Rock Falls police begin UTV inspections, registrations Saturday

ROCK FALLS – The Rock Falls Police Department will be inspecting and registering non-highway vehicles for in-town use on Saturday and three days next week.

The inspections will be held from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday and Nov. 19, and from noon to 4 p.m. Monday and Wednesday at the station at 1013 Seventh Ave.

Permits, which will be issued as annual stickers for a metal plate, will cost $100, and $50 a year to renew after that. Permits issued this year and next will be valid until April 30, 2024, and will expire on April 30 every year after.

Applications are available at the Police Department and at www.rockfalls61071.com.

Appointments are not needed for these sessions. To schedule another time, call Chief Dave Pilgrim at 815-622-1140, option 3.

The City Council passed an ordinance Nov. 1 allowing UTVs and other off-highway vehicles to be driven inside city limits, once they have been inspected and a permit has been purchased.

The vehicles can be driven on streets with a speed limit of 35 mph or less, and in alleys and parking lots, bot not onFirst Avenue/state Route 40, U.S. Route 30 or McNeil Road, or on sidewalks, bike paths, public property or off-road in parks.

Lawn mowers and vehicles with a straddle seat and no steering wheel, such as dirt bikes and ATVs, are not allowed.

Vehicles can be driven between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. Drivers must be 18 or older with a valid driver’s license, and they and their passengers must wear seat belts.