South Carolina Golf Cart Laws

If you’ve spent time in South Carolina, whether you live near a golf course, have visited the barrier islands, or have been to a college football game, you’ve probably noticed golf carts being driven on the road. Whether you’re considering purchasing a golf cart for personal use, renting a golf cart on your next family vacation, or using a golf cart for business purposes, you should learn how to comply with state and local laws.

We previously authored a blog post titled “South Carolina Golf Cart Laws” in 2022, which discussed § 56-2-105, South Carolina’s prior statute governing the operation of golf carts in the state. With the enactment of House Bill 3292, which became effective on May 22, 2025, § 56-2-105 was replaced by § 56-2-90, which heightens the responsibilities of golf cart drivers while also allowing counties and municipalities to enact laws that could result in a more widespread use of golf carts. This is our updated blog post.

To legally drive a golf cart on a public road, the golf cart must be insured, displaying a permit decal, and registered with the DMV. The cost for registration and a permit decal is five dollars. A golf cart permit must be renewed every five years or at the time the permit holder changes his address. S.C. Code Ann. § 56-2-90. For more information on the registration process, visit the SC DMV’s website here.

Although children are sometimes seen driving golf carts, South Carolina law requires the operator of a golf cart to be at least sixteen years of age with a valid driver’s license. The operator must have in their possession their driver’s license, certificate of registration, and proof of liability insurance for the golf cart.

Also, for the most part, people are only allowed to drive golf carts during daylight hours. Previously, counties or municipalities could only designate portions of a barrier island to allow people to operate golf carts at night if the golf cart was equipped with working headlights and rear lights. Beaufort County did this when they enacted Ordinance 2017-11, allowing people on Daufuskie Island to drive golf carts at night. However, with the recent change in South Carolina’s golf cart laws, any county or municipality may stipulate the hours, methods, and locations of golf carts on roads where the speed limit is 35 miles per hour or less.

Golf carts may only be operated on secondary highways or streets with a posted speed limit of thirty-five miles per hour or less. Additionally, golf carts may only be operated either within four miles of the registration holder’s address, within four miles of a point of ingress and egress to a gated community if the address on the golf cart’s registration is within the gated community, or on any street or secondary highway on an island not accessible by a bridge designed for automobile use. Although political subdivisions used to be able to reduce the radius from four to two miles, that law was recently repealed. We recommend using a map-drawing tool to create and print a map with a four-mile radius that can be kept in the golf cart. Furthermore, drivers are allowed to cross a highway or street at an intersection where the highway has a posted speed limit above thirty-five miles per hour. Counties or municipalities may also designate separate golf cart paths along highways and roads as long as they are sufficiently separated from the road.

Due to a golf cart’s inability to travel at high speeds, many people consider golf carts a safe mode of transportation. When we first posted our “South Carolina Golf Cart Laws” blog back in 2022, golf carts were not required to have the life-saving technologies that people tend to expect in other vehicles. However, in response to golf cart-related deaths in South Carolina, the law now requires that passengers under the age of 12 must wear seat belts when the golf cart is traveling upon a public street or highway. See H.B. 3292, 126^th Gen. Assemb., Reg. Sess. (S.C. 2025). Child passengers not wearing seatbelts can lead to a fine of $25. While current South Carolina law does not explicitly require that golf carts must be equipped with seat belts, those that are equipped with seat belts must comply with the requirements set forth in 49 C.F.R. Section 571.500. Golf cart owners would need to install Type 1 or Type 2 seat belt assemblies conforming to 49 C.F.R 571.209. The cost of installation may depend on your area, but an internet search shows most 4-pack seatbelt assemblies advertised for under $100.

Although a $25 fine may seem insignificant, the failure to ensure that a child passenger is properly fastened could impose civil liability upon the owner of a golf cart in the event that a child is injured and the owner negligently failed to install adequate seatbelts. Negligence per se arises when a defendant violates a statute designed to protect a specific class of individuals, and the plaintiff is a member of that class who suffers the type of harm the statute was intended to prevent. Here, the statute is designed to protect children under twelve from injuries while riding in golf carts on public roads and failing to comply with this statutory requirement could be deemed a breach of a statutory duty. If the child’s injury is causally connected to the absence of a fastened safety belt, the violation of the statute could establish the defendant’s liability under negligence per se S.C. Code Ann. § 56-2-90.In any event, a person who owns a golf cart should be cognizant of the laws that they must obey.

To help comply with the law, a golf cart owner/operator should:

1. Keep a map on the golf cart which shows a four-mile boundary.
2. Avoid roads with speed limits over 35 mph.
3. Refrain from driving a golf cart while intoxicated.
4. Renew their permit decal every 5 years or when their address changes.
5. Possess their driver’s license, certificate of registration, and proof of liability insurance for the golf cart.
6. Check their local laws for any updates to the four-mile radius or whether the golf cart can be driven at night.
7. Install the appropriate seatbelts or ensure the golf cart has seatbelts if children under 12 years old will be passengers.