LANSING, Mich.(WZMQ) – A new Michigan law will let more cities and townships open their roads to golf carts, raising the population threshold for municipalities eligible to pass their own golf cart ordinances from 30,000 to 65,000 residents.
The change was part of a package of policy bills that accompanied this year’s state budget. State Rep. Alicia St. Germaine, R-Harrison Township, sponsored the bill.
“We already allow golf carts in municipalities with 30,000 or less people,” St. Germaine said. “So all this bill does is expand the population limit to 65,000. That’s it.”
St. Germaine said the bill was inspired by a yearslong sewer improvement project in St. Clair Shores that has disrupted traffic near the city’s Nautical Mile, a stretch of marinas, restaurants and small businesses. The construction, aimed at reducing combined sewage overflows, has created what she called a nuisance for nearby business owners.
Under the new law, cities are not required to allow golf carts citywide. Local governments can limit an ordinance to a specific area, such as a single street, a downtown district or a stretch near marinas and campgrounds.
St. Germaine said existing golf cart safety requirements remain unchanged under the law, including rules requiring working brakes and windshields and prohibiting nighttime driving.
If signed, the bill will mark St. Germaine’s first public act since taking office. She said the legislation reflects her broader support for local control.
“It’s really about just supporting local control,” she said. “I am a big advocate for letting municipalities decide what’s best for them.”
St. Germaine said she expects interest in the law to extend beyond her own district, pointing to coastal communities across the state, including in western Michigan and the Upper Peninsula, that could benefit from similar ordinances.
