"Turning loose golf carts in the city of Exeter." Vice Mayor Jeff Wilson used those words when he asked city staff, at the start of the September 8 council discussion, what they had in mind, according to the Sun-Gazette. By the end of the same meeting, Wilson had voted for the plan. His reason was that it would help the city keep carts under control.
Exeter isn't opening its streets to golf carts. Carts are already on the streets, and nearly all of them are there illegally. What the city is building is a map. The map would make some carts legal on certain streets, and that would give police a clear line to enforce everywhere else.
A 4–1 vote that sounded like a free pass
On September 8, 2026, the Exeter City Council voted 4–1 to start writing a golf cart plan. It set aside $25,000 from the General Fund and authorized an application for a state planning grant. Councilmember Bobby Lentz cast the no vote. The Sun-Gazette reported that the vote came "after an initial round of confusion over whether the plan would loosen or tighten the rules."
The confusion apparently spread beyond the council. On October 8, City Administrator Jason Ridenour put out a golf cart regulations clarification. It says that, for now, all vehicles on public streets, golf carts and low-speed vehicles included, fall "solely" under the California Vehicle Code. A local plan that might allow some unregistered carts on limited roads is in the works, the notice says, but "that is not the law today." The notice also says the Exeter Police Department will enforce the Vehicle Code against golf carts and other vehicles that aren't permitted on public roads.
The September vote, then, didn't make a single cart legal. It started the work of deciding which ones could be.
What the Vehicle Code says right now
Part of the problem is that "golf cart" gets used for two different kinds of vehicles, and state law treats them very differently.
| Golf cart | Low-speed vehicle (LSV) | |
|---|---|---|
| State definition | CVC §345: three or more wheels, under 1,300 pounds, no more than 15 mph, carries golf equipment and no more than two people | CVC §385.5: four wheels, more than 20 and no more than 25 mph, gross vehicle weight rating under 3,000 pounds |
| What it needs | Barred from Exeter's public streets unless registered with a plate, per the city notice | Headlamps, turn signals, mirrors, windshield, seat belts, insurance, registration, plate, a 17-digit VIN and a licensed driver |
| Where it can go today | Nowhere on city streets without registration | Local roads with a speed limit of 35 mph or less |
The road rule for LSVs comes from CVC §21260, which generally keeps them on roads posted at 35 mph or less, with some exceptions.
Traditional carts fall in the left column. As the Sun-Gazette explained, a traditional golf cart usually has no vehicle identification number, so it can't get the DMV registration and plate it would need to drive a public street legally.
Why the police chief wanted a local rule
On paper, the situation is simple: nearly every golf cart in town is illegal on city streets. Police Chief Rob Schimpf told the council as much. The Sun-Gazette reported that he said the Vehicle Code as written would treat nearly every golf cart in Exeter as illegal, and that a large majority of the town's carts are unregistered.
When nearly everything is illegal, though, enforcement gets hard in practice. Councilmember Vicki Riddle put a number on it at the meeting. "We need to address the 97% of the golf carts that are going around … to go by vehicle code without an ordinance for this town, would be very, very challenging," she said, as quoted by the Sun-Gazette. The paper also reported a point raised at the meeting: without a city ordinance, police can't treat a cart rolling through a quiet neighborhood any differently from one on a busier street. Riddle added that the plan could help lighten the police department's workload.
Wilson's argument came at it from what happens after a crash. "Everything's all fun and games till that golf cart comes down the corner and gets my grandkid. They don't got license plate. They don't got insurance. They got nothing," he said, according to the Sun-Gazette. He said he wants to make sure "property and people are going to be taken care of when the accident happens."
The council's debate is over whether a written set of routes and standards does more for safety than a state rule that technically bans almost everything and is hard to enforce block by block.
The golf course decides how far the map can reach
State law lets a city do this, with limits. Under CVC §21115, a city can pass an ordinance or resolution that designates roads next to or leading to a golf course for shared golf cart and vehicle traffic, after a finding that it's safe. Unless qualifying development is involved, a designated road can't run more than one mile from the course. The city can also set crossings, speeds and operating standards. Carts running under a local designation like that don't have to meet the Vehicle Code's registration, licensing or equipment requirements. The one exception is the equipment required for driving after dark under §24001.5.
A companion section, CVC §21115.1, covers crossing zones. It applies to streets right next to a golf course that aren't state highways and have posted limits of 45 mph or less. Crossings need a safety review by law enforcement, along with whatever signs, markers or lighting it specifies.
In Exeter, that one-mile radius centers on Exeter Golf Course. The Sun-Gazette reported that the radius covers most of the city. It said the city could designate routes and crosswalks on streets with limits of 25 mph or lower, and since most of Exeter falls under that threshold, the approach could still open up a lot of the city to cart travel. That 25 mph figure describes the routes the city may look at. It doesn't appear in §21115 itself, which sets the one-mile limit and the safety findings instead.
City Attorney Julia Lew described the process in the same Sun-Gazette story: "We have the ability here to actually potentially look at what really is the most safe thing."
The no vote, and the bigger plan behind it
Lentz voted no, and his reasons came from the same streets. "These golf carts in this town, they're everywhere. I almost hit five of them literally about three weeks ago," he said, per the Sun-Gazette. His objection was about where the money goes. "We have better things to do than money. Fix the roads then worry about those golf carts."
The $25,000 covers the golf cart plan itself. Staff also planned to apply for up to $290,000 from Caltrans' Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant program, which would pay for a broader citywide plan covering golf carts, bicycles, e-scooters and pedestrian trails, along with safety studies, according to the Sun-Gazette. The application was due October 9, and the paper reported that awards are expected in the spring.
If Exeter gets that grant, golf carts would become one piece of a larger plan for how people get around town on anything other than a car.
Where things stand this week
Exeter's City Project Tracker, last updated October 23, 2026, lists "Golf Cart Plan/Program" with a September 8 approval date and a status of "In Progress." Here's what that means for now:
- No streets have been designated, and there's no public route map yet.
- No ordinance has been adopted, so carts without a DMV registration aren't legal on city streets.
- Registered LSVs can still use local roads posted at 35 mph or less.
- The council minutes show no public comments on the item at the September 8 meeting.
That last point matters for anyone with an opinion on which streets belong on the map. When an ordinance comes back to the council, it will show up on a public agenda, and that's the chance to weigh in before the routes are set.
This post is general information about the rules as they stand, not legal advice. If you own a cart or an LSV, check with the DMV, the Exeter Police Department or an attorney about your specific vehicle.
If you own a cart in Exeter, or you're wondering how a designated route on your street might affect your property down the road, The Shawn Team is glad to talk it through and keep an eye on the city's progress with you. Get in Touch.
