There are a lot of good reasons why you might want a golf cart to be street legal. They are a popular vehicle for use all over the nation in low-speed areas, namely the retirement communities, sidewalks, and beaches of our beautiful southern states.

Golf carts are highly popular with the snowbird community since they are relatively safe, straightforward to operate, and slow enough to keep you out of trouble. They are also attractive because of their compact size and low environmental impact, particularly electric golf carts, with some gas carts getting up to 45mpg. But there is a definite difference between operating a golf cart on a street or road and hoping the local authorities won’t bother you and driving an actual street legal golf cart. In this article, we will dissect what exactly it is that makes a golf cart street legal. 

Why Are Golf Carts So Common In Certain States?

There’s no other way to say this: golf carts and retirees go together like smores and campfires.

Golf carts are a legitimate way to get around small areas (a concept which retirement communities are built around). States that attract this particular demographic are more than happy to work with golf cart drivers because of the benefits to the local area. Every golf cart that is safely driving potentially removes a car from the roadways, cutting down on significant congestion issues. Florida, a state that ranks #6 in terms of urban population and #7 in terms of urban land percentage, can use all the help it can get in reducing the number of cars on the roads. Also, with the construction of so many retirement communities and so many retirees flocking to Florida, it makes sense to cater to this demographic.

Are Golf Carts Street Legal?

Now we get to a little more complicated issue: are golf carts a street-legal vehicle? Again, this is an area that has a certain amount of grey in it. 

First and foremost, two different roadway rules govern vehicle movements: federal statutes and state statutes. 

The federal government began to recognize the benefits of creating a different category of vehicles back in the late 1990s, to include golf carts, which became low-speed vehicles (LSVs). This is a fairly broad category intended to allow small, slow vehicles on roads for limited purposes. These ideally short trips included shopping, social gatherings, and other recreational activities. The target areas were and remained to be self-contained communities, like those often found in retirement areas. We’ve come full circle.

The original definition of an LSV was comprehensive. However, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “LSV definition was too broad and did not fully reflect current interpretations of that definition.”

The current definition of an LSV, as it pertains to a golf cart, is a four-wheeled vehicle that:

• must go over 20 miles per hour, but not more than 25 miles per hour

• is under 2,500-pounds gross vehicle weight rating, and

• must have a cargo capacity of at least 80 pounds

What Makes a Golf Cart Street Legal?

The federal code allows LSVs to operate on some roads. Again, we have taken a look at primary dimensional considerations that quantify what an LSV is; we need to know what makes a golf cart legal to drive on a public road. So, again, we are looking for the legal definition of what allows an LSV, in this case, a street legal golf cart, to operate on public roads. 

A golf car is street legal as long as it meets the statutory definition of an LSV as far as LSVs are street legal in your area. However, a few other things must happen to ensure that you have no hostile altercations with Johnny Law, especially if your cart didn’t come with some important parts.

How to Make a Golf Cart Street Legal

First and foremost, to drive your golf cart on a public road, you are going to need to equip it with all of the standard DOT lighting and safety equipment, which consists of:

• Headlamps

• Parking brake

• Reflex reflectors

• Tail lamps and stop lamps

• Seat belts for each assigned seat

• Front and rear turn signals

• Exterior mirrors, minimum of driver’s side plus either an interior rearview or passenger

• Windshield 

• Vehicle identification number (VIN)

The lighting and safety features are relatively straightforward, but the VIN is where things get a little dicier. See, golf carts are not required to have a VIN from the factory since they are off-road vehicles. In addition, they are not intended or designed to be used on public roads, so there is no legal requirement for a VIN when they are manufactured.

Part of what Dirt Legal does is provide a VIN for your golf cart, which is a necessity to register and tag your golf cart in your state. The purpose of the Dirt Legal golf cart registration service is not for you to have a registered vehicle out-of-state; it is to make your golf cart street legal to tag in your state, at your own DMV, so you can fully utilize your state’s permissions for LSVs.

Once we have issued you a VIN for your golf cart, along with a Certificate of Origin (MCO) acting as a title, you will be able to go to your local DMV and register your golf cart as an LSV.

What States Are Golf Carts Street Legal In?

Since our program provides the documentation necessary to classify your golf cart as an LSV, your golf cart is street legal within the confines of where an LSV may operate, in almost all states. Kentucky, North Carolina, and New York are the only states with burdensome restrictions on street-legal golf carts. Also, if you have a gas-powered golf cart in California, you will have to get it inspected for emissions. That’s right. You can’t even escape smog checks with a golf cart in the Golden State. 

Since LSVs are almost universally street legal in the U.S., let’s look at information from states where demand is the highest. 

Florida

The sunshine state has long been known as the premier locale for retirees; Florida is the absolute heavyweight champ regarding the raw numbers of retirees moving to the state. In 2018, the state saw approximately 84,600 retirees move into the state. This is a whopping three times the runner-up, Arizona, another popular destination, which weighed in at 28,600. With nearly one hundred thousand retirement-aged people moving into their state every year, it is no wonder Florida is accepting of their decision to get around in LSVs. 

To legally drive on public roads in Florida with an LSV, it must meet these criteria. 

• The vehicle must have a Manufacturer’s Certificate of Origin and a VIN.

• Florida requires that LSVs carry proof of insurance of $10,000 for both property damage liability and personal injury protection.

• A driver’s license is not required for operating an LSV on Florida public roads, but the operator must have some sort of ID card. 

Florida does observe differences between a golf cart and an LSV, so the only golf carts they will recognize to be registered and titled must be converted. Golf carts are defined in Florida Statute 320.01(22) as “a motor vehicle that is designed and manufactured for operation on a golf course for sporting or recreational purposes and that is not capable of exceeding speeds of 20 miles per hour.” Accordingly, golf carts can only be operated on roadways designated for golf carts, and they can only have a post speed limit of 30 MPH or less. 

The only way to title and register a golf cart in this situation is to convert it to an LSV first. The golf cart must be converted before applying for title and registration. You need to have the MCO and VIN in hand and all modifications made before going to the DMV. Again, that’s something we can provide you with.

Texas

Texas is home to over 350 miles of coastline, warm winters, good food, and plenty of options for retirement communities and snowbirding/RVing. Texas is lovely. However, outside of the coastal areas, there are many cities to choose from and seemingly endless possibilities if you want to get away from it all and live in a rural area. 

LSVs are highly popular in RV parks, coastal towns, and cities because these are designed around the retired lifestyle; the bait shops, restaurants, and surf shops are usually within walking distance of the living areas. LSVs also tend to do well on the packed sand on the water and are easy to park and just a lot of fun. 

In Texas, as in Florida, there are two separate sets of rules defining the operation of golf carts and LSVs. Texas state law allows that non-converted golf carts be allowed to operate with a slow-moving vehicle emblem (orange triangle) in a few situations:

• Within master-planned communities that have a restrictive covenant in place.

• On public and private beaches.

• During the daytime and not more than two miles from where the owner parks it and transportation to and from golf courses. 

• When crossing intersections for roads marked 35 MPH or lower.

Things can get a little tricky because local city ordinances can allow golf carts to operate on municipal roads posted 35 MPH or less. However, the golf cart has to be insured with minimum liability insurance, and it has to have all of the mandatory DOT lighting and reflectors. In these cases, it makes a lot more sense to purchase the Dirt Legal golf cart package and go ahead and convert your golf cart to an LSV. This will provide you with the tools necessary to take it to the DMV and get it tagged, alleviating headaches and giving you access to more roads.

The requirements for an LSV in Texas are standard across the board:

• Maximum speed of 25 MPH

• Seat belts

• Head and tail lights

• Windshield

• Parking brake

• Turn signals

• Mirrors

• Brake lights

• Reflectors

• A valid VIN

To register it, you will need an MCO and proof of minimum liability insurance. We can provide the MCO for you.

Arizona

Arizona is the second most popular destination of retirees, mainly due to temperate climates, mild winters, favorable cost of living factors, and an abundance of golf courses with year-round access to many of them. And, of course, Arizona is much drier than Florida for those sensitive to humidity and mold. 

Arizona is pretty straightforward in its rules, for street legal golf carts but they require $10,000 in PDL and $15,000 in PIP. On the bright side, Arizona allows an exemption for the windshield requirement for golf carts, so you can let that thinning hair flow in the hot Phoenix breeze. 

Arizona dictates that golf carts be only used on roads with posted speed limits of 35 MPH or less. Also, the driver must be a licensed driver for LSVs. 

To register your LSV in Arizona, you will need:

• MCO

• VIN

• Proof of insurance

• Driver’s license, ID card, or passport

You will also have to pay fees. Lots of fees. Title fee, plate fee, initial registration fee, registration fee…

Unlike its neighbor to the West, Arizona does NOT require any smog inspections to get your golf cart/LSV titled or tagged. As long as you pass the GVWR requirements, lights, and seatbelts and have your MCO and VIN, tagging your LSV in Arizona won’t be a problem at all. 

Let’s Talk About the Dirt Legal Advantage

So let’s talk about the Dirt Legal service. As we have said numerous times, all you want to do is drive your golf cart on roads legally, and we want to help you do just that. 

When you order this package, what you are getting are the bonafide documents necessary to legally transition your golf cart to be an LSV. We have teamed up with an industry-leading manufacturer to produce the required documents that you need to get legal. Our team will handle the paperwork while you outfit all the parts your golf cart needs to become a street legal LSV.

Now, once you have made your golf cart a street legal LSV, it is important to note that you are responsible for all fees, taxes, and registration at your local DMV. Unlike some of our other products, this is not an out-of-state kit to get your golf cart tagged somewhere else. We provide the tools for you to tag it but it will need to be done at your local DMV.

Golf carts are a popular way to move around planned and covenanted communities, especially in warm climates, for the apparent reason that those states attract retirees. But LSVs are legal in most states and fun for absolutely anyone. There are several options available from the factory for LSVs, which will come with a VIN and an MCO along with all of the necessary lighting and safety features. But if you have a golf cart that you would like to convert to a street legal LSV, Dirt Legal will set you up with the documents you need to take to the DMV to walk out with a tagged and registered street legal golf cart.