How to Make Your Golf Cart Street Legal in Florida
There's so many reasons to buy a new golf cart. You don't actually need to visit a golf course to enjoy the perks of owning a golf cart. Golf-carts are a ton of fun! There are many Florida communities that cater to golf cart owners. They have festivals, parades, shows, picnics, and other gatherings for people to enjoy. It doesn't get any better than cruising in your cart on a sunny day with a cold beverage in your hand, heading to meet up with your friends. You can take your golf cart to your neighbor's house, the clubhouse, your kid's nearby school, or the restaurant down the road.
Of course, this means you'll need to make your golf cart street legal. Here in the state of Florida, there are certain rules and regulations in place that you must follow in order to drive your golf cart on the streets, even if it's just within your neighborhood.
A golf cart falls into the category of a Low Speed Vehicle (LSV). This means it is a vehicle with a top speed around 20 MPH, but not greater than 25 MPH. Golf carts are defined in section 320.01(22), Florida Statutes, 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."
Here in Florida, all LSVs must be registered, titled, and insured with personal injury protection (PIP) and property damage liability (PDL) insurance. There is technically no rule with the Florida Department of Transportation that in order to drive a LSV, a person must have a valid driver license. That being said, we highly recommend it for safety reasons. LSVs may only be operated on streets where the posted speed limit is 35 MPH or less. Essentially, you can drive them on neighborhood roads but not on highways. How will you know whether you're in the right place? The roadway should have signs posted that golf carts share the roadway.
These are the rules of the road to follow, but what about the golf cart itself. Does it need to change at all? Yes! Street legal golf carts must be equipped with special golf cart parts. You will need the following safety equipment:
- Headlamps
- Front and rear turn signals
- Stop lamps
- Tail lamps
- Reflex reflectors, red - one each side and one on the rear
- Exterior mirror on the driver side and an interior rear-view mirror or exterior mirror on passenger side
- Parking brake
- Windshield
- Seat belt for each designated seat
- Vehicle identification number (VIN)
Driving a golf cart is just another fascinating part of living the Florida lifestyle! If you live in or are considering moving into a golf cart community, you will definitely want to own a golf cart and retrofit it in a way that makes it street legal.