Alachua County, Florida has effectively banned you, your family, and your children from operating any recreational off road vehicles on your own property through a noise ordinance they now plan to enforce. This means dirt bikes, four wheelers, UTV's, ROV's, Jeeps, and Go Carts are all in violation. If it can be heard 50ft into a neighboring property, despite the decibel level, then its use is not permitted. 

Your right to operate an off-road vehicle on your own property whether it be 5 acres or 20 acres or more is in jeopardy. There is a noise ordinance in the Alachua County Code that you need to be aware of that could allow the county, via the Sheriff’s office, to stop you from operating your off road vehicle. Failure to stop can result in fines and other penalties including arrest for a 2nd degree misdemeanor. The penalty for a 2nd degree misdemeanor can result in up to 60 days in jail, 6 months probation and a $500 fine. All that for riding your off road vehicle on your own property. This is not just residential communities or within city limits. It applies to all agricultural zoned land in the unincorporated areas of the county. These properties are deemed residential if a home is present on the property. The section of the Alachua County Code is:

Sec. 110.02. - Excessive noise prohibited.

It shall be unlawful, except as expressly permitted herein, for any person to make, cause, or allow the making of any noise or sound within the unincorporated areas of Alachua County, Florida, which exceeds the noise levels set forth in this chapter.

Sec. 110.03. - Specific noise prohibitions.

The following acts, and the causing thereof, are declared to be a violation of this chapter.

(k) The use or operation, of a recreational vehicle (including but not limited to dirt bikes, motocross, all terrain vehicles, dune buggies, and similar off-road vehicles) in such a manner so as to produce a sound that is plainly audible at a distance of 15 meters (50 feet) or more away from the real property line of property used for residential purposes.

What that means is if your off road vehicle can be heard on someone else’s property you are in violation of the code and action can be taken against you. There is no loudness or decibel level under this provision, no measurement required, just simply if the sound can be heard you are in violation.

This petition is an objection to this ordinance and all who sign would like to see this code removed or re-written. There is no reason the residents of Alachua County shouldn't be able to use recreational off road vehicles on their own property under reasonable conditions. This is a clear and obvious targeting of property rights, especially towards those in rural Alachua County.