News

Article Summary Michigan’s golf cart framework under MCL 257.657a has two features that are uncommon in most other states. First, the authority to authorize golf cart road use is limited to small communities: only cities, villages, and townships with populations…

Article Summary Alabama takes one of the more restrictive approaches to golf cart road use in the Southeast. Standard golf carts are not street legal on public roads anywhere in the state. Only vehicles that qualify as Low-Speed Vehicles (LSVs)…

Article Summary Ohio categorizes golf carts as under-speed vehicles under ORC 4501.01, defined as vehicles with a top speed of 20 mph or less on a flat paved surface. Under-speed vehicles have no automatic right to any public road statewide.…

Article Summary North Carolina operates a two-track system for golf carts and LSVs on public roads. Standard golf carts have no automatic right to any public road statewide. They can only be driven where a municipality or county has passed…

Article Summary Oregon draws a firm legal line between golf carts and low-speed vehicles, and that distinction determines everything about where you can drive. Under ORS 801.295, a golf cart in Oregon is defined as a vehicle with a top…

Article Summary Washington state has one of the most structured golf cart frameworks in the country, built around three distinct vehicle categories that have meaningfully different road access rights. Understanding which category your vehicle falls into determines where you can…

Article Summary South Carolina is one of the most golf cart-friendly states in the country. A $5 permit decal from the SCDMV authorizes a permitted cart to operate on secondary roads with speed limits of 35 mph or less, within…

Article Summary Arizona is one of the better states for golf cart owners. Standard golf carts can be registered with the ADOT Motor Vehicle Division and driven on roads with speed limits of 35 mph or less, after meeting the…

Article Summary Georgia does not use the term golf cart in its primary road-use statute. What most people call a street-legal golf cart is classified in Georgia law as a Personal Transportation Vehicle, or PTV. Under O.C.G.A. 40-1-1, a PTV…

Article Summary Texas is one of the most golf cart-friendly states in the country, but it has a registration system that works differently from almost everywhere else. Standard golf carts do not go through the TxDMV title process. Instead, you…