PADUCAH — Golf cart owners will be able to drive on certain city streets come March 1, following the Paducah Board of Commissioners’ approval of an ordinance Tuesday.
“Golf carts are an effective way to get around, and not everybody always wants to jump in the car to run to a neighbor’s house, or necessarily walk, so golf carts get you there in a quick manner,” Mayor George Bray said.
The ordinance was introduced in November 2025 with the intent to allow licensed drivers on roads with speed limits of 35 mph or below. Prior to approval, the board lowered the limit to 25 mph.
“It was just too many streets, and we had some pushback from people saying, ‘I really don’t want golf carts running all over the city,'” Bray said.
A map of the streets eligible for golf cart use on March 1. Green is for streets with a speed limit of 25 mph or under while blue represents streets with speed limits of 35 mph, which golf carts can cross over.
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The ordinance will, however, allow golf cart drivers to cross over roads with 35 mph speed limits.
Bray said that allowing golf carts on city streets makes travel more accessible for those with less mobility and offers a progressive approach to transportation.
“I look at some of the more progressive communities in the country, and the acceptance of golf carts has definitely grown,” Bray said.
Key concerns for Bray and the commissioners center around regulation and enforcement.
“The enforcement duties are up to the police,” Bray said. “The police have a lot of important things that they’re working on, and often from their viewpoint, regulating the use of golf carts might not always be the number one thing on their list.”
The Paducah Police Department is in charge of permitting for golf carts — they have the right to deny a permit based on violations regarding safety and compliance.
The golf carts must pass inspection from the McCracken County Sheriff’s Office. The criteria includes a 2500-pound weight limit, a six-person rider limit, and a 35 mph speed limit.
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The golf carts must pass inspection from the McCracken County Sheriff’s Office. The criteria includes a 2500-pound weight limit, a six-person rider limit, and a 35 mph speed limit.
Drivers will have to be licensed and display a slow-moving vehicle emblem on their golf carts. Golf carts can only be driven between sunrise and sundown and traffic laws must be obeyed.
Paducah Main Street has been in support of the ordinance from the beginning. Executive Director Blaine McDonald said that golf carts provide another mode of transportation that will help with business.
“It’s just one of those things that gets more people down here, and that’s what our businesses want,” McDonald said.
Main Street organizes many events in the city, and McDonald hopes the ordinance will increase their attendance.
Broadway is one of many streets in downtown Paducah that will allow golf carts on the roads on March 1.
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“It’s something that could be fun and will be fun for the festivals that we have in the future, like the summer music series that we’re working on,” McDonald said. “There was a lot of thought that went into that as well, tailored to those festivals, because it is an easier way of transportation in and out of those festivals.”
With the new traffic coming to downtown, McDonald said she hopes people will follow the traffic regulations and not create any issues on the roads.
“We want people to follow the laws,” McDonald said. “Obviously, we want our drivers that are driving cars to be cognizant of the golf carts down here. But we want everybody to be safe.”
As of time of publication, the Paducah Police Department is still finishing up their internal documents and procedures on the ordinance.