Cost

• $75 for a 3-year permit
• $10 for a 7-day permit
• $25 for a replacement permit
• $25 to transfer the permit to a different golf cart

Permit Requirements

When you apply for a permit:

• You must be at least 18 years of age.
• You must show you have a valid driver’s license.
• You must show proof of your ownership of the golf cart.
• You must show proof of liability insurance for the golf cart.

Upon such proof, the golf cart’s owner will be issued a permit and the Aberdeen Police Department will maintain a record of each identification number, along with the name and address of the owner. You must affix the permit to the front windshield or rear fender area of the cart so as to be fully visible when the cart is on a city street. 

The permit fee for each cart shall be payable at the time of application, and shall be effective until the expiration date of up to three years. The permit automatically expires if  the cart is transferred to another owner. The new owner will need to apply for a new permit if the cart will be operated on the streets.

Golf carts on the streets will be treated as motor vehicles pursuant to South Dakota law and must obey the rules of the road. The person operating the golf cart on the streets is required to possess a driver’s license or instructional permit. The owner or operator of the golf cart must have insurance in case of injury to persons or property.

Golf cart restrictions

• Golf carts are prohibited on any street with a posted speed limit over 25 mph and on any state and federal route. But the cart may cross such street at a right angle after stopping and yielding the right-of-way to all approaching traffic and crossing as closely as possible to an intersection or approach.
• The golf cart is considered a motor vehicle and traffic laws apply, including offenses, such as DUI and careless or reckless driving.
• While the golf cart is in motion every rider must be seated in their own seat. This means no person, including infants or small children, can ride on the lap of another. 
• No more than two adults, or three people total, are allowed to ride on the same bench seat.
• Golf carts can be operated only upon a public roadway in a public park; not on the service roads or recreation trails. Do not operate the golf cart on any public sidewalk or trail.
• Golf carts move slower than normal traffic and must be equipped with a slow moving vehicle emblem on the rear and an orange safety flag 6 feet above ground level.