South Dakota 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 South Dakota Golf Cart & Low-Speed Vehicle Laws. We’ve created this guide to help you, the consumer, in determining South Dakota’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 registration is required, but if the municipality or township is an unincorporated town,the person operating the golf cart in the municipality or unincorporated town must have a driver license, insurance and obtain a permit from the authority having jurisdiction.

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.

South Dakota Golf Cart & Low Speed Vehicle Laws

Guidelines for Golf Carts and PTVs (Personal Transportation Vehicles)

According to Statute 32-14-13, A golf cart is a four-wheeled vehicle originally and specifically designed and intended to transport one or more individuals and golf clubs for the purpose of playing the game of golf on a golf course.

According to Statute 32-14-14, Local Jurisdictions that have an unincorporated town may allow the use of golf carts on a highway within its platted boundaries. If this is the case, the golf cart must be insured and the driver must have a valid driver’s license and obtain a permit from their local municipality.

The ordinance may also require the golf cart to display a slow-moving vehicle emblem in accordance with § 32-15-20 or a white or amber warning light in accordance § 32-17-46.

According to Statute 32-14-15, Golf Cart use on a state or county highway is prohibited (unless as stated above) except for crossing from one side of the highway to the other. A golf cart may cross the highway at a right angle, but only after stopping and yielding the right-of-way to all approaching traffic and crossing as closely as possible to an intersection or approach.

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)
• 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
• must be equipped with headlamps, front and rear turn signal lamps, taillamps, stop lamps, reflex reflectors on each side as far to the rear of the vehicle as practicable and one red reflector on the rear, brakes, a parking brake, a windshield, a vehicle identification number, a safety belt installed at each designated seating position, an exterior mirror mounted on the operator’s side of the vehicle, and either an exterior mirror mounted on the passenger’s side of the vehicle or an interior rearview mirror.

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.legis.nd.gov – Golf Carts in Unincorporated Towns
www.legis.nd.gov – Golf Carts (Other)
sdlegislature.gov – Low Speed Vehicles

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.