US Trotting / Regulatory
Regulatory/Rulings
This rulings and regulatory page contains information about the rules of harness racing, centralizes the delinquent memberships/licenses and fines & suspensions reports and more.
Click the following links to jump to that section for more information on: the USTA Rule Book; weekly Fines and Suspensions Report; a listing of Approved Sulkies and how to report a sulky failure, searching for Deliquent USTA Memberships and Driver/Trainer Licenses; and a Legislative Tool Kit
US Trotting Rule Book
The Rule Book is divided into two Chapters. Chapter One is a compilation of the Rules and Regulations of The United States Trotting Association; Chapter Two consists of the Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws of the Association. Since it is anticipated that in most instances the user of this Rule Book will be concerned primarily with the chapter on Rules, it is important for such a user to understand that the rules recited herein relating to the racing of horses, as opposed to the registration of horses, are applicable only to those non-pari-mutuel meetings over which no State Racing Commission, or other State Regulatory Body asserts primary jurisdiction.
The rules governing the racing of horses at all pari-mutuel meetings in the various states, and certain non-pari-mutuel meetings in at least one state, are the rules of the applicable State Regulatory Bodies which promulgate and enforce their own rules.
2025 Approved Rule and Bylaw Changes (PDF)
Rule and bylaw changes that were adopted by the USTA Board of Directors at the 2025 Annual Meeting. Unless otherwise noted, these rules go into effect on May 1, 2025.
Mobile App Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and Android. Requires iOS 5.0 or later or ANDROID: 2.1 and up.
Fines and Suspensions Report
A weekly report by racing commissions in the United States - View Reports
This bulletin reports actions that have been taken by the USTA and rulings as submitted by the various racing commissions in an abbreviated form; we are not responsible for the accuracy or timeliness of such information. For full ruling text, or if you have questions or concerns about the information found in this report, please contact the racing commission where the ruling was issued.
All reported rulings, current and past, may be found by using Pathway, the USTA's official database. Although there is no charge for this information, a USTA account is required.
Canadian rulings available at Standardbred Canada. This information is collected and posted by Standardbred Canada. The USTA assumes no liability for errors or omission.
Approved Sulkies
A listing of sulky models that have been approved for use all USTA Member Racetracks. These models meet the design standards set forth by the USTA Rules and Regulations and have successfully completed Test Procedure USTA-123 (Static Load and Dynamic Load Testing) by the University of Dayton Research Institute.
Current List (PDF) (REPLACES ALL OTHER PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED LISTS)
If a sulky has failed in a race, during the warming up of horses, in the post parade or after the finish of the race, fill out this Sulky Failure Report (PDF)
Delinquent USTA Membership, Driver/Trainer Licenses
These reports list all persons who are currently participating without a current/valid USTA Membership and/or Driver/Trainer license in violation of USTA Rules and Regulations.
These reports may be accessed via Track Name, Race Day and Type. To renew membership and/or driver/trainer license contact the USTA Member Services Department at 614-224-2291, extension 1. Failure to comply with the renewal of membership and/or driver/trainer license may result in further action taken by the United States Trotting Association.
Legislative Tool Kit
This tool kit will help you to work with your local, state and federal political leaders to make sure the interests of harness racing are considered.
Click Here