Vermont Golf Cart Laws (2025)

Only if the golf cart has been modified, equipped, and registered as a “low-speed vehicle” (also known as a Neighborhood Electric Vehicle). Vermont law doesn’t explicitly authorize plain golf carts on public roads. Instead, the vehicle must meet the definition of a low-speed vehicle (LSV) – including safety features and a top speed around 25 mph – and be registered with the DMV. Such an LSV can be driven on public roads with speed limits of 35 mph or lower. A normal golf cart from the golf course, without those modifications, is not street legal in Vermont.

Yes, if the golf cart is being driven on a public road as an LSV. Since it must be registered and insured as a motor vehicle to be street-legal, the operator would need a valid driver’s license (just as one would for a car). There’s no special exemption for golf carts regarding driver licensing in Vermont – on-road they are treated as motor vehicles. (Off-road or on private property, a license isn’t required, but on public streets a license is necessary.)

Yes. A “street legal golf cart” in Vermont is essentially a registered motor vehicle (an NEV), so it must carry liability insurance like any other vehicle. Vermont’s financial responsibility laws apply to any registered motor vehicle on the road. If you convert and register your golf cart as an LSV/NEV, you’ll need to insure it. (If you’re just using a golf cart on private property or the golf course, insurance might be optional, but on public roads it’s mandatory.)

If the golf cart is made street-legal in Vermont, yes. In order to qualify as an LSV/NEV, the vehicle must have seat belts (among other required safety equipment) per federal standards. Vermont adopts those standards for road use. So a road-going NEV (modified golf cart) needs seat belts for each seating position. A regular golf cart (not street legal) might not have seat belts, but the moment you’re putting it on the road legally, it has to be equipped like a low-speed vehicle – which includes seat belts.

By law, low-speed vehicles in Vermont are designed to go no more than 25 mph. In fact, the federal definition of an LSV (which Vermont follows) is a four-wheeled vehicle with a top speed between 20 and 25 mph. So a street-legal golf cart (NEV) will typically go about 25 mph at most. They are restricted to roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or below, so you wouldn’t drive them faster than that anyway. Most unmodified golf carts are slower (around 15 mph), but to be road-legal they need to at least reach 20 mph and not exceed 25 mph.

To drive it on a public road, you must be old enough to hold a driver’s license (so generally 16 years old in Vermont). There’s no Vermont statute specifically about golf cart age limits, but since an on-road golf cart must be a registered vehicle, the driver must be licensed – which implies at least 16. On private property (like a golf course or yard), there’s no state-enforced age requirement, but on public streets the driver’s license requirement effectively sets the minimum age.

You would register it as a low-speed vehicle with the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles. This means ensuring the cart has all required equipment: windshield, seat belts, headlights, brake lights, turn signals, reflectors, mirrors, and so forth – essentially making it meet the federal LSV standards. You’d then complete the standard registration process with the DMV: provide the manufacturer’s certificate of origin or title (if it’s a new conversion, you might need a VIN assignment), pay the registration fee, and show proof of insurance. The vehicle will be titled and given a license plate like any other passenger vehicle. Note that Vermont DMV may inspect the vehicle to confirm it qualifies as an LSV. Without these steps, you cannot register a golf cart for road use in Vermont.

It must meet the definition of a low-speed vehicle (LSV). Concretely, that involves: a top speed of 20–25 mph; headlamps, tail lamps, stop lamps, and turn signals; reflectors; a windshield (with wiper); rearview mirror(s); seat belts for each seating position; a parking brake; and a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). Vermont basically uses the federal LSV requirements. Once the golf cart is outfitted with all that equipment, you then have to register and title it with the DMV as an LSV. Only after fulfilling these requirements can it be driven legally on Vermont roads (and then only on roads with ≤35 mph limits). Regular golf carts that lack this equipment are confined to golf courses or private lands.