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Council pauses golf-cart/ATV regulation pending legal review of registration requirements
Summary
Council debated a draft ordinance to regulate golf carts and off-road vehicles, including requiring insurance, safety equipment and possible daytime-only operation. The city attorney advised council to follow statutory limits; council tabled the ordinance and asked staff to research whether local license-plate or registration requirements can be omitted or tailored.
The Josephine City Council discussed a proposed ordinance to regulate golf carts and off-highway vehicles, but tabled final action until staff and the city attorney can answer questions about state registration and license-plate requirements.
The draft ordinance would require proof of financial responsibility, headlights/taillights/reflectors and other safety equipment. A sentence in the draft currently limits operation to daytime; some council members suggested permitting night operation with the required lighting. The council spent substantial time on whether the city can waive or limit the state’s license-plate or registration requirements for vehicles that operate only on city streets and whether master-plan-community exceptions apply.
City legal counsel advised the council that some requirements are controlled by state statutes and that the city can permit operations to the extent allowed by state law but cannot omit requirements that the statute mandates. Council directed staff to research which specific statutory provisions apply and to return with recommended ordinance language, including clarified definitions for terms such as "highway" and "city street." The ordinance was tabled pending that research.
