street legal?
 

do any of you guys (and girls) have your cart tagged and registered? what does it take to get this done. i called the tag office today here in florida and they said they will only tag the bubble looking carts (i dont know what they are called).:oops: i lied and told her it had blinkers, tail lights and would do 45mph:lol:LOL. she said it was still considered a golf cart and it was a no go. is there some other catagory that my cart can fall under, as in homemade or dune buggy or something. i see some people on here are tagged. if you guys could give me some feedback that would be very cool8)

thanks chris:thumbup:

Re: street legal?
 

HWM,

Excuse me for asking this ...
But why would you want to put your cart on the street ?
Im sorry , but here in our county "Lake"
There are tooooo many Nuts driveing on our roads.
For me, I wouldnt want to get out and try to mix with them
especialy in a cart. Lived here 23 almost 24 years.
Fire Chief with Lake County , now disabled...
But I ran too many calls on traffic accidents on people who
shouldnt have even had a drivers Lic. And today
alot of people dont have a Licience to drive, but they do...
If you were to get hit, their gone they wont stop to check you out...

Just currious,
BCW

Re: street legal?
 

The main reason you can not register and tag your cart is: It does not have a 17 digit vehicle identification number. It can meet all the requirement for an LSV but without the vin number can't register. I have been trying to get mine registered for over a year. I live in Sumter County.

Also, as an LSV the speed is limited, 20 or more but 25 max. A regular cart is limited to 19.6 mph. A ticket here in The Villages will cost you about $200.00 if caught speeding, but the ticket will be for driving an un-registered vehicle.

Re: street legal?
 

Hey Dennis i live in Lady Lake about 2min. from the villages and see carts with tags. this is what gave me the idea. what year is your cart? is the 17 digit limited to newer carts only? what steps have you taken thus far to still not have a tag? fill me in.... thanks chris...

BCW my parents and in-laws all live within about a mile of me. it would just be nice to ride the cart over there without the ticket.NOT SAYING I DO THAT NOW OR ANYTHING:thumbup::lol:

Re: street legal?
 

hotwatermusic, Only carts that are manufactured to be an LSV will have a 17 digit vin number. Par Car has one, Gem, and Star Think (Ford) and Club Car/GM Pathway (no longer built). All regular carts only have 10 to 13 digits. If you have a common key ignition, change it to uncommon. To easy to be stolen otherwise and no way to trace by serial number, as the numbers are not registered.

My cart is 2007 Yesteryear Coupe, Gas, Lifted 6 in, Hyd front disc brakes, Custom grille and bumpers, side lake pipes, chrome dash with tach, oil pressure, volt meter, gas guage, clock, hour meter, am/fm/cd and 69 sound horn panel. I spent about 100 hours building it. I had a 2006 Yesteryear Truck 4 seater that got totaled by a Caddy who ran a stop sign.

Re: street legal?
 

OK, Totaly understand I didnt relize you were that close to the Villages.
I know that area is full of carts everywhere and its realy cool to live near
a place like that and be able to ride in that maner.

Like where I live, Im takeing a big chance to go to the store, I wish it were
different and I could ride without looking back over my shoulder all the time.
Some of the cops are purty good, but others are .... well you know :roll:

Hope you get it leagle soon ...

BCW

Re: street legal?
 

thanks BCW me too!

Re: street legal?
 

For what its worth - our HOA put out a letter (Golf Course Community) stating that "the same rules applied to driving a golf cart on the street as to cars." I took that to mean - lights, brake lights, signals, no open containers, stop at stop signs, ect...

I'm in Orange County FWIW.

Re: street legal?
 

The same applies here in The Villages except that you cannot drink in your cart when parked. Since we have two squares that have entertainment every night, people like to sit in their carts watch and drink but is illegal. Most main streets have cart lanes or cart paths along side. LSVs can run on the streets that are 35mph or less. They can cross faster streets at intersections. We have a lot of tunnels under the major streets that are over 35 mph speed limits.

Re: street legal?
 

if you see a big blue yamaha at lake sumter landing or spanish springs you better come say hi dennis..

Re: street legal?
 

I'll do that. If you see my cart (gray Yesteryear with a lot of chrome, side lakers <three outlet>, lifted, black top, maybe folded down depending of weather. Usually have our 2 black puppies with us, they are Poms. Stop by.

Re: street legal?
 

Hey Dennis, got any pics of your cart? Sounds cool. :thumbup:

Re: street legal?
 

i sure will dennis. do you frequent the squares much? you cant miss me i'll be with a very pregnant fiance! i agree with castlecart i'd like to see some pics also....

Re: street legal?
 

Hotwatermusic,

Im in the same boat as you are living in FLorida and trying to find out how to register a cart street legal (regardless of whether othe rpeople like the idea or not; its really none of thier business).

Anyway I will share what I know.

Cart dealer and rental guy close to me stated Florida is the only probolem state. Accoridng to this guy he has spoke with the top level of Managements at the Florida DMV. The state will alllow an electric cart to be registered if it meets Federal guidelines. All other states can regiester Gas and electric. So according to this guy he states if a cart was registered out of state with a title etc and then brought in state the DMV told him they would have no choice but to register the cart as well.

Furthermore there is another cart forum where the owner indicated that many of his customers have "stickers" for thier carts and drive them to the beach.

The serial # thing isnt true to best of my knowledge as I do know of an electric limo cart registered in the state and the owner stated they used the serial # and added zero's before the number.

Im waiting for a contact from suppossedly some guys who have gas powered carts registered in the state. If I find out the info I will PM you or post what have found.

Re: street legal?
 

Also more evidence it can be done. Go to a search engine and look up Boca Golf Carts. On thier home page it states all of thier carts and registered, insured and street legal.

I doubt anyone could needle them to find out how they did it.

Re: street legal?
 

We have a place here in town that specializes in making carts street legal. I wonder if you called this place and asked them if they do that sort of thing and what it would entail. You might get some useful information and then be able to do it yourself. :thumbup:

Boo

Re: street legal?
 

All states require the following for street legal golf carts:
1. The slow moving vehicle must not be capable of traveling in speeds that are more than thirty five miles per hour [35 mph]
2. Maximum seating capacity your cart or NEV is four people
3. Your cart must not weight more then two thousand and two hundred pounds
4. Your cart must come equipped with a headlight, front turn lamps, rear turn lamps, tail lamps, and stop lamps.
5. Must come equipped with reflex reflectors, exterior mirrors, and an interior mirror.
6. Must come with brakes, a windshield, and a vehicle identification number or VIN.
7. Each seat must have an approved seat belt
8. Must have the manufacturer's certificate of origin as a low speed vehicle.

These are just the basic law requirements. Do not use this list to decide what is legal and what is not in your province or state. Instead check with local law officials or DMV to make sure you will be legal.

Re: street legal?
 

thanks for the info guys and girl (BOO). i'll try poking around a bit to see what i can find. 30AR if you happen to call Boca or find out any more info please let me know and DENNISTAYLOR would also like this info..:thumbup:

again thanks everyone... this is the reason i'm on this site so much:thumbup:

Re: street legal?
 

Bad news,

Hotwatermusic and other FLorida residents. I emailed 2 golf cart dealers that claim to specialize in "Street Legal Carts" What I came back with between the two fo them in a nutshell was something like:

"When all the Florida law is digested you it is made clear the purpose of NEV's, LSV's and street legal golf cart if for the purpose of being Green firendly meaning electric and not gas powered. The only type of cart we sell street legal, because thge only kind of cart you can register street legal in Florida is electric"

They both also stated "Our living is made of selling cart and 50% of those sales are for street legal carts. We need to know the law to sell carts and feed our families. If there was a way to register and insure gas carts legally in this state we would know about it, and our sales would probably go up 30-50%...we have lost many potential sales and customers because people want gas powered carts fro the range #1, #2 most people are comfortable trouble shooting and fixing gas but dont know electricity, and #3 its easier to get reliable performance out of a gas cart than electric....but electric is all we have to work with at this time and I dont see the law changing"

Now I have a gut who most probably know in the cart world who states he has customers with gas powered carts that are "Stickered" and drive on the road in under 35 zones. I gather his term of stickered means legally registered in the state. Im keeping my fingers crossed that he is correct and will tell me how to get to this point but to be honest Im guessing he is mistaken.

I will try to keep any information I learn current. Please do the same.

Re: street legal?
 

Bummer... that sucks :cry:

Re: street legal?
 

thanks 30AR Please Keep us up dated..

Re: street legal?
 

Ok guys/gals this will be the second to last time I post on this thread.

I spoke with a guy in Mexico Beach Florida who drives his cart on the street; I was psyched to find out how he does this with his GAS POWERED CART. Turns out the county he lives in offers seasonal permits for $20/yr which gives the ability to drive a golf cart on most roads that are lower speeds.

So I then called another cart shop in Panama City Beach that has been in business for 15 years, and they claim to specialize in street legal carts. They said electric only. So I asked why and they kept me on the phone while speaking with a state police representative and I heard via speaker phone as the state police rep said "In Florida only way to drive a golf cart legally is to meet all standards with equipment including all the lights bells and whistles, register the cart, tag it, insure it; and this can only be done with electric carts. Dont know why not with gas, but you can not register a gas golf cart for the road in Florida"

I will go to my local Tax office and prod some more and report in which will in my guess be the last time I need to...every way I turn to try and find a way to register a gas cart legally turns out with a bug NO and I dont expect to hear any different.

Sorry people, Im as disappointed as you.

Re: street legal?
 

This is the info I found out about registering a cart

Basically what the state is doing is registering it as an “Assembled from Parts” NEV.

1. Cart must be electric.
2. Must be capable of minimum 20 MPH with a maximum of 25 MPH.
3. Must have LEXAN windshield.
4. Windshield wiper (electric or hand operated).
5. Seat belts.
6. Rear view mirror (outside left) and either one center inside or one right side.
7. Red reflector on rear and each side as close to the rear as possible. (At least 24 inches from ground).
8. Headlights
9. Taillights
10. Brake lights.
11. Turn signals.
12. Horn.

Keep all receipts for your upgrades. You will need a receipt (Bill of Sale) for the cart plus a Certificate of Manufacture. You will also need a weight slip. (Load cart on trailer and drag it to a state weigh station. They will weigh it and give you a slip of paper.) With all of this you’ll need to go to the DMV and fill out some forms. You leave all the paper work. They will then make an appointment for you to bring the cart in for inspection. After the inspection, they collect any taxes that are due. They will issue a title. Drag the cart home.

Re: street legal?
 

I beleive your 100% correct except for the windshield wiper. I have yet to see a street legal cart with a windshield wiper. Even the dealers who are selling carts strret legal dont have them. I have all the Papaer work from the office of compliance and this is not on thier list of required items.

Re: street legal?
 

1st time post - new to site & carts!! Thanks for all the help from everyone here - very useful info - still reading & finding more interesting stuff. Just got my cart street legal!!!!! I got insurance ($100/yr), registration/plates/tag ($87 - next yr just tag $30), and smv sign. Only been sl 1 week and haven't seen a constable (Katy, TX) yet - saw them a bunch before though. Talked to one & said if I had plates on it I shouldn't get stopped - if none he would probably just tell me to get it off the road. He also said it doesn't need lights (should not be driven at night), signals, windsheild - but I plan on putting them on later anyway.

Re: street legal?
 

I have given up on trying to get mine registered. kept getting the run around. Anyway it is broke right now. In the process off putting in a new Vanguard 23 hp with 22x11x10 DOT tires.

Have a great day and Good Luck on registering.
Dennis

Re: street legal?
 

you need a wiper where i live. i have a manually operated one. but that's just to get it registered...

i ride around with no windshield at all, and took off the side mirrors and haven't had any problems with cops.

Re: street legal?
 

Re: street legal?
 

can you register 2003 Ezgo gas golf cart for street legal or offroad use? (green sticker)

Re: street legal?
 

Here in S.C. we dont seem to have any of these issues with getting our carts registered. The only requirment I had to have was liability insurance on my cart to get it registered with the DMV. I went in with my insurance papers, filled out an application showing my drivers license #, put down my wife as another driver with her info and they gave me a handbook showing the rules which didnt state much other than allowable age, distance allowed to travel from business or home, and times the cart has to be parked. They gave me a sticker for my windshield and off I went. Most people in our town do all of their shopping on carts. He!! we even go through the drive-thru in town on our carts. It's great.

Re: street legal?
 

This is what I have found out trying to register my gas cart. Florida DMV in Tallahassa says it has to be electric to be considerd a LSV. LSV were designed to be used in communities where the speed limits are below 35mph. You an cross a faster street only at intersections with contol devices.
Must be equiped with lights, horn, seat belts, windshield, mirrors-exterior left and an inside or right exterior, speed not to exceed 25 mph, sufficent brakes (perferably 4 wheel) turn signals and brake lights, side marker lights or reflectors. Amber required on front sides, red on the rear sides.

Good Luck Guys. If you find a way to register here in Florida let me know.