Subcommittee gives favorable report to bill letting municipalities authorize golf carts at night

The House Public Safety Subcommittee voted 4–1, with one member not voting, to give a favorable report to H. 3262, a bill that would allow counties and municipalities to pass ordinances permitting golf carts to operate at night within locally designated areas.

The bill’s sponsor, Representative Hixson, told the subcommittee the proposal would let local governments set hours and geographic limits for nighttime golf cart use and said the measure responds to requests from rapidly growing communities such as North Augusta. “This was one of the top priorities of our folks that live in my North Augusta or my House District 83,” Representative Hixson said.

The measure drew a mix of support and safety concerns. Jeff Bradley, House Representative for District 123, asked whether permitting nighttime golf-cart operation could raise liability and insurance costs and said he could not support the bill. Bradley said he worried about collisions between lightweight carts and automobiles and about enforcement differences across jurisdictions.

An insurance industry witness, identified as David Wiley of Farm Bureau Insurance, told the committee that operation at night is the biggest risk and urged the panel to consider limiting hours rather than allowing unrestricted nighttime use: “I would ask that you consider limiting it instead of all night, limiting it to 11:00 or midnight,” he said. Wiley also noted that many golf-cart operators are young and that carts do not provide the crash protection of automobiles.

Dana Phillips of the Municipal Association of South Carolina testified in support, saying the bill preserves local discretion: “This would be an option for our municipalities and we do think that they would be able to craft an ordinance that would best suit their local needs,” Phillips said. Avery Upchurch of the South Carolina Association of Counties said his group supports the bill’s permissive approach, noting it would give county councils authority to draft ordinances for their communities.

Peter Adamowski, representing the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles, told the committee that SCDMV would need about six months to update registration coding and related systems if the law changed to allow nighttime operation: “SCDMV would need at least 6 months to code for changes to the registration for golf carts,” he said. Adamowski also said he would confirm whether any municipalities currently have registrations that explicitly authorize nighttime operation and provide a follow-up to the committee.

Committee staff summarized provisions in the bill that limit local authority to designated areas and described an existing option in the draft allowing municipalities to restrict the permitted area to a radius (staff said the draft contemplates a four‑mile radius, with the political subdivision able to set a smaller limit). Staff also reminded the panel that a prior version of similar law had a sunset in 2021.

After discussion of public-safety tradeoffs, selective enforcement concerns, and technical questions about registration and enforcement, the subcommittee recorded a favorable report by a vote of 4 in favor, 1 opposed and 1 not voting. The committee’s chairman announced the result: “So from a vote of 4 to 1 with 1 not voting, we have favorable passage.”

The committee did not record a mover or seconder for the reported motion on the transcript. Several witnesses and staff said they would follow up with the committee on registration details, prior outreach after the 2021 sunset, and the practical effect of any municipal ordinances.

The subcommittee adjourned after the vote.