Marshall Lowers Golf Cart Operating Age From 21 to 18

Marshall City Council | August 24, 2026

Article Summary: The Marshall City Council on Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, adopted Ordinance 2026-O-23, lowering from 21 to 18 the minimum age to operate a golf cart or ROV on city streets. It is the only change marked in the draft ordinance, which otherwise leaves in place 14 equipment, licensing, speed and hours-of-operation requirements.

Golf Cart Ordinance Key Points:

Requirement 7 of Section 82-241 is amended from “21” to “18” years of age or older.

The ordinance’s other requirements are unchanged, including proof of liability insurance, a city decal front and rear, inspection by the police chief or a designee, a valid driver’s license, and a 20 mph speed cap.

Jarod Green moved adoption, seconded by Michael Smitley; all council members voted in favor, according to the minutes.

Two residents raised concerns during public comment about golf carts, e-bikes and scooters, the minutes record, without stating what the concerns were.

MARSHALL — The Marshall City Council on Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, adopted Ordinance 2026-O-23, amending Chapter 82, Traffic and Vehicles, Section 82-241, Requirements, to lower from 21 to 18 the minimum age for operating a golf cart or ROV on city streets.

Green made the motion to adopt the ordinance. Smitley seconded. The minutes record that upon roll call all council members voted in favor and the motion carried.

The draft ordinance in the council’s agenda materials marks deletions with strikeouts and additions with underscores. In the numbered list of requirements, item 7 reads: “Must be 21 18 years of age or older,” with “21” struck and “18” underscored. No other strikeout or underscore appears anywhere in the document, meaning the age threshold is the sole substantive change the council adopted.

The Requirements That Stay in Place

The section as amended keeps 14 requirements for anyone wishing to operate a golf cart or ROV on Marshall streets. Operators must carry proof of liability insurance on the vehicle, display a city decal on the front and rear, submit the vehicle for inspection by the city police chief or a designated representative, and hold a valid driver’s license.

The equipment list is detailed. A vehicle must be equipped with seatbelts, a full windshield, a horn, brakes, turn signals, a steering wheel, a rearview mirror, red reflective warning devices front and rear, and a slow-moving vehicle emblem on the rear, as required of other vehicles under 625 ILCS 5/12-709. It must carry two headlights emitting white light visible from 500 feet in front of the vehicle, two tail lamps emitting red light visible from 100 feet behind it, brake lights, and an amber flashing warning light attached to the roof that is visible for 360 degrees when flashing. When operated on a roadway, a golf cart, ROV or neighborhood vehicle must have its headlights and taillights lighted.

Operators must obey all traffic laws of the state and the city. No modification to golf cart or ROV suspension is permitted. The vehicles may not exceed 20 miles per hour.

On where they may go, the ordinance limits operation to city streets, with the exception of authorized crossings of state and county roads when authorized by the Illinois Department of Transportation or, for a county road, by Clark County. A separate requirement bars operation on streets, highways or roads under IDOT jurisdiction except to cross at an intersection of the highway with another public street, road or highway. Golf carts and ROVs also may not be operated on sidewalks or other public property not accessible to or authorized for vehicular traffic.

Hours are restricted. The vehicles may be operated on designated city streets from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. when daylight saving time is in effect, and from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. under central standard time. They may not be operated in inclement weather, when visibility is impaired by weather, smoke, fog or other conditions, or at any time when there is insufficient light to clearly see persons and vehicles on the roadway at a distance of 500 feet.

A person who drives or is in actual physical control of a golf cart or ROV on a roadway while under the influence is subject to Sections 11-500 through 11-502 of the Illinois Compiled Statutes, the ordinance states, citing 625 ILCS 5/11-500 through 5/11-502.

Public Comment Touched on Carts, E-Bikes and Scooters

Earlier in the meeting, during the public comment period, residents Jeannette Warner and Kathy Kuhn “had concerns about golf cart, ebikes and scooters,” according to the minutes. The minutes do not record what those concerns were, whether the speakers addressed the pending ordinance, or any response from the council.

The text of Ordinance 2026-O-23 makes no mention of e-bikes or scooters. It refers once to a “neighborhood vehicle,” in the lighting requirement, without defining the term. The acronym “ROV” is used throughout the ordinance and is never expanded in the document.

The ordinance contains a severability clause and takes effect 10 days after its passage, approval and publication in pamphlet form.