Ask Us: What are the regulations regarding motorbikes and ATVs on pipeline easements?

Published 6:09 pm Monday, May 9, 2022

Editor’s note: Ask Us is a weekly feature published online Mondays and in print on Tuesdays. We’ll seek to answer your questions about items or trends in Rowan County. Have a question? Email it to askus@salisburypost.com.

SALISBURY — A reader sent in a question regarding the regulations of motorbikes and ATVs on pipeline easements in unincorporated areas of Rowan County.

According to one resident, there has been an issue in Homestead Hills of western Rowan County, a neighborhood that bisects the former Plantation Pipeline easement. The resident said motorbike and ATV drivers have created a track that has become a noisy nuisance to the people living in the area.

While nearby property owners may be frustrated with the noise, the owner of the easement is the person primarily in charge of reporting trespassing and filing other complaints.

Ryan Mickey, Rowan County’s ordinance enforcement officer, said concerned citizens can report disturbances to the the utility company in charge of the pipeline easement. He suggests having a county tax ID or parcel number ready so the company can have a good sense of the location.

Another recourse for frustrated residents is to contact the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office for suggestions on what steps to take.

Rowan County ordinance states if a noise complaint is blatantly audible to a responding deputy within 100 feet an individual can be charged with a class three misdemeanor. The only exceptions to this is individuals who acquire a permit. Steps on how to apply for a permit can be found at https://www.rowancountync.gov/1268/Ordinances.