21-02-2025
Speed limits on dirt roads bill passes Wyoming House
CHEYENNE – A measure to give county governments leeway in setting speed limits on unpaved roads has passed the Wyoming House of Representatives on three readings.
Senate File 32, 'Unpaved roads speed limits-amendments,' as amended in the House, better fits what county engineers and road supervisors want, according to Rep. Rob Geringer, R-Cheyenne.
Rep. Rob Geringer, R-Cheyenne (2025)
Rep. Rob Geringer, R-Cheyenne
Geringer explained that SF 32 in its current form allows the county to decrease speed limits on unpaved roads from 55 mph to 45 mph without a speed study, but not below 45 mph.
When it was first introduced in the Senate, the bill would have allowed counties to set a speed limit of not more than 55 miles per hour, without a speed study, within their own boundaries. Currently, counties are allowed to set speed limits, but a speed study is required.
The amended bill 'gives local control to the commissioners, in (consultation) with their engineering supervisor and law enforcement,' but setting the speed limit any lower than 45 mph could cause issues when it comes to mixed commercial and residential traffic, he said.
'(If) truck traffic is required to go at a lower speed, and is going up a hill, there are plenty of instances where … we'll try to pass the slower traffic in front,' Geringer said. 'And so we want to avoid some of those head-on situations.'
If a county wants to lower speed limits below 45 mph, the amended bill offers provisions for temporary reduction in speed, in consultation with the county engineer and law enforcement, as a speed study is completed.
SF 32 will head back to the Senate for a concurrence vote on amendments made in the House.
