• Snowmobiling in New Yorksnowmobile 2 image by Przemyslaw Moranski from Fotolia.com
  
  Snowmobiling can be great fun and a popular pastime. As a responsible rider, it is important for you to know the rules that apply in the area where you are riding your snowmobile. The state of New York has several laws and regulations that apply to operating snowmobiles in the state.
  
  

Registration

• The state of New York requires that most snowmobiles driven in the state be registered with the Commissioner for Motor Vehicles. Registration forms are to be filled out at the time a snowmobile is sold. To register a snowmobile, the owner fills out the form from the Commissioner and shows proof of ownership. The registrations must be renewed annually, and the owner must pay annual fees for registration.
  
  

Exceptions to Registration

• Snowmobiles that are owned and operated by the United States are exempt from any New York state registration requirements. Snowmobiles that are registered in states, provinces or countries adjacent to New York state do not need to be registered in New York when they are ridden on trails that cross back and forth over the New York state border and are only sometimes inside New York. The New York Commissioner of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation posts a list of these trails. Snowmobiles also do not have to be registered in New York if they are ridden exclusively on land owned or controlled by the owner of the snowmobile.
  
  

Operation Restrictions

• The state of New York does not require snowmobile riders to have a driver's license or a snowmobile-driving license. Anyone aged 18 or over can ride a snowmobile without any license or training, though safety training is recommended. Kids from 10 to 18 can ride a snowmobile without supervision if they have completed a safety-training course approved by the state and received a safety certificate from the Commissioner of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Any child under 10 or any youth between 10 and 18 who does not have a safety certificate can only ride a snowmobile on land owned or controlled by her parents or under the supervision of someone 18 or over or someone between 10 and 18 who has a safety certificate. No child under 10 or youth between 10 and 18 who does not have a safety certificate can ride a snowmobile across a highway at any time.