Change to Golf Cart Ordinance

Effective July 5, 2023, the Town of North Topsail Beach repealed its local golf cart ordinance and local golf cart registration requirement in favor of relying solely on North Carolina State law and registration requirements. Accordingly, street legal golf carts operated on public streets in the Town of North Topsail Beach must comply with North Carolina State law which requires a golf cart to be licensed, insured and registered as a Low-Speed Vehicle (LSV) with the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles (NC DMV) (NOTE:  This requirement does not apply to golf carts used solely on private roads and private property).  

To be registered as a LSV, State and Federal requirements must be met.  Federal requirements can be viewed at 49 CFR 571.500 - Low Speed Vehicles and NC DMV requirements can be viewed at NC DMV Low-speed vehicle requirements.

All out-of-state golf carts must also be licensed, registered and insured in the state where the golf cart is permanently garaged.  Just like any other street legal motorized vehicle, golf carts must be driven by a licensed, legally of age, individual – 16 in North Carolina – and the license and proof of insurance must be carried by the legal driver.  

Street legal golf carts are only allowed to operate on public roads that have a posted speed limit of 35 miles per hour or slower, although they may cross straight over a road with a higher speed limit if the road being crossed to is also 35 mph or lower.  

Please note that all golf carts, while parked at any of the Town’s beach access parking lots, are required to pay for parking and must always park in legally designated parking spaces.