COLUMBIA, S.C. — On May 8, 2025, the South Carolina General Assembly passed House Bill 3292, authorizing municipalities and counties to permit golf cart operation at night on roads with speed limits of 35 miles per hour or less. The bill now awaits Governor Henry McMaster’s signature to become law.
Under the proposed legislation, local governments may enact ordinances allowing nighttime golf cart use, provided the vehicles are equipped with functioning headlights and taillights. The bill also permits the creation of designated golf cart paths on road shoulders, separated from traffic lanes by curbs, parking spaces, or a minimum four-foot buffer.
In the absence of such local ordinances, existing state restrictions remain: golf carts may operate only during daylight hours, within four miles of the registered address, and on roads with speed limits of 35 mph or less.
The bill includes safety provisions, requiring that all golf cart passengers under 12 years old wear fastened safety belts when the vehicle is operated on public streets and highways.
The legislation was sponsored by Representatives William Hixon, Fawn Pedalino, Weston Newton, Cally Forrest, Brandon Cox, Shannon Erickson, Bill Taylor, Charles Hartz, Frank Atkinson, and Jordan Pace. It passed overwhelming in both chambers, 42-1 in the Senate and 105-6 in the House.
If signed into law, the act will take effect immediately, granting local governments the authority to regulate nighttime golf cart usage within their jurisdictions.
