COLUMBIA, S.C. – There’s a new law in South Carolina on how you’re allowed to use golf carts to get around on roads.
Many people use golf carts to travel short distances or within their subdivisions, so the rules might be new to them.
Here are some highlights of the rules:
To operate a golf cart on a public highway, the owner must obtain a permit decal and registration certificate from the Department of Motor Vehicles. An individual or business owner may obtain a permit decal and registration from the Department of Motor Vehicles upon a presentation of proof of ownership and liability insurance by the owner. A $5 payment is also required.During daylight hours only, a permitted golf cart may be operated within four miles of the address on the registration certificate, or within four miles of a point of ingress or egress to a gated community, and only on a secondary highway or street for which the posted speed limit is thirty-five miles per hour or less.Within four miles of the registration holder’s address, and while traveling along a secondary highway or street for which the posted speed limit is thirty-five miles an hour or less, a permitted golf cart may cross a highway or street at an intersection where the highway has a posted speed limit of more than thirty-five miles an hour.A person who operates a golf cart in South Carolina must be at least 16 years of age, must hold a valid driver’s license and must have in their possession the registration certificate issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles, proof of liability insurance for the golf cart and their driver’s license if they are in operation of the golf cart on a highway or street.Any passenger under the age of 12 years old must wear a seat belt.A golf cart permit must be replaced with a new permit every five years or at the time the permit holder changes his address.
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