Golf Carts
In the interest of the health and safety of Northlake residents and visitors, the Northlake Town Council voted to amend the Town's ordinance on golf carts on August 13, 2020.
Golf Cart Regulations
- Per state legislation, the maximum speed limit on the public street on which a golf cart is operated is thirty-five (35) miles per hour or less;
- The person operating the cart must possess on their person a valid driver's license;
- The person operating the cart must maintain and possess current financial responsibility relating to operation of the golf cart as required for the operation of passenger vehicles in accordance with Texas Transportation Code Section 601.051 or other liability insurance relating to operation of a golf cart that provides substantially the same coverage and with limits not less than those required by Texas Transportation Code Section 601.051 while operating the golf cart;
- The person operating the cart must comply all applicable federal, state, and local laws and ordinances applicable to the operating and equipping of a golf cart including displaying a license plate issued under Texas Transportation Code Section 551.402;
- The golf cart must be equipped with the following equipment, in accordance with section 551.040(b) of the Texas Transportation Code, and must continuously remain in good working and operational order:
- Two (2) headlamps;
- Two (2) tail lamps;
- Turn signals visible from both the front and rear of the vehicle;
- Side reflectors: two (2) front amber in color and two (2) rear, red in color;
- Parking brake;
- Rearview mirror(s), capable of a clear, unobstructed view of at least two hundred feet (200) to the rear; and
- Slow-moving vehicle emblem located on the rear of the vehicle.
- The golf cart being operated must comply with all applicable state and federal motor vehicle safety standards, as they exist or may be amended; and
- While the golf cart is in motion, the driver and every passenger must be seated. No person may stand or ride in the lap of the driver, and/or another passenger of a golf cart while it is being operated on a public road.
- Golf cart permits are not required by the Town of Northlake. Click here to view golf cart requirements set forth by the State of Texas Department of Motor Vehicles.
Additional Operational Regulations
- Except for public safety personnel or as provided by other ordinances, no person shall operate a golf cart on or within any public park, public sidewalk, public pedestrian walkway, public jogging path, public park trail or any other location on publicly owned or controlled property normally used for pedestrian traffic;
- The driver shall move the golf cart to the right side of the public street and yield the right-of-way to faster moving vehicles;
- The driver shall not overtake and pass in the same lane occupied by the vehicles being overtaken;
- No driver shall operate a golf cart between the lanes of traffic, or between adjacent lines or rows of vehicles;
- A driver operating a golf cart on a public street shall cross a multi-lane federal, county or state route only at an intersection controlled by an official traffic-control device which stops traffic from all directions;
- No driver shall operate a golf cart if the number of occupants in the golf cart, including the driver, exceeds the number of seats installed and provided on the golf cart;
- Golf carts may not be used for the purpose of towing another golf cart, trailer or vehicle of any kind including, without limitation, a person on roller skates, skateboard or bicycle;
- Golf carts may only be parked in the same manner and at the same places designated for the parking of motor vehicles. The stopping, standing or parking of golf carts in areas where parking is not allowed or in any place that impedes the flow of traffic, pedestrian walkways or a passageway is prohibited. Golf carts shall not park within any space designated for disabled persons unless a current disabled parking placard is displayed and the person to whom the placard was issued is operating or being transported by said cart;
- Children must be properly seated while a cart is in motion and may not be transported in a reckless or negligent manner. No person younger than six (6) years of age may be transported in a motorized cart unless restrained by a safety belt restraint;
- Package delivery vehicles may be used in the Town for the purpose of picking up or delivering mail, parcels, and packages, if the vehicle follows the rules set forth in the Texas Transportation Code 551.452 and this ordinance;
- ATV's, mules, sand rails, off-highway vehicles, and the like are not permitted for public roadway use in the Town.
Prohibited Roadways
Per state legislation, the maximum speed limit on the public street on which a golf cart is operated is thirty-five (35) miles per hour or less. Use of a golf cart is prohibited on the following roadways:
- Cleveland Gibbs Road South of FM 407: Speed limit of 40 MPH
- Cross Timbers Road: Speed limit of 55 MPH
- Florance Road: Speed limit of 40 MPH
- FM 407: Speed limit of 55 MPH
- Old Justin Road (Between Faught Rd and Town Limits): 45 MPH
- Robson Ranch Road: Speed limit of 50 MPH