ENROLLED
ACT No. 308
2015 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 248
BY REPRESENTATIVE LAMBERT
1 AN ACT
2 To enact R.S. 32:299.3, relative to off-road vehicles; to provide relative to "golf carts" as
3 "off-road vehicles"; to provide relative to safety equipment required for golf carts;
4 to provide for restrictions on speed and eligible roadways to be used by golf carts;
5 and to provide for related matters.
6 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
7 Section 1. R.S. 32:299.3 is hereby enacted to read as follows:
8 ยง299.3. Golf carts; safety equipment requirements; exemptions; registration
9 A. "Golf cart" means an electric four-wheeled vehicle originally intended for
10 use off-road on golf courses and other green spaces whose maximum speed is
11 twenty-five miles per hour.
12 B. The operation of a golf cart upon the public roads or streets of this state
13 is prohibited, except as otherwise provided in this Subsection:
14 (1) A golf cart may be operated only upon a parish road that has been
15 designated by a parish or a municipal street that has been designated by a
16 municipality for use by a golf cart. Upon a designation that a golf cart may be
17 operated on a designated road or street, the responsible governmental entity shall
18 post appropriate signage indicating that such operation is authorized.
19 (2) A golf cart may be used to cross a part of a state highway where a golf
20 course is constructed on both sides of the state highway if the Department of
21 Transportation and Development has issued a permit for the crossing.
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1 C. A golf cart operated on a parish road or municipal street shall be equipped
2 with efficient brakes, a reliable steering apparatus, safe tires, a rearview mirror, and
3 red reflectorized warning devices in both the front and rear of the vehicle. Such golf
4 cart shall also be equipped with headlamps, front and rear turn signal lamps, tail
5 lamps, and brake lamps.
6 D. Any golf cart operated upon a parish road or municipal street shall be
7 registered with the state of Louisiana through the Department of Public Safety and
8 Corrections, office of motor vehicles, as an off-road vehicle and shall display a decal
9 issued by the office of motor vehicles.
10 E. No person shall operate a golf cart upon a parish road or municipal street
11 without a valid driver's license.
12 F. Any golf cart operated upon a parish road or municipal street shall have
13 liability insurance with the same minimum limits as required by the provisions of
14 R.S. 32:900(B).
15 G.(1) A parish or municipal government may enact an ordinance relating to
16 golf cart operation and require equipment which is more extensive than those
17 enumerated in this Section. Upon enactment of such ordinance, the parish or
18 municipal government shall post appropriate signage or otherwise inform residents
19 that such an ordinance exists and that it will be enforced within the parish or
20 municipal government's jurisdictional territory.
21 (2) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, any parish or
22 municipal ordinance that was in effect prior to January 1, 2015, shall be exempt from
23 the requirements of this Section.
24 (3) Nothing contained in this Section shall be construed to prohibit parish or
25 municipal governments from prohibiting the operation of any golf cart on any parish
26 road or municipal street under its jurisdiction if such parish or municipal government
27 determines that such prohibition is necessary for the safety of the motoring public.
28 H. The Department of Public Safety and Corrections, public safety services,
29 shall promulgate rules and regulations in accordance with the Administrative
30 Procedure Act, subject to oversight by the House and Senate committees on
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1 transportation, highways and public works, as necessary to implement the provisions
2 of this Section. Such rules and regulations shall become effective no later than
3 January 15, 2016.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF LOUISIANA
APPROVED:
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