Low-speed vehicles
August 2010
-
Low-speed vehicle:
has a speed of at least 20 but not more than 25 mph, is used primarily for short trips and recreational purposes, and has some safety equipment such as lights, reflectors, mirrors, parking brake, windshield, and safety belts
-
Passenger car:
must comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, including crashworthiness standards
-
Medium-speed vehicle:
has a speed of at least 30 but not more than 35 mph and has some safety equipment such as lights, reflectors, mirrors, parking brake, windshield, and safety belts
-
Golf cart:
designed and manufactured for operation on a golf course
-
Minitruck:
sold as off-road vehicles for farms and construction sites and are far smaller than conventional on-road small trucks; can reach top speeds of 55 mph or more, but many have governors to limit their speed to 25 mph
In 1998 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) established a limited set of safety standards for low-speed vehicles (LSVs) intended to apply to vehicles used "to make short trips for shopping, social, and recreational purposes primarily within retirement or other planned communities with golf courses." To qualify as an LSV, a vehicle must have 4 wheels and a top speed of at least 20 mph, but it cannot exceed 25 mph.
LSVs are exempt from most federal safety standards that apply to motor vehicles, and they are not required to meet any criteria for vehicle crashworthiness. Each LSV must be equipped with headlamps, taillamps, stop lamps, reflectors, mirrors, parking brake, windshield, and seat belts.
States, not NHTSA, are responsible for regulating the operation of motor vehicles on public roads and for handling LSV titling and registration. Most states allow LSVs to attain speeds no greater than 25 mph on roadways with speed limits of no more than 35 mph. Four states (Connecticut, Mississippi, Montana, and Pennsylvania) do not have statutes allowing the use of LSVs on their public roads. Many states allow their departments of transportation or local jurisdictions to restrict the use of LSVs on their roads.
The chart below describes the roads on which LSVs are permitted and the top legally attainable speeds.
| Alabama |
roads on which a low speed vehicle would not impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic
|
not specified
|
| Alaska |
local ordinance may allow use on roads with a posted speed limit of 45 mph or less; otherwise roads with a posted limit of 35 mph or less
|
25 mph
|
| Arizona |
roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less
|
25 mph
|
| Arkansas |
roads on which a low speed vehicle would not impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic
|
not specified
|
| California |
roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less
|
25 mph
|
| Colorado |
roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less
|
25 mph
|
| Connecticut |
no state law
|
no state law
|
| Delaware |
roads, other than dual highways in unincorporated areas, where the posted speed limit is 35 mph or less
|
25 mph
|
| District of Columbia |
roads on which a low speed vehicle would not impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic
|
25 mph
|
| Florida |
roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less
|
25 mph
|
| Georgia |
roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less
|
25 mph
|
| Hawaii |
roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less
|
25 mph
|
| Idaho |
roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less
|
25 mph
|
| Illinois |
roads with a posted speed limit of 30 mph or less
|
25 mph
|
| Indiana |
roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less
|
35 mph
|
| Iowa |
roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less
|
25 mph
|
| Kansas |
roads with a posted speed limit of 30 mph or less
|
25 mph
|
| Kentucky |
roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less
|
25 mph
|
| Louisiana |
roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less
|
25 mph
|
| Maine |
roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less
|
35 mph
|
| Maryland |
roads with a posted speed limit of 30 mph or less
|
25 mph
|
| Massachusetts |
roads with a posted speed limit of 30 mph or less
|
25 mph
|
| Michigan |
roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less
|
25 mph
|
| Minnesota |
roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less
|
25 mph
|
| Mississippi |
no state law
|
no state law
|
| Missouri |
roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less
|
25 mph
|
| Montana |
no state law
|
no state law
|
| Nebraska |
local option
|
25 mph
|
| Nevada |
roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less
|
25 mph
|
| New Hampshire |
roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less
|
25 mph
|
| New Jersey |
roads with a posted speed limit of 25 mph or less; the commissioner may permit use on specified roads where the posted speed limit is greater than 25 mph but not greater than 35 mph
|
25 mph
|
| New Mexico |
roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less
|
25 mph
|
| New York |
roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less
|
25 mph
|
| North Carolina |
roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less
|
25 mph
|
| North Dakota |
roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less
|
25 mph
|
| Ohio |
roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less
|
25 mph
|
| Oklahoma |
roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less
|
25 mph
|
| Oregon |
roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less
|
25 mph
|
| Pennsylvania |
no state law
|
no state law
|
| Rhode Island |
roads on Prudence Island with a posted speed limit of 25 mph or less during the hours of 6:00 am through 6:00 pm
|
25 mph
|
| South Carolina |
roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less
|
25 mph
|
| South Dakota |
roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less
|
25 mph
|
| Tennessee |
roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less
|
25 mph
|
| Texas |
roads with a posted speed limit of 45 mph or less
|
35 mph
|
| Utah |
roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less
|
25 mph
|
| Vermont |
roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less
|
25 mph
|
| Virginia |
roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less
|
25 mph
|
| Washington |
roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less
|
25 mph
|
| West Virginia |
roads within the corporate limits of a municipality where the speed limit is 25 mph or less
|
25 mph
|
| Wisconsin |
local option may allow use on roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less
|
25 mph
|
| Wyoming |
non-interstate highways on which the vehicle is capable of achieving the maximum speed limit
|
not specified
|
