Umatilla County could become the next rural government to allow all-terrain vehicles on public roads.

The Umatilla County Board of Commissioners considered a proposal that would open up dozens of county roads to ATVs at a Tuesday meeting.

“Safety is the number one we’re looking for,” Commissioner Cindy Timmons said.

The county does intend to place several limitations on where ATVs can drive. Under the proposal, ATVs could only drive on designated two-lane gravel roads with a posted speed limit of 40 miles per hour. All of the featured roads are on the east side of the county, spanning from Umatilla County’s border with Grant County to the Oregon-Washington stateline.

The county is also trying to be mindful of its neighbors. Timmons said the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation doesn’t want ATV roads to go through tribal land. She added that the county could post signs near the reservations to ward off any ATVs. County officials are projecting signs for the entire project to cost $29,000.

The county held off on passing the ordinance while it waited for staff to make some tweaks to the map, mostly revolving around dropping roads that originate in Washington but end in Umatilla County. But Umatilla County would be far from the first to welcome ATVs on public roads.

According to Oregon Parks and Recreation, Lake, Baker, Grant and Union counties have all opened at least some of their roads to ATV use. A few rural towns have also paved the way for four-wheelers, like Sumpter in Baker County and Lakeside in Coos County. The latter community had the issue decided by a local election in 2022, which revealed some of the fault lines around ATVs.

In the lead-up to the election, proponents said opening up some city roads to ATV traffic would stimulate the economy by making it easier for ATV drivers to get from town to the nearby Oregon Dunes National Park Recreation Area. Opponents said expanding ATV access would create disruption and encourage rulebreaking. The measure ultimately passed.

On the other side of the state, there are similar concerns. Umatilla County Commissioner Dan Dorran read a letter from a man who lives east of Milton-Freewater. The man said his community had seen an increase in “lawlessness” in recent years and he was worried that ATVs would only continue to degrade safety.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2025/11/29/umatilla-could-join-oregon-counties-opening-roads-atv/