Katy council reviews proposed ordinance to allow golf carts in neighborhoods and bar ATVs from city streets

At a March 18 special workshop, Katy city officials discussed a proposed ordinance that would let residents operate golf carts within their subdivisions while prohibiting ATVs and UTVs on city streets.

Police Chief Will told the council that the "state statute for golf carts" currently limits permitted use to the Cane Island master-planned community and that the draft ordinance would expand permitted use to allow operation within other subdivisions, subject to conditions: a licensed driver, passenger limits matching vehicle capacity, insurance and state registration with a golf-cart plate. "Because that's our only actually designated master planned community," Chief Will said of Cane Island. "So we have a lot of residents in several different subdivisions" who currently ask to use carts for short trips, he said.

Why ATVs would be excluded was a central question from the public and council. Resident Michael Payne asked, "Why ban ATV? Why completely ban ATV?" Chief Will said the vehicles pose safety concerns because many ATVs and UTVs are capable of higher speeds and are louder than typical golf carts: "UTVs, ATVs ... go anywhere up to 50 miles an hour, and also [are] extremely loud," he said, adding that the draft focuses on keeping slower, quieter neighborhood carts in subdivisions.

Council members debated how to draw boundaries that keep carts off busy four-lane roads without unduly restricting neighborhoods. Options discussed included listing specific streets such as Franz Road (with qualifiers like "east of Cane Island"), using Avenue D as a clear line, or tying permissions strictly to the Cane Island boundary. A municipal-court official noted enforcement is easier when the boundary is a clearly identifiable street.

The draft also includes safety and compliance requirements that were clarified during discussion: state registration for a golf-cart plate is $10; operators must hold a valid driver’s license (learner's permits do not qualify in place of a license under the draft); fines for violations would be capped at $200. A council member raised seat-belt concerns for passengers under 18; staff revised the language to require restraints only "if the vehicle is equipped with seat belts."

The workshop did not produce a final vote. The chair said staff will draft ordinance language that incorporates the council's direction on boundary lines, hours (the draft would limit operation to daytime), equipment (registration, headlights, insurance) and enforcement details; staff will return the proposal for formal consideration at a future meeting.

The meeting record shows the item prompted sustained discussion about balancing neighborhood access, school-route safety and enforcement practicality; no ordinance was adopted at the workshop.