Has anyone here gone through the process of making their golf cart street legal?
 

Hello,

We have a 2022 Yamaha Golf Cart that we would like to make street legal for our Florida vacation home. Through my research, the only items we would need to add are seatbelts, an orange triangle on the back, a lighted license plate holder, and a windshield wiper (our cart already has the other required items). It appears it also needs to be weighed and invoices pertaining to all the required equipment must be presented before you can get a VIN/Title. Has anyone gone through this process and could offer their insight or issues they encountered?

Thanks.

I cannot understand why anybody would you want to go on the road, causing holdups to faster moving traffic, in a plastic box, with about as much crash protection, as a Boy Scouts Soap Box! :shrug:

Can you define 'Florida home'. TV or are you in an area that is street legal friendly? Around TV, youd be better off...and safer with a Fiat or Mini Cooper over a 'project' vehicle

And don't forget that after you've made the cart street legal, it now requires the same insurance as your car at roughly the same price. All to be able to go a few miles an hour faster and to put yourself in the way of vehicles on the roads weighing MUCH more than your cart. I can't see the appeal myself, but good luck on your project!

IMHO, contact your local police department for the exact requirements, I think you missed 4 wheel brakes, and the original plexiglass is not suitable for a windshield. My understanding is that once you have this licensed, you cannot use it on the golf courses, and there are other restrictions as to where you can use you "street legal" golf cart. Also, after you have done all of this work, you get an additional 5 MPH, regular golf cart is 20 MPH, street legal 25 MPH. Finally, I would make sure you can get suitable insurance coverage for your modified vehicle and be prepared for sticker shock.

You will be lucky to get an answer here. You asked for experiences from people who have done it. You will get dozens of "you shouldn't do it" lectures from the pearl clutchers, but reading comprehension is pretty scarce here....

Posters have been giving useful advise and info to the OP, no idea why you think others should not do this but your comment is not a way to make friends and influence people.

Yet you responded to the thread as well...with another sweet nothing burger.

Curious....
 

I am curious as to reasoning for doing so.... thanks!

Well, I gave it a shot. "Florida vacation home" meaning NOT AT THE VILLAGES....I thought that would be enough but I give up guys, thanks for the input. You can now return to your regularly scheduled dog poop input.

Why? you only gain 5 MPH_—————————legally. :)

Plus Auto insurance to register and tag.
 

Not worth the cost

Well you could said where this “vacation” home was and even if that area allowed LSVs, you do understand what LSV are right? Some areas allow them and some don’t. It’s your money why even ask and how would we know your “Vacation home even allows them.

I've anecdotally heard that the insurance cost makes this idea a non-starter for most people.

I don't see the point of this if you're in The Villages where you can take your cart just about anywhere, and even some places where it's a legal gray area adjacent to TV, the local police don't appear to have any interest to enforce it.

We did
 

Yes, making your cart street legal requires some changes to the vehicle, but for us it was worth the effort. As tinker mentioned, you do need a Fl. DOT windshield. For us, the additional insurance cost, and registration, is not a problem. The only requirement that was a problem is, once you make it street legal it must be registered as an "ASPT", vehicle, (assembled from parts). Our insurance co. State Farm, had a problem with this, but upon further, and lengthy explaining, they were able to insure it as required. We find having a street legal cart comes in handy, many do not agree. Each to their own. Good Luck.

you still can't go on any major roadway. NOT on 466, 466A, 44, 301 etc., nor can you CROSS any major roadway. Go to the golf cart safety clinic on April 17 at Colony Plaza for further ( correct) information.

Yes, please find an official source for accurate information.

From Florida Statute 316.2122 Operation of a low-speed vehicle or mini truck on certain roadways:

(1) A low-speed vehicle or mini truck may be operated only on streets where the posted speed limit is 35 miles per hour or less. This does not prohibit a low-speed vehicle or mini truck from crossing a road or street at an intersection where the road or street has a posted speed limit of more than 35 miles per hour.

and

(5) A county or municipality may prohibit the operation of low-speed vehicles or mini trucks on any road under its jurisdiction if the governing body of the county or municipality determines that such prohibition is necessary in the interest of safety.
(6) The Department of Transportation may prohibit the operation of low-speed vehicles or mini trucks on any road under its jurisdiction if it determines that such prohibition is necessary in the interest of safety.

Which says the LSV *can* cross any major roadway unless the county, municipality, or DoT has specifically prohibited it.

I also do not believe a vehicle designed for use on a golf course (size, weight, tires) would be prohibited from being used on a golf course due only to its possible top speed.

Just wondering what benefits you enjoy, over and above the extra few mph, by the modification.....assuming you operate it on TV properties?

You can't really be surprised at receiving information related to the Villages when you ask a question on a Villages forum. "Florida vacation home" is an apt description for many HOMES IN THE VILLAGES.

You seem nice......:gc:

What are you hoping to gain from this conversion?

Me too? I drove a truck for a living for many years. Cars are hard enough to see when they’re doing stupid things…like passing on the right. You’ll likely be SQUASHED in an accident of some sort. Might want to rethink your plan.

Good Luck in the "Round Abouts" Cars going 40-50 MPH and carts in cart path going about 22 MPH!! No Brainer!!

Yes, I had this done to my EZ Go RXV when we lived in Port St. Joe, Fl. 2 years ago.
 

Most all of the responses that were sent back to you are accurate, but no one mentioned that the windshield must be DOT approved, and that alone was $349. Yes, insurance is much higher, and my cost to convert in 2021 was approx. $1200. The only reason that I converted was it allowed me to cross a road to get to the beach. You can't be on a road that has a higher than 35MPH. To get correct info, I went to the Florida DOT, and eventually went to a Fl. Highway Patrol for inspection and VIN. It will only make sense to you, not other opinions, if the positives outweigh the negatives. good Luck

Moke
 

Try one of these, Official Moke™ | The Only Electric Moke In America!

Hello. I did this with my cart a year or so ago. You must have a DOT approved windshield, a wiper (can be manual) and of course all necessary lights and horn. Then u must take it to a business that will weigh it for you and get the paper from them. Then you must take it to the DMV for an inspection m. But there is only 1 dmv office that can do it. Seems it's in Tampa. They will inspect and then eventually mail you a VIN sticker and title and then you can purchase plates so you can drive it on the street

and
 

I think street legal still can't go fast enough to be worth it but slow enough to irritate cars and get them to risk you trying to get around you

We are also among the great unwashed who are not IN the bubble, but share a border on two sides of our community. We’re about a quarter mile from accessing a road with a golf cart lane. We used 24Hr. Cart Club to make ours street legal. 352-661-0562, Joey Faulkner. His is a family-owned company and they are fantastic to work with. They handled EVERYTHING for us, including pickup and drop off of the cart.

Yes, you will pay car insurance rates and their fee for doing whatever needs to be done to your cart. (Extra reflectors, wiper, etc). For us it was well worth it as the golf cart paths were the only thing we wanted out of the Villages. We’re not golfers and we don’t give a fig about “3000 clubs”. We figure that what we pay in insurance is worth NOT having to pay an inflated price for the house, a bond, CDD, etc.
With a street legal LSV, you are able to travel on any road with a speed limit of 35mph or less, and you can cross “the sixes” as long as you are at a light.

Only you can decide if it’s worth the cost. Good Luck!

Highly doubtful if not impossible, certainly nothing I've ever observed.

This is going to be a popular post!

When we bought ours... golf cart insurance was $100 but Street Legal $1,000

Ahhh yes, retirement! What to do...what to do ;)

IMO Able to go well over 25 MPH limit. IMO nobody has LSV to go 25 MPH maximum. Any LSV is going down MB or BV goes well over 25 MPH.

I was the first so they told me in 2012 to get my 2012 Yamaha gas street legal which I still own today. You also need a safety glass windshield which you can buy on the internet. I have a different gas street legal cart for sale if your interested. Call me with any questions you might have im Bob. 5704071891.

To me anyway, in TV, having that ability in a world of mainstream carts, seems futile. I’m sure you may have some moments. It’s like having a Dodge Hellcat with 710 HP but you live/operate it in Manhattan. To each his own...I guess

Your correct on the windshield buy wrong on the brakes and driving on the golf course. Insurance is around $ 700 for the year, cut in half when we go up north for 6 months. It always amazes how people who have never done something become a expert on something they have no clue about.

Its safer and sooo much faster. It takes my neighbor 45 minutes from Polo Ridge to Bonifay, I get there from 15 to 20 minutes depending on the lights.

The state of Fla. allows LSV everywhere on roads 35 mph or less.Again people dont know what they dont no.

You dont know what you dont know. You can absolutely cross 466, 466a 301, 441 and any major highway that's 45 mph or less.

Wrong