Alabama Golf Cart Laws (2025)

Generally, no – a regular golf cart cannot be driven on public streets in Alabama. The only exception is if the cart has been upgraded to meet the definition of a Low-Speed Vehicle (LSV) and local law explicitly allows it. Alabama state law prohibits unmodified golf carts on roads. LSVs (with proper safety equipment and registration) are permitted only in certain municipalities and only on roads with speed limits of 25 mph or below. If your golf cart isn’t a street-legal LSV in an area that authorized their use, it is not street legal in Alabama.

Yes – if you are operating it on a public road as an LSV. Alabama requires the driver of a street-legal LSV (or any motor vehicle) to hold a valid driver’s license. It is illegal for an unlicensed or underage person to operate a golf cart/LSV on public streets. (On private property or designated paths, license requirements don’t apply, but on public roads they do.)

Yes. An LSV in Alabama must be registered and have a license plate, so it is treated like a motor vehicle – which means you need to carry liability insurance on it, just as you would for a car. Alabama law mandates auto insurance for any vehicle operated on public roads. If your cart is not street legal (no tag), you wouldn’t be able to insure it for road use, and it shouldn’t be on public roads in the first place.

If the golf cart is being operated as a street-legal LSV, yes – seat belts are required. Alabama’s LSV regulations incorporate federal safety standards that require seat belts (and other safety features) for low-speed vehicles. Any road-approved LSV/golf cart must have seat belts installed and in use by occupants. (Standard golf carts typically don’t have seat belts, which is one of the reasons they’re not street legal without modification.)

By law, an LSV in Alabama can travel at a maximum of 25 mph. Federal regulations cap LSVs at 25 mph, and Alabama adopts that standard. Additionally, Alabama restricts LSVs to roads with speed limits of 25 mph or less, so you’re not allowed to drive them in higher speed zones. In practice, most stock golf carts travel around 15–20 mph, but to be street-legal they cannot exceed 25 mph.

You must be at least 16 years old and have a valid driver’s license to drive it on public roads. Alabama does not permit unlicensed drivers (including under-16 drivers) to operate motor vehicles on streets, and that includes LSVs/golf carts. (There’s no special lower age for golf carts on roadways – the driver needs to be licensed. Of course, on private property or within golf courses, operators can be younger, but not on public streets.)

A standard golf cart cannot be registered in Alabama for street use. In order to register, the vehicle must qualify as a low-speed vehicle (LSV). This means it needs a 17-digit VIN, be certified to meet federal safety standards for LSVs, and have the required equipment (lights, windshield, seat belts, etc.). If your cart meets those criteria, you would take the title or Manufacturer’s Certificate of Origin to the county license office, pay the registration fee, and obtain an Alabama license plate for it. Only after it’s properly registered and tagged is it legal for road use. (Regular golf carts without those modifications cannot be registered or tagged.)

To be street legal in Alabama, a golf cart must be converted into an LSV and meet several requirements. It needs to have all the mandated safety equipment: headlamps, tail lamps, turn signals, reflectors, a windshield, a horn, and seat belts for all seating positions. It must have a 17-digit Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) and a manufacturer’s certificate or sticker certifying it complies with 49 CFR 571.500 (the federal LSV safety standard). The vehicle must be capable of speeds between 20–25 mph (but not over 25). It also needs to be registered with the state and display a valid license plate. Finally, you must operate it only in jurisdictions that allow it and only on roads with ≤25 mph speed limits, obeying any local rules. In short, the cart has to be outfitted like a low-speed vehicle and fully street-ready before Alabama law considers it road legal.