Indiana Code 9-21-8-57 prohibits a golf cart or Off-Road Vehicle (ATV) from operating on the roadway unless the city or county having jurisdiction has adopted an ordinance to specifically permit this.
Vanderburgh County Ordinance 10.60 does permit an Off-Road Vehicle to be operated on the certain county roadways, but a golf cart is not considered an Off-Road vehicle as defined by IC 14-8-2-185 or the county ordiance. Neither the City of Evansville nor Vanderburgh County has adopted any ordinace that permits a golf cart to be operated on any roadway within Vanderburgh County. Operating a golf cart on the roadway is punishable as a Class C Infraction.
Whether having sheriff's deputies take time to enforce Indiana's golf cart law is a good use of resources is a fair question. Deputies often have more pressing duties that would tend to take priority over writing a golf cart operator a ticket. While enforcement of the criminal code and more serious traffic violations does take priority, our deputies are sworn to take appropriate enforcement action whenever they observe a violation of any law. That action could include a verbal warning, a written warning or traffic citation.
While the Sheriff's Office has no plans for any coordinated enforcement effort against the operation of golf carts on Vanderburgh County roadways, our deputies will not ignore violations and will take appropriate enforcement action when warranted.