League City Golf Carts

Here is my golf car that I purchased from CKD last year in order to try to speed up the process of picking up my son at Gilmore Elem. I got the idea from the 10-15 other parents who picked up their kids in golf carts because it can take over 30 minutes to wait and get through the line. I have also started using it to show my listings that are close to my house.

A  few months ago League City Police started stopping parents telling some they couldn’t drive on the road and others were told they couldn’t drive them at all.  This all came after the Texas Legislature passed a law stating if certain requirements are met a golf cart can be driven on public roads with a speed limit of 35mph or below. My understanding is there is no law prohibiting or limiting the use beyond the current state law but its obvious League City wants to change that.

League City announced a public hearing on February 23 a week from today to discuss the issue. Below is the current law per TxDot which limits the use of golf carts in neighborhoods or right around your home if it meets safety requirements.

A vehicle is classified as a golf cart if it:

• has no less than three wheels,
• has a normal maximum speed of between 15-25 mph, and
• is manufactured primarily for operation on golf courses.

TxDMV does not register or title golf carts.

Registration is not needed to operate your golf cart on a public road. State law allows for use of golf carts with a slow-moving vehicle emblem in the following situations:

• in master planned communities with a uniform set of restrictive covenants in place,
• on public or private beaches,
• during the daytime and no more than two miles from where the owner usually parks the golf cart and for transportation to or from a golf course, or
• to cross intersections, including a road or street that has a posted speed limit of more than 35 miles per hour.

A city can pass a local ordinance allowing for use of golf carts on additional roads. The road must be within the boundaries of the city and with a speed limit of 35 mph or lower.

In these cases, the golf cart must be insured and have the following minimum equipment:

• headlamps,
• tail lamps,
• reflectors,
• parking brake,
• mirrors, and
• a slow-moving vehicle emblem

As you can see the law is very restrictive and provides requirements to keep golf carts safe and to make sure they are well marked so cars can see them.  Any new law would be in addition to this. Please come out to the meeting on the 23rd and show your support for golf cart use in League City.