Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania Golf Cart & Low-Speed Vehicle Laws. We’ve created this guide to help you, the consumer, in determining Pennsylvania’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. As a state law, Golf Carts are not allowed to be registered nor allowed on public roads. However, certain towns and local municipalities allow them on their roads, but you must obtain a permit. Read more below

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.

Pennsylvania Golf Cart & Low Speed Vehicle Laws

Guidelines for Golf Carts and PTVs (Personal Transportation Vehicles)

As a whole, the state does not allow the registration of golf carts nor does it allow golf carts to be driven on public roads. Some local municipalities do, however, allow golf carts to be driven on certain roads. If your town allows this, they will require you obtain a permit for your golf cart. Please check with your municipality in regards to this.

Guidelines for LSV (Low Speed Vehicle)

• Has four wheels.
• Within one mile can reach a speed of more than 20 miles per hour (mph) but not more than 25 mph on a paved level surface.
• 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 25 mph, unless stated otherwise. The secretary may permit the use of LSVs on roads with a speed limit greater than 25 mph but less than 35 mph.

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

HELPFUL LINKS

dot.state.pa.us (Requirements for LSV/NEVs)

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.