Golf carts are everywhere in Berkeley County, South Carolina — cutting through Cane Bay, Nexton, Moncks Corner and lake communities on short neighborhood trips that feel easier than taking a full-size car. As National Golf Cart Day puts a spotlight on how common low-speed vehicles have become, county officials are pushing a straightforward message: once a cart is on a public road, it is a motor vehicle and the law applies.
In South Carolina, that means a cart must be insured, permitted and registered with the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles before hitting public streets. Drivers must carry the registration certificate and proof of liability insurance, must be at least 16 years old and must hold a valid driver's license. Children under 12 are required to wear seat belts on public roads. Carts must also stay within four miles of the address on the registration certificate — or within four miles of a gated community's entrance if that is the registered address — a rule with real bite in large master-planned developments like Cane Bay, Nexton and Del Webb.
On the road itself, golf carts are restricted to streets posted at 35 mph or under. The posted limit is what counts, not how traffic feels or how quiet the road seems. South Carolina historically limited cart operation to daylight hours, but a change in state law dated May 22, 2025 gave local and county governments broader authority to set their own rules around hours, routes and methods of operation. The statewide 35 mph cap remains in place regardless of any local flexibility.
Officials say the most common safety problems are predictable ones: unlicensed drivers, nighttime use, overloaded carts, unrestrained children and travel on roads that exceed the legal speed limit. Growth in communities like Carnes Crossroads, Cane Bay and Nexton has added traffic and busier intersections to what once felt like quiet neighborhood roads, making compliance more consequential than it may have seemed a few years ago. The county's bottom line is that a permit, insurance, proper registration, a licensed driver and basic common sense are what separate a fun ride from a costly or dangerous mistake.
This story was originally reported by Golf Car News.
