The in basket: Jerry Darnall of Kingston e-mailed me to say that
agriculture is a growing industry in Kitsap County and “we’re
seeing more agricultural equipment using both county and state
roads.
State regulations say “agricultural equipment on the highways IS
allowed but our local law enforcement doesn’t seem to understand
that,” Jerry said. “I have been stopped on Miller Bay Road by a
deputy sheriff while traveling from Premier Rentals to my farm
(about 3/4 of a mile) and informed I needed to ‘trailer’ the
tractor\loader.
“I explained I was using the equipment for agricultural purposes
to clean drainage ditches,” Jerry said, “and he was welcome to
write the citation because I knew is it was allowed.
“I politely suggested he check with his supervisor before
writing the ticket, as it would save both of us court time. After
20 minutes of roadside wait time, he declined to write the ticket,
and told me to ‘Drive careful and have a nice day.’
“I know Kitsap is not a large farming\agricultural community and
law enforcement is not used to seeing Ag equipment on the
roadways,” he said, “but it is LEGAL in Washington state. How can
the renewed Ag enterprises get the word out to them, both the
Sheriff and WSP, they are going to see more Ag equipment
on Kitsap roads?”
The out basket: I asked both agencies to comment and got this
from State Trooper Russ Winger.
“Your reader’s claim that farm vehicles are allowed on roadways
is true, however there are quite a few specific requirements. Your
readers assertion may seem rather simplistic when the following is
considered.
He cited lengthy portions of state RCWs 46.37.160, 46.16A.080
and 46.16A.420 that I will try to paraphrase to save space. You can
look up the exact wording online at
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/.
Those laws require farm vehicles designed to travel at less than
25 mph to have hazard warning lights, head lamps, a red lamp and at
least two red reflectors, all visible quite a ways down the road,
and in many cases a slow moving vehicle emblem mounted on the
rear.
There also may be licensing requirements, Russ said, plus a farm
exempt decal that shows that the farm vehicle is exempt from
registration requirements and allows the farm vehicle to be
operated within a radius of 15 miles of the farm where it is
principally kept.
“Now, this considered,” Russ said, “if your reader
rented the tractor/loader at a rental facility it stands to
reason that it might not have been legal to drive on public
highways unless meeting the above requirements. I am not 100
percent sure but I am doubting that rental facilities comply with
these requirements on equipment that is rented out for a mix of
uses and probably transported over 15 miles on a regular basis. You
would have to ask them.
“To say only that farm equipment IS allowed and that ‘our local
law enforcement doesn’t seem to understand that,’ seems a bit
simplistic when you look into the matter,” Russ said.
Deputy Scott Wilson of Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office says he
concurs with Russ and said, “I will bring this matter to the
attention of our training unit, in order to disseminate pertinent
facts about this issue to patrol deputies.”