Houston County Special Use Vehicle Permit


Welcome to the Special Use Vehicle registration area for the Houston County ATV/golf cart enthusiasts.

The ordinance for the management of All-Terrian Vehicles & golf carts in the public right-of-way on county roads within the county’s jurisdiction.  The reason that the ordinance was drafted is to allow licensed drivers to be able to operate on the far-right hand side of county roads.  

The application process is as follows:

  • Complete the ATV Permit Online Application in its entirety (This is a fillable PDF. You must download/save this PDF to your computer once completed.)
  • Provide current proof of insurance for the ATV/golf cart

Completed applications and proof of insurance can be emailed to [email protected] or turned in to the Houston County Sheriff's Office during business hours. Incomplete applications will be returned to the applicant and will not be processed. Permits are only issued during business hours. Applications received via email on weekends or holidays will be processed the next business day.

There is no fee for a Houston County Special Use Vehicle Permit. 

Issued permits will be delivered to applicants in the manor they were received unless requested otherwise. You will be assigned a permit number and an expiration date that is three years from the date of issue. That is as long as the law allows us to extend it. You will not need to attach anything extra to your current DNR registration. Houston County will also be honoring permits from other jurisdictions.  

Please have your permit with you, either a physical or digital copy, while driving in Houston County.

You will need to know the county ordinance and the MN DNR Laws. This permit does not allow you to ride on State Highways. You will see links to both as well as a Question and Answer forum that we will keep active for some time to help with clarification. You can email the sheriff at [email protected] with questions. We will try to post most questions to the site. Safe Riding!

Sheriff Brian Swedberg

ATV FAQs

No, you may not ride an ATV on any snowmobile trail in the county
MN DNR ATV registration is required on all ATV's operated in MN (even if used exclusively on private property). ATV's 25 years and older are exempt from registration.

AG Registration - Allows the use of ATV's on state trunk highways or county roads if being used for agricultural purposes. The ATV must be operated on the extreme right-hand side of the road, and left turns may be made from any part of the road if it is safe to do so under the prevailing conditions.

Roadways – A valid driver's license is required when operating an ATV in the road right of way (this includes the roadway, shoulders, and ditches).

Safety Training – Anyone born after July 1, 1987 needs ATV safety training before operating on public lands.
Simply go to http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/regulations/ohv/index.html and you will find all of the laws, training information, and safety tips for safe ATV operation.
Only through the DNR at the DMV.