GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2001
H	1
HOUSE BILL 1052
     

 
Short Title:	Low-Speed Vehicles Defined.	()	
Sponsors:	Representative Baker.	
Referred to:	Judiciary III.	
April 10, 2001

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT DEFINING AND REGULATING LOW-SPEED VEHICLES AND OTHERS.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 20–4.01 reads as rewritten:
"§ 20–4.01.  Definitions.
Unless the context requires otherwise, the following definitions apply throughout this Chapter to the defined words and phrases and their cognates:
…
(12a)	Golf Cart. – Means a vehicle that is designed and manufactured for operation on a golf course for sporting or recreational purposes and that is not capable of exceeding speeds of 20 miles per hour. Golf carts shall not be subject to the inspection requirements of Article 3A of this Chapter.
(12b)	Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR). – The value specified by the manufacturer as the maximum loaded weight of a vehicle. The GVWR of a combination vehicle is the GVWR of the power unit plus the GVWR of the towed unit or units. When a vehicle is determined by an enforcement officer to be structurally altered from the manufacturer's original design, the license weight or the total weight of the vehicle or combination of vehicles may be deemed as the GVWR for the purpose of enforcing this Chapter.
(12c)	Hazardous Materials. – Materials designated as hazardous by the United States Secretary of Transportation under 49 U.S.C. § 1803.
…
(18a)	Low-Speed Vehicle. – Means any four-wheeled electric vehicle whose top speed is greater than 20 miles per hour but not greater than 25 miles per hour, including neighborhood electric vehicles. Low-speed vehicles shall comply with the applicable safety standards in Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations and Article 3 of this Chapter.
…
(48c)	Utility Vehicle. – Means a vehicle designed and manufactured for general maintenance, security, and landscaping purposes, but the term does not include a vehicle designed or used primarily for transportation of persons or property on a street or highway, a golf cart, or an all-terrain vehicle."
SECTION 2.  G.S. 20–51 reads as rewritten:
"§ 20–51.  Exempt from registration.
The following shall be exempt from the requirement of registration and certificate of title:
…
(14)	Golf carts as defined in G.S. 20–4.01(12a)."
SECTION 3.  Article 3 of Chapter 20 is amended by adding a new Part to read:
"Part 6B. Low-Speed Vehicles.
"§ 20–84.3.  Low-speed vehicles.
(a)	The license and registration fees for electric and low-speed vehicles shall be as set forth in Article 3 of this Chapter for other motor vehicles.
(b)	Golf carts and utility vehicles are exempt from the safety and emissions inspection requirements of Article 3A of this Chapter.
(c)	The operation of low-speed vehicles on the public highways is authorized with the following limitations:
(1)	A low-speed vehicle shall be operated only on streets and highways where the posted speed limit is 35 miles per hour or less. This does not prohibit a low-speed vehicle from crossing a street or highway at an intersection where the street or highway being crossed has a posted speed limit greater than 35 miles per hour.
(2)	A low-speed vehicle shall be equipped with headlamps, stop lamps, turn signal lamps, tail lamps, reflex reflectors, parking brakes, rearview mirrors, windshields, seat belts, and vehicle identification numbers.
(3)	A low-speed vehicle shall be operated in compliance with Article 9A of this Chapter.
(4)	A person operating a low-speed vehicle shall possess a valid drivers license.
(5)	The Department of Transportation may prohibit the operation of any low-speed vehicle on a street or highway if it determines that the prohibition is necessary in the interest of safety."
SECTION 4.  This act is effective when it becomes law.