Pleasant View adopts golf‑cart ordinance limiting riders, eases criminal penalty

Pleasant View — The Pleasant View City Council voted Oct. 28 to adopt ordinance 2025‑24, which establishes where golf carts may be driven inside city limits, requires operators to be at least 16 years old, and limits the number of riders to no more than the vehicle was designed to carry and in no case more than six people, including the driver.

The council approved the ordinance with two substantive amendments: replacing a proposed class B misdemeanor penalty with a class C misdemeanor for violations that escalate beyond an initial written infraction, and adding an explicit six‑person cap. Councilmembers said the changes strike a balance between public safety and enforcement discretion.

“Our goal is compliance rather than revenue,” Stetson told the council during the discussion, recommending an educational rollout and officer discretion for initial stops. Stetson described the ordinance’s enforcement approach as beginning with warnings and education and escalating to written citations only when necessary. Police leaders and councilmembers recounted incidents involving underage operators and overloaded carts and said they wanted an ordinance with “teeth” that also permits officers to use discretion.

Under the adopted language, carts may operate on city streets posted 35 mph or lower and are barred from state highways such as Route 89 and 2700 North. The ordinance also prohibits parents from giving children permission to operate carts when doing so would violate the chapter; councilmembers discussed this provision as a way to clarify adult responsibility when minors ride or operate carts unsafely.

Councilmembers debated the rider limit before settling on the compromise language. As the ordinance now reads, an officer may cite a vehicle that carries more riders than it was designed to carry; but the ordinance also provides the bright‑line maximum of six riders “in no case” to address heavily modified or multi‑seat aftermarket conversions.

Several councilmembers urged a public education campaign before strict enforcement. “This should be education first — social media, the newsletter — and then enforcement if it’s abused,” one councilmember said during debate. The council instructed staff to include ordinance guidance in the city newsletter and on social media.

The ordinance passed on a roll‑call vote: Arrington, Gibson, Marriott, Nelson and Yuri voted yes.

City staff and police said they expect to emphasize warnings and education immediately after the ordinance is posted, with written citations reserved for repeat or egregious violations. Staff also noted that compliance questions — for example, whether a specific cart model is designed to carry a given number of passengers — will be handled through officer investigation and follow‑up.