The Scooter and the Golf Cart
ORC 4511.514 — twenty miles an hour and the pavement, and ORC 4511.214 — thirty five and the local ordinance
Two kinds of small vehicle reached Ohio roads faster than the chapter did, and the chapter answered them in two different ways. The scooter got a statewide rule. The golf cart got a rule that hands the decision to the city, which is why the answer to whether one may be driven down a street changes at the city line.
Who handles this in Ohio: Ohio State Bar Association lawyer referral; and legal aid programs and the state offices, listed in the Ohio directory.
A low speed micromobility device is defined by weight, handlebars and speed. A low speed micromobility device weighs less than one hundred pounds, has handlebars, is propelled by an electric motor or by human power, and has an attainable speed on a paved level surface of not more than twenty miles per hour when propelled by the motor.
Streets, sidewalks and shared use paths, and the chapter comes with it. A low speed micromobility device may be operated on the public streets, highways, sidewalks and shared use paths, and on any portion of a roadway set aside for the exclusive use of bicycles. Those sections of the traffic chapter which by their nature could apply to such a device do apply to it and to the person operating it wherever it is operated.
- No operator fails to yield the right of way to all pedestrians at all times.
- No operator fails to give an audible signal before overtaking and passing a pedestrian.
- No operator rides at night unless the device or the operator carries a lamp pointing forward emitting a white light visible from at least five hundred feet, and a red reflector facing the rear visible from one hundred to six hundred feet.
- No person operates one at a speed greater than twenty miles per hour.
- No person under sixteen years of age rents one, and no person knowingly rents one to a person under sixteen years of age.
The golf cart is the one that needs the city's permission. A low speed vehicle may be operated on a street or highway where the posted speed limit is thirty five miles per hour or less. An under speed vehicle, which is the category an ordinary golf cart falls into, may be operated there only where the local authority has authorized it, and a municipality authorizing it limits the operation to streets with a speed limit of thirty five miles per hour or less and requires the vehicle to be inspected for compliance with the department of public safety's requirements.
| The vehicle | Where | What else |
|---|---|---|
| The vehicleLow speed micromobility device | WhereStreets, sidewalks, shared use paths, bicycle lanes | What elseTwenty miles per hour, yield to pedestrians, lights at night, no rental under sixteen |
| The vehicleLow speed vehicle | WhereStreets posted thirty five miles per hour or less | What elseNo local ordinance needed for the street itself |
| The vehicleUnder speed vehicle, the ordinary golf cart | WhereThe same streets, but only where the local authority has authorized it | What elseInspection for compliance with the department's requirements |
A local authority may also restrict or prohibit micromobility devices on particular sidewalks and roadways, so the statewide permission is a floor the city builds on rather than a ceiling it cannot touch. The electric bicycle is a third category again, with its own three classes, and it has its own page here.
Titling and registration for low speed and under speed vehicles, the equipment each must carry, insurance, the separate rules for electric personal assistive mobility devices, and every local ordinance on any of it are not on this page. Whether a particular street allows a particular vehicle is answered by the local authority's ordinance, and what a particular citation rests on is a question for a licensed Ohio attorney.
Sources for this section (2)
- ORC 4511.514 — Low-speed micromobility devices, where they go and how fast
- ORC 4511.214 — Low-speed and under-speed vehicles on public streets
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Ohio attorney.