What’s street legal in North Carolina? These are the rules for golf carts and more
Summer days are a prime opportunity for taking a drive around Charlotte, with many looking to travel in vehicles such as golf carts that allow you to enjoy the sunshine and warm temperatures while riding around.
But not every type of vehicle is allowed on every road in North Carolina, and the rules and regulations vary depending on what you’re looking to drive, whose driving and where. And traveling alongside cars and trucks in other types of vehicles can pose safety risks.
Here’s what to know about what’s “street legal” in the state and the rules of the road for golf carts, ATVs and more.
Are golf carts street legal in NC?
Under North Carolina state law, golf carts can only be driven “on streets and highways where the posted speed limit is 35 miles per hour or less” by licensed drivers.
They can also be used to cross “a road or street at an intersection where the road or street being crossed has a posted speed limit of more than 35 miles per hour.”
Golf carts need to “be equipped with headlamps, stop lamps, turn signal lamps, tail lamps, reflex reflectors, parking brakes, rearview mirrors, windshields, windshield wipers, speedometer, seat belts, and a vehicle identification number,” state law says.
They also need to be registered with the state Department of Motor Vehicles and insured.
Are ATVs street legal in NC? What about UTVs?
Modified utility vehicles — which are defined under North Carolina law as “a four-wheeled motor vehicle manufactured for off-road use with specified equipment … that doesn’t require the operator or passenger to straddle a seat” — are street legal in the state under certain circumstances.
They can be driven “on streets and highways where the posted speed limit is 55 miles per hour or less” but can’t be driven on “any street or highway having four or more travel lanes unless the posted speed limit is 35 miles per hour or less.”
Modified utility vehicles need to, under state law, be “equipped with headlamps, stop lamps, turn signal lamps, tail lamps, reflex reflectors, parking brakes, rearview mirrors, speedometer, seat belts, and a vehicle identification number.” If the vehicle doesn’t have a windshield and windshield wipers, the driver and any passengers have to wear “a safety helmet, with a retention strap properly secured.”
Like golf carts, they need to be registered with the DMV and insured.
Kids younger than 8 years old aren’t allowed to drive ATVs or UTVs in North Carolina, and anyone under the age of 16 has to be supervised by an adult while driving an ATV or UTV. Additionally, state law says those under age 13 can’t drive “an ATV or UTV with an engine larger than 70 cc” and those under 16 can’t drive “an ATV or UTV with an engine larger than 90 cc.”
Moped laws in NC
In North Carolina, you don’t have to have a driver’s license to drive a moped, but you do need to be “at least 16 years old to operate (mopeds) on North Carolina highways or public areas,” according to the DMV.
You also have to wear a “motorcycle safety helmet.”
Mopeds don’t have to be titled in North Carolina and don’t have to be inspected annually, but they do have to be registered with the DMV. They must also “be covered under liability insurance coverage.”
In order to be legal to drive in North Carolina, moped’s can’t exceed 30 miles per hour on a level surface, otherwise they have to be registered as a motorcycle.
Moped drivers should, under state law, stay to the right-hand side of lanes and avoid traffic as much as possible.
This story was originally published June 15, 2022 at 2:49 PM with the headline "What’s street legal in North Carolina? These are the rules for golf carts and more."
