Find an ATV accident lawyer in Glendale: the land decides who pays

Glendale parks keep motor vehicles on paved roads, and Maricopa County bans ATVs at its parks. So an ATV crash near Glendale usually happened on private land or open desert outside the city. Who owned that ground decides who pays. A lawsuit over an ATV crash generally must be filed within 2 years. A claim against a public owner must be filed within 180 days.

Last checked November 9, 2026 · Official sources (30)

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Road map of Glendale and the area to its north, showing Thunderbird Conservation Park and Loop 303, the edge of the city's industrial growth
Glendale parks keep motor vehicles to paved roads only. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Where is it legal to ride an ATV in Glendale, Arizona?

Almost nowhere inside the city. Glendale's park rules keep motorized vehicles on paved roads and list unlicensed motorized vehicles, such as ATVs, among things you may not operate. Maricopa County says ATVs and OHVs are not permitted at any county park.

PlaceWhat the rule says
Glendale parksMotorized vehicles stay on paved roads
Maricopa County parksATVs and OHVs not permitted at any county park
Unincorporated county landNo vehicle on unpaved public or private land without lawful authority
Most of the county, on High Pollution Advisory daysRiding is prohibited
Public and state trust landA valid Arizona OHV decal is required for qualifying machines
Private landNo decal needed

This matters after a crash. If you were riding where the rule said no, the other side will say so. It does not erase a landowner's duty, but a jury can lower what you collect by your share of the blame.

Who pays when an ATV crash happens on private land near Glendale?

Start with two questions: who owned the land, and did you pay to be there? Arizona limits a landowner's duty to people who use the land for recreation without an admission fee. That owner answers only for wilful, malicious or grossly negligent conduct.

If a business rented you the machine, the fight is often about the form you signed. In Arizona, the waiver you signed at the rental counter does not end the case by itself. The state constitution sends the assumed-risk question to a jury.

The machine can be the problem too. Federal data count more than 800 ATV deaths and about 100,000 ER injuries a year, most fatal events being overturns and collisions. Side-by-sides depend on a rollover structure, seat belts and restraints. Keep the machine as it is. Do not repair or sell it.

What if the crash was on city or county land?

A public owner changes your clock. A claim must reach the public entity within 180 days of the crash. It must state a specific settlement amount, and a late claim is barred.

For Glendale, the City Clerk is at 5752 W. Glenn Dr. We found no published claim form or filing page for the city. Human Resources and Risk Management answers at 623-930-2270. County claims go to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors, 301 W. Jefferson, 10th Floor, Phoenix.

After the claim, you have one year to sue the public entity. Small claims court is not an option against the government.

Where do you get treated after an ATV crash near Glendale?

Banner Thunderbird, 5555 W. Thunderbird Rd., is the Glendale trauma center the state lists at Level I. That list marks its renewal as pending. For a child, Phoenix Children's Arrowhead at 19007 N. 67th Ave. is listed as Level IV.

Ask for your records once you are home. Banner takes requests through MRO Patient Central.

What should you do in the first week after an ATV accident in Glendale?

  1. Get medical care, even if you feel fine. Then ask for your records.
  2. Write down who owned the land and whether anyone charged a fee.
  3. Keep the machine, the helmet and any form you signed. Take photos of the ground.
  4. If a city or county may own the land, mark 180 days from the crash on a calendar.
  5. If the rider was under 18, note whether a helmet was worn. Arizona requires one on public or state land.
  6. Do not give a recorded statement to any insurer before you talk to a lawyer.

Questions

Do I need an OHV decal for my ATV?

On public and state trust land, yes, if the machine was made for unimproved terrain and weighs 2,500 pounds or less. On private land, no.

Can I ride on a high pollution day?

Riding is prohibited on High Pollution Advisory days in most of Maricopa County.

Does a child get more time to sue?

A child hurt on an ATV generally gets the suit clock paused until age 18. A claim against a public owner has its own rule, so ask early.

What if the machine was defective?

A product claim in Arizona follows the same two-year statute. Keep the machine, the receipt and the manual.

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Sources (30)

  1. City of Glendale, Park Rules & Regulations, checked 2026-11-09. “Motorized vehicles are restricted to paved roads.”
  2. Maricopa County, Off-Highway Vehicles, checked 2026-11-09. “All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) and Off-Highway Vehicles (OHVs) use are not permitted at any Maricopa County Park.”
  3. A.R.S. § 12-542, checked 2026-11-08. “within two years after the cause of action accrues”
  4. Arizona Revised Statutes 12-821.01, checked 2026-11-08. “within one hundred eighty days after the cause of action accrues”
  5. City of Glendale, Park Rules & Regulations, checked 2026-11-09. “Operate unlicensed motorized vehicles (ATVs, motorized skateboards).”
  6. A.R.S. 33-1551, checked 2026-11-09. “is not liable to a recreational user or educational user except on a showing that the owner, easement holder, lessee, tenant, manager or occupant was guilty of wilful, malicious or grossly negligent conduct”
  7. A.R.S. 12-821.01, checked 2026-11-09. “within one hundred eighty days after the cause of action accrues”
  8. A.R.S. 28-1179, checked 2026-11-09. “A person who is under eighteen years of age may not operate an off-highway vehicle or be an off-highway vehicle passenger on public or state land unless the person is wearing a protective helmet”
  9. Maricopa County, Off-Highway Vehicles, checked 2026-11-09. “You cannot use any vehicle on unpaved public or private property within the unincorporated areas of the County without lawful authority.”
  10. Maricopa County, Off-Highway Vehicles, checked 2026-11-09. “Riding is prohibited on High Pollution Advisory (HPA) days in most of Maricopa County.”
  11. Arizona Game and Fish Department, OHV Decals, checked 2026-11-09. “All OHVs designed by the manufacturer primarily for use over unimproved terrain, and weigh 2,500 pounds or less, are required by law to display a valid Arizona OHV decal to operate on public and state trust lands in Arizona.”
  12. A.R.S. 28-1178, checked 2026-11-09. “The person is operating an all-terrain vehicle or an off-highway vehicle on private land.”
  13. A.R.S. 12-2505, checked 2026-11-09. “the claimant's action is not barred, but the full damages shall be reduced in proportion to the relative degree of the claimant's fault”
  14. A.R.S. 33-1551, checked 2026-11-09. “without the payment of an admission fee or any other consideration to travel across or to enter premises to hunt, fish, trap, camp, hike, ride, engage in off-highway vehicle, off-road recreational motor vehicle or all-terrain vehicle activity”
  15. Phelps v. Firebird Raceway (Ariz. 2005), checked 2026-11-09. “applies to an express contractual assumption of risk. We hold that it does.”
  16. CPSC, checked 2026-11-09. “an annual average of more than 800 deaths and an estimated 100,000 emergency department-treated injuries involving OHVs”
  17. CPSC 2024 OHV report, checked 2026-11-09. “The most common fatality hazards associated with OHV-related deaths were overturns and collisions with another vehicle or a stationary object”
  18. CPSC 2024 OHV report, checked 2026-11-09. “ROVs are also equipped with rollover protective structures (ROPS), seatbelts, and other restraints”
  19. A.R.S. § 12-821.01, checked 2026-11-09. “The claim shall also contain a specific amount for which the claim can be settled and the facts supporting that amount.”
  20. Arizona Revised Statutes 12-821.01, checked 2026-11-09. “is barred and no action may be maintained thereon”
  21. City of Glendale, City Clerk, checked 2026-11-08. “623-930-2252, Option 1”
  22. City of Glendale, Human Resources and Risk Management, checked 2026-11-08. “P:623-930-2270”
  23. Maricopa County, Notice of Claims Form, checked 2026-11-08. “return by mail or hand-delivery to: Clerk of the Board of Supervisors 301 W. Jefferson 10th Floor Phoenix AZ 85003”
  24. A.R.S. 12-821, checked 2026-11-09. “shall be brought within one year after the cause of action accrues”
  25. Arizona Revised Statutes 22-503, checked 2026-11-08. “Actions against this state, its political subdivisions or an officer or employee of the state or its political subdivisions in his official capacity.”
  26. Arizona Department of Health Services, Designated Trauma Centers, checked 2026-11-08. “Banner Thunderbird Medical Center 5555 W. Thunderbird Rd, Glendale, AZ 85306 09/30/22 *09/26/26”
  27. Arizona Department of Health Services, Designated Trauma Centers, checked 2026-11-08. “19007 N 67th Ave, Glendale, AZ 85308 08/18/25 08/18/28”
  28. Banner Health, Medical Records, checked 2026-11-08. “you can request your medical records from any Banner Health hospital, provider office, or urgent care location.”
  29. A.R.S. § 12-502, checked 2026-11-08. “the period of such disability shall not be deemed a portion of the period limited for commencement of the action”
  30. A.R.S. 12-551, checked 2026-11-09. “shall be commenced and prosecuted within the period prescribed in section 12-542”

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