key points:

• Your own land. No registration is needed for an ATV operated only on land the operator owns or leases, as long as it is not ridden elsewhere in the state.
• Registration year. A registration bought after May 1 and before July 1 runs until June 30 of the following year.
• Oversized ATVs. Larger side-by-sides are registered under separate size and weight rules, and landowners and the State can limit the type, size and weight of machines allowed on state-approved trails crossing private land ({ext(AOPS,”§13157-A”)}).
• Nonresidents. Maine may set one three-day period each year, two of them weekend days, when a nonresident’s ATV registered in another state or province can ride without a Maine registration.

Snowmobile registration follows a similar pattern. A sled ridden only over the snow on land where the owner lives, or that the operator owns or leases, does not need a Maine registration; everything else does (12 M.R.S. §13104). A resident snowmobile registration is valid for one year starting July 1, and nonresidents choose three-day, ten-day or seasonal registrations. Antique sleds are registered through IF&W in Augusta (Maine IF&W: snowmobiling).

Landowner permission and the trail system

IF&W says Maine offers more than thirteen thousand miles of groomed snowmobile trails and that more than 85 out of every 100 miles are on private land (Maine IF&W: snowmobiling). The Bureau of Parks and Lands works with clubs and landowners on cooperative agreements for both the snowmobile and ATV systems, and it reminds ATV riders that many trails close during mud season (Bureau of Parks and Lands snowmobile program; Maine ATV Program).

The law backs the landowners. A rider may not take an ATV onto another person’s land without permission; permission is presumed on designated state-approved trails and areas a landowner has opened, written permission is required on cropland, pastureland and orchards, and a rider must stop and identify himself when a landowner asks (12 M.R.S. §13157-A). Snowmobilers get the same message: the chapter gives no license to cross another person’s property, and a privately plowed road can be closed to sleds by its owner (12 M.R.S. §13106-A).

For insurance, this means damage to a landowner’s crops, fences, trees or plowed road is a liability claim against you. It also means the trail you rode last year may be rerouted this year if riders wear out their welcome.

Young riders

Children under 10 may not operate an ATV, and nobody may permit them to, except on land where the child lives, land a parent or guardian owns or leases, or an approved safety training site. Riders from 10 to under 16 must complete an approved training course and be accompanied by an adult, and must carry proof of the course; riders under 16 may cross a public way only under the crossing rules (12 M.R.S. §13154-A; §13152). On snowmobiles, IF&W says a child under 10 must be accompanied by an adult off family land, and riders under 14 may not cross a public way (Maine IF&W: snowmobiling).

Combined with the joint liability rule, these limits make youth riding a parent’s insurance decision. List every child who rides, match machine size to the rider, and talk to us about liability limits and an umbrella.

Roads, crossings and controlled access highways

ATVs may not run on controlled access highways or within their rights-of-way except at approved bridges, underpasses, at-grade crossings or trail segments the Department of Transportation or the Maine Turnpike Authority has approved (12 M.R.S. §13157-A). Many Maine towns open selected roads to ATVs to link trails. A crash with a car on one of those road segments is exactly when liability and uninsured motorist coverage on the ATV policy earn their keep.

Building a Maine ATV or sled policy

Coverage	What it pays	Maine example
Liability	Injury or damage you cause to others, including permissive riders you lend to	A borrowed sled hits a fence and a horse trailer
Collision	Repairs to your own ATV or sled after a crash	A side-by-side rolls on a logging road
Comprehensive	Theft, fire, vandalism and storm damage, subject to policy terms	A sled stolen from a camp shed in the off-season
Uninsured/underinsured	Your injuries when the at-fault rider can’t pay	A collision with an uninsured rider on a corridor trail
Medical payments	Treatment costs for you and your passengers, whoever caused it	A passenger hurt on a frost-heaved trail
Accessories and gear	Added equipment, racks, plows and riding gear	A plow blade and winch on a camp UTV
Trailer	The trailer you haul machines on	A trailer damaged at a trailhead lot

Options differ by carrier and machine. We compare them and explain the differences, especially for permissive users, the people Maine’s liability rule reaches.

Camps, plowing and rentals

• Camp machines. A sled or UTV kept at a camp needs comprehensive in force year-round for theft and fire. For the camp itself, see our Maine homeowners and second-home page.
• Plowing. Clearing your own camp road with a UTV blade is personal use. Taking money to plow or haul for other people is commercial work, and a truck used that way belongs on a commercial auto policy, as our commercial vs. personal auto article explains.
• Rentals and guiding. Renting machines to visitors or guiding paid trips is commercial activity that a personal ATV or snowmobile policy is not built for.

Carriers we use

For Maine ATVs, UTVs and snowmobiles we compare Progressive, National General, Foremost and Liberty Mutual. They look at sled or quad value, rider ages and riding territory in their own ways. Our powersports insurance page has more, and Maine boaters can read Maine boat insurance. Collectors can see Maine collector car insurance.

An umbrella adds a layer of liability over your ATV, snowmobile, car and home coverage, as long as each one carries the underlying limits the umbrella carrier requires. Given Maine’s joint liability rule, an umbrella is worth a look for any family that lends machines or has young riders. Southern Maine riders can also see our York and Kittery pages, or read about our agency and our founder, Jon Merwin.

A Maine ATV and snowmobile checklist

• Register each machine and renew before the registration year ends.
• Confirm the landowner permission you have, and get it in writing for farm fields and orchards.
• List every rider, especially anyone under 18, and anyone you lend a machine to.
• Check that liability limits match your umbrella’s underlying requirements.
• Keep the safety course certificate for each rider from 10 to 16.
• Photograph machines, accessories and gear, and keep receipts.
• Call before mud season riding; many ATV trails close in spring.

Get a Maine ATV or snowmobile quote

Give us the machines, the riders and the trails, and we will put ATV and snowmobile options from our carriers next to each other and walk you through them; we don’t charge any fees. After an accident we help you report the claim and keep after the carrier until it is resolved. Our clients have posted 1,000+ Google reviews and over 2,000 testimonials. Request a quote. There’s no obligation to buy. Use the form below, our quotes page, a call to (603) 431-4020 or an email to insure@portsmouthatlanticins.com. Our hours (Eastern) are 9 AM–5 PM Monday to Thursday and 8 AM–4 PM on Friday.

Frequently asked questions

Does Maine require ATV or snowmobile insurance?

Maine requires registration, not a powersports insurance policy, for ATVs and snowmobiles ridden off your own land (12 M.R.S. §13155; 12 M.R.S. §13104). The bigger exposure is liability: an ATV or snowmobile owner, anyone who lends the machine, and the parent of a minor operator can be jointly and severally liable for damage the operator causes (§13158-A; §13108). A policy with solid liability limits is how most families handle that.

What do I need to register an ATV in Maine?

An ATV operated anywhere other than land you own or lease must be registered with the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and display its registration numbers on the front and rear; a registration bought after May 1 runs until June 30 of the following year (12 M.R.S. §13155). Oversized ATVs have their own size and weight rules for state-approved trails. Insurers will ask for the same VIN, year and model details, so keep the paperwork together.

Do I need the landowner’s permission to ride in Maine?

Yes. You may not ride an ATV on another person’s land without the permission of the landowner, lessee or their representative; permission is presumed on designated state-approved ATV trails and areas a landowner has opened, and written permission is required on cropland, pastureland and orchards (12 M.R.S. §13157-A). The snowmobile chapter says plainly that registration gives no right to go on another person’s property (§13106-A).

How old do you have to be to ride an ATV in Maine?

Children under 10 may not operate an ATV, and riders from 10 up to 16 must complete an approved safety course and be accompanied by an adult, except on land where they live or that a parent owns or leases (12 M.R.S. §13154-A; §13152). For snowmobiles, IF&W says a child under 10 must be accompanied by an adult and riders under 14 may not cross a public way (Maine IF&W: snowmobiling).

I live in New Hampshire and ride in Maine. What changes?

You need the right Maine registration: nonresident snowmobile registrations come as three-day, ten-day or seasonal options, and Maine sets one nonresident open weekend each year for ATVs and snowmobiles registered elsewhere (§13104; §13155). Your policy should list where the machines are kept and ridden. We write New Hampshire and Maine riders alike; see our New Hampshire ATV and UTV page for the home-state rules.

Will my homeowners or camp policy cover my sled or four-wheeler?

Usually only on your own property, if at all. Many homeowners and seasonal-home forms exclude motorized recreational vehicles once they leave the premises, and some exclude injuries to riders even at home. A trail crash, a theft from a trailhead or a guest hurt on your machine at camp generally needs a separate ATV or snowmobile policy.

What do you need to quote a Maine ATV or snowmobile?

VINs and model years for the machines and trailer, birth dates for everyone who rides, where the machines live in summer and winter, the trails or lakes you ride, and your current declarations page. Request a quote. There’s no obligation to buy. Send it through the form on this page or call (603) 431-4020.

Sources

• 12 M.R.S. §13155, ATV registration
• 12 M.R.S. §13157-A, operation of ATVs
• 12 M.R.S. §13158-A, unlawfully permitting operation; liability for damage by other persons
• 12 M.R.S. §13154-A, ATV age restrictions
• 12 M.R.S. §13152, ATV license and training
• 12 M.R.S. §13104, snowmobile registration
• 12 M.R.S. §13106-A, operation of snowmobiles
• 12 M.R.S. §13108, liability for damage caused by minors
• Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, snowmobiling in Maine
• Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands, snowmobile program
• Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands, Maine ATV Program

General information about ATV and snowmobile coverage for Maine riders, current to October 2026. This page is not legal advice or a binder of coverage; actual terms come from the policy you buy, and Title 12 and trail rules change. Questions? Call (603) 431-4020.