LANSING - Off-road vehicle (ORV) enthusiasts may be able to drive on the shoulders of Michigan roads this summer, much to the chagrin of many county road commissioners.

A pending bill would allow counties north of M. 46 to decide individually whether to allow ORVs on the shoulders of their roads, said Rep. David Palsrok, R-Manistee, a co-sponsor.

M. 46 stretches east-west across the state between Port Sanilac on Lake Huron and Muskegon on Lake Michigan.

It's a move to attract more tourism to Michigan, said Palsrok.

Currently, ORVs can legally operate on private land and designated trails, but not on public roads of any kind, said Gerald Peterson, manager of the Manistee County Road Commission.

The proposed change would put financial pressure on road commissions though, he warned.

County boards of commissioners would have the power to decide whether to allow such ORV use, but road commissions would still have to maintain the affected roads, Peterson said.

In Michigan, the roads are in the jurisdiction of road commissions, and that bill would bypass them at the decision-making stage, he said.

"This legislation is borderline illegal," Peterson said.

Palsrok said the point of the legislation is to allow counties to choose for themselves whether to authorize such use.

"It gives the locals the ability to choose," he said. "It can hopefully be a collaborative local decision."

Rep. Joel Sheltrown, D-West Branch, is the chief sponsor. Co-sponsors include Reps. Tom Casperson, R-Escanaba; Darwin Booher, R-Evart; Kevin Elsenheimer, R-Bellaire; Tim Moore, R-Farwell; Matthew Gillard, D-Alpena; and Rick Shaffer, R-Three Rivers.

The County Road Association of Michigan has already talked to several county commissions about its concerns, said Ed Noyola, the group's deputy director.

"We're extremely concerned about it," Noyola said. "Those ORVs would tear up a road, shoulder or ditch rather quickly."

Peterson said road commissions would have to pay for new signs, maintenance and safety-related changes. "I don't think we can afford to keep up with this with the economy where it is right now."

It would cost Manistee County around $15,000 more a year for such expenses, Peterson said.

The bill would allow road commissions to get half the fines for ORV violations, he said, "but there's no way there's going to be $30,000 worth of fines," in his county.

Under the proposal, ORVs would be allowed to go no more than 25 mph. By 2010, all ORVs would need working head and taillights, Palsrok said.

Counties that adopt the law could designate up to 30 percent of their roads as ORV-free, Palsrok said.

The bill is awaiting action in the House Committee on Tourism, Outdoor Recreation and Natural Resources.