Off Road Enforcement Program
The 2008/2009 LASD Santa Clarita Valley Station's State Parks and Recreation's Off-Highway
Vehicle Grant Application: << Click here for more information >>
- Off Road Enforcement Request >>
- Maps of the OHV Area >>
- Safety Tips >>
- California Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation [www.ohv.parks.ca.gov] >>
- USDA Forest Service >>
OFF-HIGHWAY VEHICLES (OHV):
- At this time, there are no legal riding areas anywhere in the Santa Clarita Valley for off-highway vehicles (OHV), including off-road motorcycles. Rowher Flats OHV area and Drinkwater Flats remain closed due to fire restoration. The closest legal OHV riding areas are Hungry Valley State Park in Gorman and El Mirage Dry Lake in the Antelope Valley. Citations for riding in closed areas can range from $50.00 to $1,300, with additional fines levied for additional offenses.
- In the legal OHV riding areas, helmets are required by all ATV riders.
- Unless specifically marked or indicated, children under 16 are prohibited from riding ATV’s.
- Additionally, on smaller ATV’s that are approved for minors, the ATV (minor) rider must be within 100’ of an adult who has taken an approved ATV safety course. More info can be obtained at OHV dealerships.
- Spark arrestors are required on all Off-Highway vehicles and the fines are typically around $600.00.
- Any Off-Highway vehicle caught riding on a public street can be impounded and the driver cited or arrested with the fines totaling in the thousands.
Note: The Santa Clara/Mojave Rivers Ranger District which was located in Saugus, CA, was destroyed in the Buckweed fire and a temporary office will be re-established soon.
The Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station has formed a highly specialized Off-Road Enforcement Team to enforce the illegal off-highway vehicle activity in the Santa Clarita Valley Station area. The team currently consists of two sergeants and ten deputies. Each team member has completed the extensive 80 hour training course in off-road enforcement. The team is currently equipped with two 4 x 4 vehicles, as well as Honda and Suzuki Dual-Purpose motorcycles. This equipment affords us the opportunity to access areas that are un-accessible to regular patrol vehicles.
The off-road enforcement program is funded with grants from the California Department of Parks and Recreation and the City of Santa Clarita. The OHV enforcement operations are conducted on a random basis (typically twice weekly).
The focus of the program is to educate the OHV enthusiasts and public, on legal riding areas and laws related to OHV activity.
The laws that are enforced by the Off-Road Enforcement Team are the California Penal Code, California Vehicle Code, California Health and Safety Code, California Food and Agricultural Code, California Public Resource Code, California Streets and Highways Code, California Code of Regulations and the Los Angeles County Code.
In addition, joint operations are conducted with the United States Department of Forestry inside the boundaries of the Angeles National Forest to prevent illegal OHV activity and resource damage.
Annually, the off-road enforcement team contacts thousands of OHV enthusiasts while on patrol in the rural areas. This has resulted in the issuance of approximately 1,000 warnings and 300 citations for illegal OHV activity and equipment / registration violations.
In the event of an emergency, please dial 911.
For additional information or maps for OHV related concerns follow the following links or contact Sergeant Roger Wallace at Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station at 661-799-5802 or email him by clicking here.
- Off Road Enforcement Request >>
- Maps of the OHV Area >>
- Safety Tips >>
- California Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation [www.ohv.parks.ca.gov] >>
- USDA Forest Service >>
- Hungry Valley OHV Park at 661-248-7007
- Alamo Mountain (Los Pinos Ranger District) 661-245-3731
- Rowher Flats (Santa Clara/Mojave River Ranger District) 661-245-3731
