Philadelphia City Council closes loophole on illegal use of ATVs and dirt bikes

Philadelphia City Council closes loophole, defines dirt bikes and ATVs as illegal street vehicles

Philadelphia just closed a loophole to crackdown on dirt bikes and ATVs.

PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia City Council unanimously approved legislation Thursday that amends the city’s traffic code to close the loophole on the law to include ATVs and dirt bikes as an illegal street vehicle.

By defining dirt bikes and ATVs as illegal street vehicles, the bill will group all the illegal vehicles into one category and give the Philadelphia Police Department the authority to confiscate them.

"Residents from every neighborhood came to us with their concerns and experiences with dangerous situations that were caused by the illegal vehicle riding," said Councilmember Domb. "We also found that the illegal activity is chasing people out of the city at a time when we need people to come back to the city. We will continue to bring people to the table on this issue, including members in the riding community who weighed in on this bill, and find solutions that will keep everyone safe."

The Queen Village Neighbors Association held a Zoom townhall for residents and officials last month to talk about safety concerns and enforcement due to the growing issue.

"We got together to utilize three districts within the Center City and South Philadelphia areas to respond to large gatherings," Philadelphia Police Deputy Commissioner Joel Dales said.

Deputy Commissioner Dales said in just one weekend they confiscated 30 vehicles.

Bill No. 210423 was sponsored by Councilmembers Allan Domb, Mark Squilla and Derek Green.

The law becomes effective immediately.

Councilmembers are exploring the idea of providing a space in the city where riders can ride safely, enjoy the activity with other ATV and bike community members.

'It just exploded': Neighborhood airs concerns about illegal bikes, ATVs on Philly streets