TITLE 49

MOTOR VEHICLES

CHAPTER 2

GENERAL

49-207.  Municipal registration prohibited — Power to enact regulatory ordinances not abolished. (1) Authorities of counties and cities shall have no power to pass, enforce or maintain any ordinance requiring, from any owner of a vehicle or any dealer to which this title shall be applicable, any tax, license or permit for the free use of the public highways of a county or city, or prohibiting or excluding any owner or dealer from the free use of such highways or excluding or prohibiting any vehicle registered in compliance with the provisions of this title from the free use of the highways. Powers given by general statutes to local authorities in cities to enact general ordinances applicable equally and generally to all vehicles and the use of highways to bring about the orderly passage of vehicles upon certain highways in such cities where the traffic is heavy and continuous, and powers given to cities to regulate vehicles offered to the public for hire, or processions, assemblages or parades on the highways or in public places shall remain in full force and effect, and all ordinances which may have been or which may be enacted in pursuance of those powers shall remain in full force and effect. These provisions of law shall not be construed to prevent cities from enacting and enforcing general ordinances prescribing additional requirements as to speed, manner of driving or operating vehicles on any of the highways of such cities, and prescribing other requirements pertaining to signals to be given by drivers or operators of motor vehicles, the carrying of lights on motor vehicles, the turning of motor vehicles on highways, and requirements for motor vehicles in passing other vehicles and pedestrians.

(2)  Whenever local authorities in their respective jurisdictions determine on the basis of an engineering or traffic investigation, and the residential, urban or business character of the neighborhood abutting the highway in a residential, business or urban district that the speed limit permitted under this title is greater than is reasonable and safe under the conditions found to exist upon a highway or part of a highway or because of the residential, urban or business character of the neighborhood abutting the highway in a residential, business or urban district, the local authority may determine and declare a reasonable and safe maximum limit which:

(a)  Decreases the limit within a residential, business or urban district;

(b)  Increases the limit within a nonresidential area of an urban district but not to more than seventy (70) miles per hour; or

(c)  Decreases the limit outside an urban district.

(3)  Local authorities in their respective jurisdictions shall determine by an engineering or traffic investigation the proper maximum speed not exceeding a maximum limit of seventy (70) miles per hour for all arterial highways and shall declare a reasonable and safe maximum limit which may be greater or less than the limit permitted under this title for an urban district.

(4)  Any altered speed limit established shall be effective at all times or during hours of darkness or at other times as may be determined when appropriate signs giving notice are erected upon the highway. Any alteration of maximum limits on state highways or extensions in a municipality by local authorities shall not be effective until the alteration has been approved by the department. Provided however, that any alteration of speed limits must be based upon a traffic engineering study approved by the department and completed according to department standards. The alteration of speed limits by local authorities shall be done in consultation with the department. In the event of disagreement between the department and local authorities, the department traffic study shall be adopted, unless the local government traffic study is submitted to the Idaho transportation department board and the board adopts the local study in whole or in part.

History:

[49-207, added 1988, ch. 265, sec. 8, p. 577; am. 1989, ch. 310, sec. 9, p. 783; am. 1991, ch. 100, sec. 2, p. 222; am. 1996, ch. 270, sec. 3, p. 877; am. 1997, ch. 155, sec. 4, p. 448; am. 2012, ch. 325, sec. 4, p. 902; am. 2014, ch. 126, sec. 3, p. 359.]