Committee approves ordinance allowing business-operated golf carts on Cleveland streets

Oct. 13, 2025 — The Cleveland City Council Finance, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee approved Ordinance 12-15-2025, as amended, authorizing operation of ‘‘under-speed vehicles’’ (commonly referred to in the hearing as golf carts) on city streets when operated by a business that registers and inspects the vehicles and lists authorized drivers.

The ordinance implements requirements in the Ohio Revised Code, authorizing locally required steps — including titling and registration with the state and safety equipment such as headlights, taillights, brake lights, turn signals and seat belts — and gives the director of public safety authority to adopt rules and to limit or restrict service areas and locations if safety issues arise. Committee members voted to approve the amended ordinance; Councilman Kevin Bishop asked that his vote be recorded as no.

City planning staff told the committee the measure is intended to support small businesses and to provide short-distance mobility options between entertainment districts and nearby neighborhoods. A City Planning representative said the ordinance requires each business to submit a service-area map and to keep an authorized-driver list on file; the Bureau of Traffic will conduct an annual inspection and forward each business’s service-area map to council through the clerk.

Commissioner Gordon Holmes of the Division of Police told the committee his office reviewed the proposal and that ‘‘their concerns were and questions were answered. So, we are good with this particular legislation.’’ He added that the authority given to the director of public safety includes the ability to limit areas of operation and to restrict access around special events.

Committee members pressed staff on how zones or limits would be determined. The City Planning representative and the public-safety speaker said the ordinance does not create initial geographic exclusions; instead, businesses will propose service-area maps and the director of public safety may later limit service areas or pause licensing if problems emerge. The ordinance also restricts under-speed vehicles to streets posted at 35 mph or lower.

Other clarifications offered during the committee: - Businesses must provide proof of state titling/registration and a certificate of good standing as part of the application. - The Bureau of Traffic will perform an annual inspection and maintain a master copy of authorized drivers; radio/CAD entries will be used to identify registered businesses and drivers for officers. - The ordinance allows businesses to operate multiple units; the city declined to set a citywide cap at introduction but retained authority to cap licenses if needed. - Staff estimated the purchase price for a street-legal golf cart at about $12,000 to $17,000.

Two entrepreneurs who plan to operate in Cleveland introduced themselves to the committee: Bob Poke, who said he runs Leisure Tours Cleveland and has provided bicycle tours since 2011, and Chris Taylor of Golf Car Girl CLE. They said they expect to use carts for short point-to-point service and limited tours in entertainment districts.

Committee members repeatedly raised enforcement and equity concerns — how officers would regulate activity, whether the program would be limited to businesses rather than individual recreational use, and whether council members should be consulted before the director restricts service areas. The public-safety representative said officers will be trained on the rules, that traffic-enforcement staffing currently includes about 20 traffic officers, and that the department will use CAD/radio entries and periodic saturation operations to enforce rules.

The ordinance passed as amended. The committee record shows Councilman Kevin Bishop registered a no vote; other members present voted to approve the measure. The ordinance will take effect as an emergency ordinance upon the council’s final processing and the director of public safety will draft implementing regulations and inspection procedures.