(COLDWATER) - Branch County road officials are exploring a local ordinance aimed at road damage caused by steel contacting pavement, a move that could affect Amish buggies, farm equipment and construction vehicles alike, according to the Coldwater Daily Reporter.
Road Commission Manager Jay Miller says the latest push followed an incident in March when a heavy draft horse training sled with steel runners was found being pulled along Craig Road in Butler Township, leaving visible damage behind.
The commission is now asking whether the county has clear legal authority to bill for that damage or regulate steel-on-pavement traffic through a local ordinance.
Commission leaders say the proposed rule would be written broadly to include all road users, not just Amish transportation, in an effort to avoid legal challenges tied to selective enforcement or religious targeting.
That would include farm machinery, contractors, utility equipment and any other vehicles or devices using steel wheels, tracks, runners or metal contact surfaces on blacktop.
Officials say the broader language would also mirror how road damage is already handled when heavy construction equipment or farm machinery tears up pavement, with operators often billed for repairs.
The Coldwater Daily Reporter article says the issue has become especially costly in parts of Butler and California townships, where the road commission reports that recently resurfaced roads have shown rapid deterioration linked to Amish buggies, wagons and carbide-tipped horseshoes.
Commissioners say the goal is to create a legally durable local tool after earlier efforts in Lansing to specifically regulate Amish vehicles stalled over constitutional concerns.
The issue is expected to move forward as county officials seek a legal opinion on whether such an ordinance can be adopted locally.