Low-speed vehicles

March 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.

Table
Map: roads on which low-speed vehicles are permitted

Map of roads on which low-speed vehicles are permitted

(hover over the map for more detail)


	Alabama roads on which a low speed vehicle would not impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic


	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 (effective 05/17/10)


	Arkansas roads on which a low speed vehicle would not impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic


	California roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less


	Delaware roads, other than dual highways in unincorporated areas, where the posted speed limit is 35 mph or less


	District of Columbia roads on which a low speed vehicle would not impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic


	Louisiana roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less


	Massachusetts roads with a posted speed limit of 30 mph or less


	Minnesota roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less


	New Hampshire roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less


	Connecticut no state law


	Mississippi no state law


	Montana no state law


	Nebraska local option


	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


	New Mexico roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less


	North Carolina roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less


	North Dakota roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less


	Rhode Island roads with a posted speed limit of 25 mph or less during the hours of 6:00 am through 6:00 pm


	South Carolina roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less


	South Dakota roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less


	Tennessee roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less


	Washington roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less


	West Virginia roads within the corporate limits of a municipality where the speed limit is 25 mph or less


	Wisconsin local ordinance may allow use on roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less


	Wyoming non-interstate highways on which the vehicle is capable of achieving the maximum speed limit