The Golf Cart On The Street
Transp. Code 551.403 — 35 miles per hour or less, by day, within five miles of where the cart is parked
- In a master planned community that is a residential subdivision with restrictive covenants and an approved plat.
- On a public or private beach open to vehicular traffic.
- On a highway with a posted speed limit of not more than 35 miles per hour, during the daytime, not more than five miles from where the golf cart is usually parked, going to or from a golf course.
Those are the places an operator may drive a golf cart under the statewide rule.
More by local choice. A municipality may also allow golf carts on highways within its boundaries with a posted limit of not more than 35 miles per hour, and certain counties may do the same in unincorporated areas.
The license plate a golf cart needs, and its exceptions, are set out in a neighboring section. Low-speed vehicles registered as motor vehicles, all-terrain and utility vehicles, private roads, and the local ordinance itself are outside this page. Whether a particular street is designated, and what the local rules require, are questions for the local government or a licensed Texas attorney.
Sources for this section (2)
- Transp. Code 551.403 — Operation authorized in certain areas
- Transp. Code 551.404 — Operation on highway authorized by municipality or certain counties
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Texas attorney.