Colorado Golf Cart Laws
Colorado has many different rules and regulations that dictate what kinds of vehicles can ride on its roads.
Like most states in the country, it specifically regulates golf cart travel or low-speed vehicle transportation.
The rules for this state vary depending on the needs of individual areas and may be different depending on what these communities claim that they want.
How Federal Law Affects State Law
When it comes to low- and medium-speed vehicles, the federal government mostly lets the states decide what rules and restrictions they want to implement.
This factor is due to a few different elements.
First of all, the federal government does set laws for all motor vehicles that travel over 45 miles per hour.
These vehicles are considered high-speed ones at this point.
The federal government gets control of these vehicles for a simple reason – they are fast enough to travel on federal roads.
As a result, they need to set the standards for these vehicles to create coherent traffic situations.
However, they do not allow low- or medium-speed vehicles on these roads.
As a result, they let states and cities take control of these laws themselves.
For example, Colorado allows medium-speed vehicles on state and city roads that have a posted speed limit of 45 miles per hour or less.
These vehicles must contain stop lamps, turn signals, tail lamps, reflex reflectors, parking breaks, rearview mirrors, seat belts for each passenger, and windshields.
Vehicles without these items are not road safe and cannot be on state roads.
Low-speed vehicles in Colorado are typically restricted to city roads in areas that allow them.
While some state roads may be under 25 miles per hour, Colorado may restrict travel on them with low-speed vehicles.
And any golf cart that a rider wants to take on a road must be outfitted as a low-speed vehicle.
These changes help to ensure that the road is safe for every driver.
Necessary Elements for Low-Speed Vehicles
Golf carts are not classified as low-speed vehicles after manufacture.
Most can’t pass speeds of 20 miles per hour, which is another reason why the federal government doesn’t interfere with them.
However, people have learned how to upgrade their carts to make them road-ready.
This process allows riders to tweak up their cart in a way that allows them to take to certain city roads.
For example, all golf carts need to be upgraded to reach speeds of at least 20 to 25 miles per hour.
Slower carts are not considered low-speed vehicles and cannot be on any roads.
Typically, you need to add enhanced motors to your cart to reach these speeds.
The exact motor will vary depending on your cart, so make sure to pay attention to the various options available.
Beyond these upgrades, you must also take the time to add new safety elements to your cart.
For example, you must have headlamps, taillights, front, rear turn signals, stop lights, reflex reflectors, parking brakes, windshields, and seat belts for each driver.
Though some areas may not require you to have windshields, Colorado does ask that its cart riders add one for safety purposes.
Other restrictions include the necessity of a slow-moving vehicle sign on the back and front of a cart.
Riders must hang these to warn people who may not otherwise seem them on the road.
Carts must also not operate faster than 35 miles per hour or on roads that have a limit above this rate.
These last two restrictions are necessary as protection for the rider and for others on the road as well.
Legally, riders must also take several steps to keep their cart safe.
Each must be registered with the DMV of the state.
Registration requires getting a vehicle identification number installed on your cart.
This number helps to track your cart and keeps you safe on the road. You will pay a fee for this registration but will be able to sell your cart as a road-ready vehicle once you get it.
Beyond that, you also need to insure your cart with Personal Injury Protection and Property Damage Liability.
These options make sure that you are safe if you get injured during a cart crash.
They also help to pay for any property damage that you might cause when you crash.
If you want, you can buy more extensive insurance options but these are usually too expensive for most cart drivers to tolerate.
Don’t forget that you also need to have a valid driver’s license whenever you take your cart out on a public road.
Pay attention to the roads on which you can travel in this state. Some communities may ask that you don’t drive on their roads and make it illegal to do so.
Also note: you don’t need a license to ride a cart on a private road, only on public ones.
Federal Golf Cart Laws
Helpful Links
Disclaimer
Even though our guides are thorough and researched, it is highly recommended that you perform your own research and check with your local municipality on rules as well.
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