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Chief: golf carts illegal on Michigan City streets unless local ordinance allows them
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Summary
Police Chief Marty Corley told the Michigan City Common Council that traditional golf carts are illegal on Indiana roadways unless a city or county ordinance permits them; councilors discussed low‑speed vehicle requirements, enforcement and local pilot models used by neighboring cities.
Michigan City Police Chief Marty Corley told the Common Council on Tuesday that "golf carts are illegal to be operated on a roadway here in Indiana" unless a local ordinance creates an exception.
"The only way a golf cart can be operated on on, a roadway here in Indiana if there is ordinance basically through the county or local city government," Corley said, and he cited a state provision that local ordinances commonly mirror: Indiana Code 9‑13‑2‑94.5, which governs low‑speed vehicles.
Corley told the council that vehicles classified as low‑speed vehicles must be four‑wheeled, electrically powered, have a maximum design speed of 25 mph and carry specific equipment such as headlamps, turn lamps, taillights, stop lamps, reflectors, mirrors, brakes, a windshield, a vehicle identification number and seat belts. He said the BMV will not plate a traditional golf cart retrofitted after purchase; a low‑speed vehicle must be produced that way from the factory.
Council members discussed neighboring cities’ approaches. Councilman Beatry said Valparaiso legalized similar vehicles in 2021 and had issued 16 permits so far, with two accidents over four years, one of them fatal but not clearly caused by the vehicle type. Council members raised safety concerns for high‑traffic corridors such as Michigan Boulevard and Franklin Street and emphasized that allowable cart routes in other jurisdictions often exclude higher‑speed streets and include maps or specific crossing points.
Corley said any local ordinance typically includes a permitting process, an annual fee and driver‑license requirements, and said the police department will pursue public education about the current legal status before stepped‑up enforcement this summer. He said the department will post guidance to social media and issue a press release clarifying where use is permitted and enforcement priorities.
Council members flagged enforcement questions and said the city would need defined boundaries, strong permit fees and clear consequences for violations if it chose to allow low‑speed vehicles. No ordinance was introduced at the meeting; the discussion was informational and the council did not vote on a change in local law that night.
