PORTLAND, Ore. — Viewer Melissa recently reached out to KGW with a question about Oregon's rules for towing trailers behind pickup trucks, SUVs and other vehicles:
Can you check if it is illegal to drive your vehicle with a removable hitch in, when not towing — ball hitch, drop hitch, etc. — in Oregon? I thought this became a rule, but I can't find the info.
A towing requirements brochure from the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) refers to the component in question as a draw bar, ball mount or hitch bar. It locks into a slot on the receiver hitch on the vehicle frame and sticks out past the rear bumper, typically ending with a hitch ball where the trailer connects.
THE QUESTION
Is it legal in Oregon to leave a ball mount attached to a vehicle that isn't towing something?
THE SOURCES
THE ANSWER
Yes, it's legal to leave a ball mount in place at all times in Oregon, even when not towing.
WHAT WE FOUND
The ODOT towing brochure doesn't specify whether the ball mount can stay attached when not in active use, but ODOT spokesperson Sally Ridenour had a clear answer: "It is not illegal in Oregon to have a ball hitch on a vehicle when it's not towing," she wrote in an email to KGW.
An Oregon State Police spokesperson also told KGW it's not a violation in Oregon to leave a ball mount attached. Ridenour added that a hitching device could pose a safety issue if it sticks "an unusual distance" out from the back of a vehicle, but most ball mounts won't pose a problem.
So where does the idea of a restriction come from?
A Google search shows that there's been a fair amount of online conversation on forums and social media about whether it's ok to leave a ball mount in place when not in use. Some of those discussions treat it as more of an etiquette or pedestrian safety issue, but other posts single out specific states that allegedly require unused ball mounts to be removed.
There have been attempts to create such a law; a bill in the Massachusetts Legislature in 2020 and 2021 would have required "trailer hitch drawbars" to be removed from vehicles when not in use for towing, and a 2011 bill in the Illinois General Assembly would have required unused ball mounts to be removed if they stuck more than four inches past the bumper.
But neither of those bills passed, and there does not appear to be any state that actually has a similar law in place. As The News Tribune noted when it tackled the same question in Washington, the closest thing to a legal restriction on ball mounts might be laws that require drivers to make sure nothing obstructs the visibility of their rear license plates.
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