Mississippi UTV Helmet Law: Who Actually Has to Wear One

What Does the Mississippi UTV Helmet Law Require?

Only for riders under sixteen, and only on public property. Mississippi Code Section 63-31-3 requires that "each person under sixteen (16) years of age who is operating or riding on the off-road vehicle is wearing a crash helmet." Adults are not covered by that sentence, and neither is anyone riding on private land, because the requirement is written against operation "upon any public property in this state."

Two details in that sentence get missed. It covers passengers as well as operators, so a fifteen-year-old riding shotgun needs a helmet just as the driver would. And it applies to side-by-sides specifically: the statute defines an off-road vehicle as "any all-terrain vehicle, dirt bike or recreational off-highway vehicle," and a side-by-side is a recreational off-highway vehicle.

What Kind of Helmet Counts?

A motorcycle helmet. The statute does not accept any helmet that happens to be on the shelf. It requires one that "complies with minimum guidelines established by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration pursuant to the federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 218," which is the federal motorcycle helmet standard.

That rules out a bicycle helmet, a skate helmet, or a hard hat, all of which are built to different standards and tested against different impacts. A helmet meeting the standard carries a DOT certification label. If you are buying for a rider under sixteen, that label is the thing to look for, and it is the only helmet specification the statute names.

Where Does the Helmet Rule Not Reach?

On private land, which is where most Mississippi riding actually happens. The requirement is written against public property, so a family riding their own acreage, or a hunting lease with the landowner's permission, falls outside it entirely.

That is the legal position and not a recommendation. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission publishes annual figures on off-highway vehicle deaths and injuries, and its chair, Alex Hoehn-Saric, has put the risk plainly: "Riding an OHV should be an enjoyable and safe experience. Unfortunately, our annual report shows it is often a dangerous activity." The absence of a legal requirement on private land says nothing about whether a helmet is a good idea there.

Anyone weighing what a machine costs to own and run should fold protective gear into the number, which the guide to what a side-by-side actually costs breaks down. Gear sizing is easier to settle in person, and the Hattiesburg Cycles team stocks helmets alongside the machines.

What About National Forest Trails and Off-Road Parks?

This is where the answer stops being a single rule. Four different regimes can govern the same rider on the same day, and only one of them is the state statute.

• Private land: no state helmet requirement, at any age.
• Public property under state law: helmet required for anyone under sixteen, to the federal motorcycle standard.
• Federal OHV trails in the National Forests in Mississippi: the Bethel system is "a 43-mile trail established for all-terrain vehicles of widths no greater than 50 inches," which excludes most full-size side-by-sides before a helmet question arises. [VERIFY: the Forest Service recreation pages we checked do not publish a helmet rule for these trails. Confirm with the National Forests in Mississippi Supervisor's Office at 601-965-1600 before relying on this line.] Which machines actually fit is covered in the guide to where you can legally ride a side-by-side in Mississippi.
• Private off-road parks: each park sets its own conditions of entry, which can be stricter than state law. [VERIFY per park.]

The width limit matters more than it first appears. A machine that cannot legally enter the trail system never reaches the helmet question, and width is the gate that decides it.

What Happens If You Ignore It?

A fine, and a small one. The statute sets the penalty for violating these requirements at "not less than Twenty-five Dollars ($25.00) nor more than Fifty Dollars ($50.00)."

That figure is worth stating plainly because the incumbent pages on this question do not. It is also worth keeping in proportion: the fine is the least expensive consequence available, and it is not the reason to put a helmet on a fifteen-year-old.

Is a Helmet the Only Requirement?

No, and the other one surprises people more. The same section requires that anyone operating an off-road vehicle on public property either "possesses a valid driver's license" or "possesses a certificate" from an approved off-road vehicle safety course.

That is a licence-or-certificate gate rather than a minimum age, which is a genuinely different rule from the one most summaries describe. The certificate route runs through the Cooperative Extension Service using 4-H safety course materials, taught by instructors approved by the Department of Public Safety, or through any other organisation the Department has approved. A rider too young to hold a licence is not automatically barred; the course is the alternative the statute builds in.

FAQ

Do adults have to wear a helmet on a UTV in Mississippi? No. The state helmet requirement in Section 63-31-3 applies only to riders under sixteen. An adult faces no state helmet requirement on public property or private land.

Does my child need a helmet on our own property? Not under state law. The requirement is written against operation on public property, so private land falls outside it. The CPSC's injury figures are the reason to consider one anyway.

Does a bicycle helmet satisfy the Mississippi UTV helmet law? No. The statute requires a helmet meeting Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 218, the motorcycle standard. Look for a DOT certification label.

Is there a minimum age to drive a side-by-side in Mississippi? The statute does not set one. It requires either a valid driver's licence or a certificate from an approved off-road vehicle safety course to operate on public property.

What is the fine for not wearing a required helmet? Between $25 and $50, as set by subsection (2) of the statute.

Changelog

This guide is re-verified whenever the statute changes or a legislative session closes. Revisions are listed here so a reader can see what moved and when.

• 11 September 2026: First publication. Statute text verified against FindLaw on this date.

Sources

• Mississippi Code Section 63-31-3, Requirements to operate off-road vehicle on public property, as published on FindLaw with a currency stamp of January 01, 2025. Retrieved 11 September 2026.
• NHTSA Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 218, motorcycle helmets, the standard the statute names by number.
• National Forests in Mississippi recreation pages, U.S. Forest Service. Bethel OHV trail description and 50-inch width limit. Retrieved 11 September 2026.
• U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission news release, 30 May 2024, quoting Chair Alex Hoehn-Saric on off-highway vehicle risk.
• Mississippi State University Extension Service, Cooperative Extension 4-H off-road vehicle safety course, named in subsections (3) and (4) of the statute. [VERIFY current course schedule before citing availability.]