Michigan Golf Cart Laws (2025)

Only in certain local jurisdictions. Michigan state law lets cities, villages, and townships under 30,000 population authorize golf carts on their streets by local resolution. Where approved, carts can be driven on roads with speed limits of 30 mph or less and must obey the 15 mph cart speed limit. Outside of these towns, a standard golf cart is not street legal on public roads.

Yes. Michigan requires a golf cart operator on public streets to be at least 16 years old and licensed to drive a motor vehicle. Underage or unlicensed individuals are not allowed to operate a golf cart on public roads.

State law does not require insurance for an unregistered golf cart being driven under a local ordinance (and even exempts such carts from the vehicle registration and insurance requirements). However, if the cart is modified, registered, and titled as a low-speed vehicle, then it would need to carry the same insurance as any other motor vehicle. In all cases, it’s advisable to have liability insurance when operating on public roads.

Michigan’s local-authority golf cart law does not mandate seat belts for unregistered golf carts. In fact, the law notes that golf carts need not meet most vehicle equipment standards. However, if a golf cart is upgraded to an LSV and registered, it must be equipped with safety belts and other safety features as required by federal LSV standards. Many unmodified golf carts lack seat belts, so installing them is recommended for safety but not required when operating under local ordinances.

Michigan limits golf carts to a top speed of 15 mph on public streets. They are also restricted to roads with a posted speed limit of 30 mph or lower. (If the vehicle is registered as a low-speed vehicle, it may travel up to 25 mph as allowed by LSV regulations.)

At least 16 years old with a valid driver’s license. Michigan law explicitly prohibits anyone under 16 (or anyone without a driver’s license) from operating a golf cart on public roads, even in towns that allow golf carts.

Michigan does not register golf carts used under the local-ordinance provisions – those are exempt from state vehicle registration. If you modify a golf cart to meet all road-equipment requirements (lights, windshield, seat belts, VIN, etc.) and it can go 20–25 mph, you can apply to title and register it as a Low-Speed Vehicle through the Secretary of State. For a true golf cart (limited to 15 mph) being used in a small town under local permission, no state registration is required – instead you may need to get on a local list or permit if the city requires it.

For an ordinary golf cart to be street-legal in Michigan, it must be in a municipality that has authorized golf cart use, and even then it’s limited to 15 mph and daytime operation on low-speed roads. The driver must be 16+ with a license. The municipality can require the cart to have certain safety equipment (like headlights, reflectors, a horn, etc.) similar to an LSV, although basic golf carts are generally simpler vehicles. If you want to drive on roads more broadly, you would need to outfit the cart with all required LSV safety features (headlamps, tail lamps, turn signals, mirrors, windshield, seat belts, etc.) and get it titled as an LSV to legally drive up to 25 mph on roads with speed limits up to 35 mph.