Indiana Golf Cart & Low Speed Vehicle Laws

PLEASE NOTE: Golf Cart Laws may vary from City to City, so please be sure to check with your local municipality in regards to the laws in your area. We are in the process of gathering laws by municipality for you, however, this is a huge undertaking and does take time. Thank you.

This is an in-depth guide to Indiana Golf Cart & Low-Speed Vehicle Laws. We’ve created this guide to help you, the consumer, in determining Indiana’s laws.

Is this state Medium Speed Vehicle friendly? No State Law is Currently in Place.

Is License and Registration a Requirement? For LSVs, yes. For Golf Carts, no. Golf Carts cannot be registered in the state of Indiana.

General Federal Law for Golf Carts:

Under current NHTSA interpretations and regulations, so long as golf cars and other similar vehicles are incapable of exceeding 20 miles per hour, they are subject to only state and local requirements regarding safety equipment. However, if these vehicles are originally manufactured so that they can go faster than 20 miles per hour, they are treated as motor vehicles under Federal law.

The standard requires low-speed vehicles to be equipped with headlamps, stop lamps, turn signal lamps, taillamps, reflex reflectors, parking brakes, rearview mirrors, windshields, seat belts, and vehicle identification numbers.

Find out more information on federal laws pertaining to golf carts and low speed vehicles here.

Indiana Golf Cart & Low Speed Vehicle Laws

Guidelines for Golf Carts and PTVs (Personal Transportation Vehicles)

Golf carts cannot be registered in the state of Indiana, however that does not mean they cannot be driven on public roads.

“A city, county, or town may adopt by ordinance traffic regulations concerning the use of golf carts or off-road vehicles, or both on a highway under the jurisdiction of the city, county, or town.” – Ordinance IC 9-21-1-3.3 found here

In other words, your city may allow the use of golf carts on public roads. You need to check with your local jurisdiction to see if they allow this.

UPDATE (04/30/18): For the city of Knox, IN, golf cart registration and placement of the Knox Golf Cart Permit on the front driver’s side area of the golf cart is now required in order to operate on city streets. Please find more information about this here.

UPDATE (06/11/18): The city of Noblesville adopted a golf cart-friendly ordinance in January 2018 which now allows golf carts to operate on city streets within certain subdivisions and neighborhoods. You can find out all the information regarding golf cart laws in Noblesville, IN here.

Guidelines for LSV (Low Speed Vehicle)

• • Has four wheels.
  • Has a maximum design speed of not more than thirty-five (35) miles per hour.
  • Has a 17-digit conforming vehicle identification number (VIN)
  • Has a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of less than 3,000 pounds.
  • Must be certified to meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) to be registered and operated on public streets, roads, or highways.
  • Not be operated on any roadway with a speed limit above 35 mph.
  • Is equipped with:
    (A) headlamps;
    (B) front and rear turn signal lamps, tail lamps, and stop lamps;
    (C) reflex reflectors;
    (D) exterior or interior mirrors;
    (E) brakes as specified in IC 9-19-3-1;
    (F) a windshield;
    (G) a vehicle identification number; and
    (H) a safety belt installed at each designated seating position
  • Has not been privately assembled as described in IC 9-17-4-1.

  The term does not include a golf cart or an off-road vehicle.

  NOTE: A manufacturer’s certificate of origin for a low speed vehicle must indicate that the motor vehicle is a low speed vehicle 

• LSVs may look like a golf-cart to the casual observer, but is actually a motor vehicle requiring a valid driver license, registration, and insurance.
  

  HELPFUL LINKS

  www.iga.in.gov – LSV Laws
  www.iga.in.gov – Golf Carts on Roads

Disclaimer
Although each of these state guides gives a thorough approach to the golf cart laws in your state, it is recommended that you perform the research on your own and reach out to your local municipality.