Street-legal golf cart & LSV registration by state
Making a golf cart street legal ranges from a $5 five-year permit in South Carolina and a $10 never-expiring plate in Texas to flat-out impossible in West Virginia and New York. LSV registration runs $10 a year in Ohio to $75 a year plus a $200 title in Maryland. Your state decides everything — pick it below.
The question that decides everything: golf cart or LSV?
A golf cart (about 20 mph, no federal road certification) is usually street-legal only where a city ordinance says so — often with no state fee at all. An LSV(20–25 mph, VIN, lights, mirrors, seat belts, windshield) is a real registered vehicle: title, plate, insurance, driver's license, and access to roads posted 35 mph or less in most states. Whether you can convert one into the other is the make-or-break question — Ohio and Tennessee say yes, West Virginia and New York say never. Each state page below leads with that answer.
Pick your state
Frequently asked questions
How do you make a golf cart street legal?
It depends on the state. The usual path is upgrading the cart to a low-speed vehicle (LSV): 20–25 mph capability, lights, mirrors, seat belts, a windshield, and a 17-digit VIN, then titling and registering it. Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Florida, and Wyoming have real conversion processes; West Virginia, New York, and New Jersey flatly refuse converted carts. Some states skip conversion entirely — South Carolina sells a $5 golf cart permit and Texas a $10 one-time cart plate.
What's the difference between a golf cart and an LSV?
A golf cart tops out around 20 mph and isn't built to a federal road standard — street use usually depends on a local ordinance. An LSV is the federal street-legal class: 4 wheels, 20–25 mph, a VIN, and FMVSS 500 safety equipment. LSVs get titled, registered, plated, and insured like cars, and may use roads posted 35 mph or less in most states (25 mph in New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania; 40 mph in Kansas).
How much does it cost to register an LSV?
Anywhere from $10 a year (Ohio) or a one-time $25 (Montana) to real money: Maryland charges $75/yr plus a $200 title, Wisconsin's LSV title is $207, and Florida's first-year stack — title, plate, and the $225 initial-registration fee — can top $350. Most states land between $20 and $50 a year.
Do golf carts need insurance?
On public roads, usually yes in some form. LSVs need liability insurance in nearly every state. For plain golf carts it varies: South Carolina requires proof of insurance for its $5 permit, Nebraska requires insurance by statute even on ordinance streets, while purely local-ordinance states often leave it to the city.