4 Tips For Making Your Golf Cart Street Legal

Many people think golf carts are restricted to the course, but they’re very useful as transportation and utility vehicles as well. Most people don’t bat an eye when you drive a golf cart around a residential neighborhood, but you may want to take it beyond your neighborhood to the store, or to run other errands. If you’ve ever wanted to take your golf cart out on the city streets, here are four tips for making your golf cart street-legal.

Install Safety Equipment

Once you take your golf cart on the road, you indirectly agree to treat it like a passenger vehicle. Not every golf cart has the same safety features of a car, so you’ll need to make some modifications. Some of the most common additions include seat belts on every seat, side and rearview mirrors, headlights, taillights, turn signals, and a parking brake.

Register Your Vehicle

An often overlooked factor of a street-legal vehicle is its vehicle identification number (VIN) that registers it with authorities. This number makes vehicles easier for law enforcement to look for in the event of an accident or robbery. While some low-speed vehicles have a VIN, most golf carts do not. So, one tip for making your golf cart street-legal is to take it down to your local Department of Motor Vehicles and register it for street-legal status. This process will attach a VIN to your golf cart and register it in their systems.

Take a Speed Test

To be street-legal, golf carts must be able to reach a minimum speed of 20 miles per hour. Many modern electric golf carts can reach this speed as is or with add-ons like a turbocharger. Be sure to check the top speed of your golf cart and make modifications as necessary. When you register your golf cart, you’ll typically need to attach a slow-moving vehicle sign to it. This sign is a reflective orange triangle that warns drivers behind you that you can’t go as fast as others around you.

Follow Local Laws

Some US states and counties have different rules and regulations for the street-legal status of golf carts. We highly recommend checking your local laws to determine any additional stipulations you must follow when driving your golf cart on public roads.

If you’re looking for ways to improve your electric golf cart and prepare it for street-legal status, BigBattery is here to help. We have a wide range of golf cart batteries and helpful guides on how to care for, maintain, and improve your golf cart for whatever use you have in mind. Don’t hesitate to contact us anytime with additional questions; a member of our team will be happy to assist you.