Council reviews state golf-cart law and local options; staff to prepare ordinance suggestions

Conway City Council held a workshop discussion on June 16 about new state law that overhauled rules for neighborhood golf-cart operation and the local authority to regulate hours, routes and conditions of use.

Staff summarized the state law: operators must be 16 with a valid driver’s license; vehicles must be insured, permitted and registered with the DMV; children 11 and under must wear a seat belt while on a public street; golf carts are limited to roads with speed limits under 35 mph and are banned on shielded primary highways; daytime operation is defined by statute but municipalities may allow longer hours with functioning headlights and taillights. The state law also sets a default 4‑mile radius of operation from a cart’s registered address but allows municipalities to reduce that radius to no less than 2 miles.

City staff told council the local ordinance could (1) prohibit golf carts on clearly identified primary highways (Main Street, Church Street and other shielded routes), (2) permit carts on certain secondary and local roads, (3) set citywide or corridor-based operating hours (staff suggested a 6 a.m.–10 p.m. window), and (4) seek targeted speed-limit reductions from SCDOT on corridors where increased pedestrian and residential density creates safety concerns. Council members raised enforcement and safety concerns, including visibility and passengers blocking taillights, and suggested that an hours-based rule could be easier to enforce than a strictly sunrise/sunset standard.

Council asked staff to prepare draft ordinance language showing options for restricted streets, hours, and a reduced radius; public-safety staff said they would analyze collision and speed data to support requests to SCDOT for lower posted speeds in specific corridors. Staff said it will return with proposed code language for council review and a follow-up public outreach plan.