What's happening
This bill changes the vehicle and traffic law to exempt farm tractors and equipment used primarily, not exclusively, for agricultural purposes.
Why it matters
Broadens the exemption for farm vehicles. By changing the standard from "exclusively" to "primarily" used for agricultural purposes, more farm tractors and self-propelled equipment can qualify for exemptions from certain vehicle and traffic regulations, including registration and insurance requirements.
Reduces regulatory burden on farmers. Farmers who use their machinery for both agricultural and minor non-agricultural tasks (such as limited snow plowing or occasional transport) will be less likely to face penalties or extra paperwork, making it easier to operate mixed-use equipment legally.
Potential impact on road safety and insurance. By allowing more vehicles to be exempt from standard motor vehicle requirements, there could be implications for road safety oversight and insurance coverage, particularly if these vehicles are used in ways not strictly limited to farming.
Aligns law with practical farm operations. The amendment recognizes that farm machinery is often not used 100% for agriculture, providing a legal framework that better matches real-world farming practices and potentially supporting rural economies.
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Who cares
Farmers and agricultural equipment operators
The bill would let self-propelled machines used primarily, rather than exclusively, to grow, harvest or handle farm produce qualify for motor vehicle exclusions under the specified provisions.
Farm tractor owners
The bill would limit the tractor exclusion in section 125 to tractors used primarily for agriculture while broadening section 311’s agricultural tractor exclusion from exclusive to primary use.
Motor vehicle insurers
The bill would change which tractors and self-propelled farm machines fall outside section 311’s definition of a motor vehicle.
Headline styles
Expand Tractor Law Exemptions
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
1 Co-sponsor
History
- Recommit, enacting clause stricken
- Referred to transportation
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
910
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 9, 2019
Introduced by Sens. YOUNG, FUNKE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to farm tractors and self propelled machines used primarily for agricultural purposes
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 125 of the vehicle and traffic law, as amended by chapter 365 of the laws of 2008, is amended to read as follows:
§ 125. Motor vehicles. Every vehicle operated or driven upon a public highway which is propelled by any power other than muscular power, except (a) electrically-driven mobility assistance devices operated or driven by a person with a disability, (a-1) electric personal assistive mobility devices operated outside a city with a population of one million or more, (b) vehicles which run only upon rails or tracks, (c) snowmobiles as defined in article forty-seven of this chapter, and (d) all terrain vehicles as defined in article forty-eight-B of this chapter. For the purposes of title four of this chapter, the term motor vehicle shall exclude fire and police vehicles other than ambulances. For the purposes of titles four and five of this chapter the term motor vehicles shall exclude farm type tractors used primarily for agricultural purposes and all terrain type vehicles used exclusively for agricultural purposes, or for snow plowing, other than for hire, farm equipment, including self-propelled machines used [exclusively] primarily in growing, harvesting or handling farm produce, and self-propelled caterpillar or crawler-type equipment while being operated on the contract site.
§ 2. Subdivision 2 of section 311 of the vehicle and traffic law, as amended by chapter 228 of the laws of 1983, is amended to read as follows:
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03733-01-9
S. 910 2
2. The term "motor vehicle" shall be defined as in section one hundred twenty-five of this chapter, except that it shall also include trailers, semi-trailers and tractors other than tractors used [exclusively] primarily for agricultural purposes, and shall exclude fire and police vehicles, farm equipment, including self-propelled machines used [exclusively] primarily in growing, harvesting or handling farm produce, tractors used [exclusively] primarily for agricultural purposes, or for snow plowing other than for hire, and self-propelled caterpillar or crawlertype equipment while being operated on the contract site.
§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to farm trac- tors and self propelled machines used primarily for agricultural purposes
Purpose
Address the definition of a motor vehicle as it relates to farm tractors and agricultural equipment to allow farmers to aid distressed motorists.
Summary of provisions
Section 125 and 311 of the Vehicle and Traffic law are amended to change the existing exemption for vehicles under titles four and five as they relate to farm tractors and self-propelled farm equipment from those tractors used exclusively for agricultural purposes to those that are used primarily for agricultural purposes. Section 3 sets for the effec- tive date.
Existing law
Under the existing law, only tractors used exclusively for agricultural purposes are exempt from the provisions of titles four and five of the Vehicle and Traffic Law.
Justification
Countless motorists across the state are regularly aided by farmers in times of distress. Particularly on rural roads in the wintertime, farm- ers use tractors and self-propelled farm equipment to aid motorists by pulling cars out of snowbanks during poor weather. Unfortunately, utilizing a farm tractor to assist another citizen is not an agricul- tural use, meaning the equipment is no longer used exclusively for agri- cultural purposes. The result is that farmers using tractors in such a manner need to face costly registration requirements. Additionally, should they fail to register their farm tractors, farmers could be held liable under certain circumstances because the tractor was not regis- tered.
Legislative history
2017,2018: S.558 Referred to Transportation 2015,2016: S.2074 Referred to Transportation 2013,2014: S.2241 Referred to Transportation 2011,2012: S.792 Referred to Transportation 2009,2010: S.2436 Referred to Transportation 2008: S.5679A/A.8179A Referred to Transportation
Fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
Effective immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.