Sec. 14-390. Municipal regulation of operation and use of snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles. Penalties. Seizure and forfeiture. (a) Any municipality may, by ordinance, regulate the operation and use, including hours and zones of use, of snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles in a manner not inconsistent with the provisions of this section and sections 14-379 to 14-389, inclusive, or any regulations adopted pursuant thereto, and may (1) prescribe a penalty for violation of such ordinance in an amount not to exceed one thousand dollars for a first violation, in an amount not to exceed one thousand five hundred dollars for a second violation, and in an amount not to exceed two thousand dollars for a third or subsequent violation, and (2) provide for the seizure and forfeiture to the municipality of such all-terrain vehicle for a violation of such ordinance, subject to any bona fide lien, lease or security interest in the all-terrain vehicle, including, but not limited to, a lien under section 14-66c.
(b) No all-terrain vehicle shall be forfeited under an ordinance adopted pursuant to this section to the extent of the interest of an owner or lienholder by reason of any act or omission committed by another person if such owner or lienholder did not know and could not have reasonably known that such all-terrain vehicle was being used or was intended to be used in violation of a municipal ordinance, and such owner or lienholder collects such all-terrain vehicle not later than ninety days after the date, whichever is later, that the municipality (1) posts notice on the municipality's Internet web site indicating that such all-terrain vehicle shall be forfeited if not collected within such ninety-day period, and (2) mails such notice to such owner or lienholder.
(c) Any all-terrain vehicle ordered forfeited pursuant to such an ordinance shall be sold at public auction conducted by the municipality or destroyed by the municipality. The proceeds of such sale shall be paid to the treasurer of the municipality, who shall deposit such proceeds into the general fund of the municipality.
(P.A. 73-318, S. 1, 2; P.A. 13-154, S. 2; P.A. 16-208, S. 2; P.A. 21-175, S. 57; P.A. 22-44, S. 27; P.A. 25-80, S. 1.)
History: P.A. 13-154 added provision re municipality may prescribe penalty for violation of ordinance not to exceed $1,000 for first violation, $1,500 for second violation and $2,000 for third or subsequent violation; P.A. 16-208 designated existing provisions re municipal ordinance re operation and use of snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles as Subsec. (a) and amended same by making technical changes, designated existing provision re penalties as Subdiv. (1), added Subdiv. (2) re seizure and forfeiture of all-terrain vehicle in case of municipality with population of 20,000 or more, added Subsec. (b) re exception to forfeiture, and added Subsec. (c) re sale at public auction of forfeited all-terrain vehicle; P.A. 21-175 amended Subsec. (a)(2) by deleting “in the case of a municipality with a population of 20,000 or more”; P.A. 22-44 amended Subsec. (a) to make technical changes, effective July 1, 2022; P.A. 25-80 amended Subsec. (b) by adding provisions re collection by owner or lienholder and re notice as Subdivs. (1) and (2) and added “or destroyed by the municipality” in Subsec. (c), effective July 1, 2025.
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Sec. 14-390m. Municipal regulation of operation and use of dirt bikes and mini-motorcycles on public property. Penalties. Seizure and forfeiture. (a) Any municipality that adopts an ordinance pursuant to section 7-148 to regulate the operation and use on public property, including hours of use, of dirt bikes or mini-motorcycles may (1) prescribe a penalty for violation of such ordinance in an amount not to exceed one thousand dollars for a first violation, in an amount not to exceed one thousand five hundred dollars for a second violation and in an amount not to exceed two thousand dollars for a third or subsequent violation, and (2) provide for the seizure and forfeiture to the municipality of such dirt bike or mini-motorcycle for violation of such ordinance, subject to any bona fide lien, lease or security interest in the dirt bike or mini-motorcycle, including, but not limited to, a lien under section 14-66c.
(b) No dirt bike or mini-motorcycle shall be forfeited under an ordinance adopted pursuant to this section to the extent of the interest of an owner or lienholder by reason of any act or omission committed by another person if such owner or lienholder did not know and could not have reasonably known that such dirt bike or mini-motorcycle was being used or was intended to be used in violation of a municipal ordinance, and such owner or lienholder collects such dirt bike or mini-motorcycle not later than ninety days after the date, whichever is later, that the municipality (1) posts notice on the municipality's Internet web site indicating that such dirt bike or mini-motorcycle shall be forfeited if not collected within such ninety-day period, and (2) mails such notice to such owner or lienholder.
(c) Any dirt bike or mini-motorcycle ordered forfeited pursuant to such an ordinance shall be sold at public auction conducted by the municipality or destroyed by the municipality. The proceeds of such sale shall be paid to the treasurer of the municipality, who shall deposit such proceeds into the general fund of the municipality.
(d) For the purposes of this section and section 7-148, (1) “dirt bike” means a two-wheeled motorized recreational vehicle designed to travel over unimproved terrain and not designed for travel on a highway, as defined in section 14-1. “Dirt bike” does not include an all-terrain vehicle, as defined in section 14-379, or a motor-driven cycle, as defined in section 14-1, and (2) “mini-motorcycle” has the same meaning as provided in section 14-289j.
(P.A. 13-154, S. 1; P.A. 16-208, S. 1; P.A. 25-80, S. 2.)
History: P.A. 16-208 designated existing provisions re municipal ordinance re operation and use of dirt bikes on public property as Subsec. (a) and amended same by adding reference to mini-motorcycles and making a technical change, designated existing provision re penalties as Subdiv. (1) and added Subdiv. (2) re seizure and forfeiture of dirt bike or mini-motorcycle in case of municipality with population of 20,000 or more, added Subsec. (b) re exception to forfeiture, added Subsec. (c) re sale at public auction of forfeited dirt bike or mini-motorcycle, and designated existing provision re definition of “dirt bike” as Subsec. (d)(1) and further amended Subsec. (d) by adding Subdiv. (2) re definition of “mini-motorcycle”; P.A. 25-80 amended Subsec. (a) by including existing language “prescribe a penalty for violation of such ordinance” within Subdiv. (1) and by deleting “in the case of a municipality with a population of twenty thousand or more, to” from Subdiv. (2), amended Subsec. (b) by adding provisions re collection by owner or lienholder and re notice as Subdivs. (1) and (2) and added “or destroyed by the municipality” in Subsec. (c), effective July 1, 2025.
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