Should you allow golf carts in HOAs? This is a question many HOA boards ask, especially those in charge of golf communities. While golf carts offer ease of transportation, they also have downsides. The best way to circumvent these downsides is to enact rules and policies that regulate the use of golf carts and ensure proper insurance coverage.
The Growing Trend of Golf Carts in HOAs
The use of golf carts in homeowners associations has grown in popularity over the years. This popularity can be attributed to the convenience these golf carts bring, mainly when used in short commutes within communities. They are an eco-friendly and cost-effective transportation alternative. Plus, golf carts can enhance the charm and lifestyle within an HOA community.
Should You Allow Golf Carts in HOAs?
Whether or not your HOA board should allow golf carts in your community depends on your governing documents. For HOAs with a golf course, the decision is usually a no-brainer. Golf communities are typically large, so allowing golf carts outside the golf course makes sense. However, rules should still be in place to regulate use, safety, and aesthetics.
It’s a good idea to weigh the pros and cons, too. Golf carts have several benefits, including increased mobility, convenience, and sustainability. However, some challenges come with permitting golf carts in HOAs. These include safety concerns, traffic management, and enforcement issues. By enacting strict rules, though, you can find a way around these challenges.
HOA Golf Carts Rules to Enforce
If your HOA board decides to allow golf carts in HOAs, it’s best to enforce the following rules.
1. Registration and Permits
Boards should require owners to register their golf carts with the HOA as well as the local authorities. This allows for ease of tracking and monitoring. It also promotes accountability among golf cart owners.
2. Licensing and Age Restrictions
Golf cart drivers may need a valid driver’s license. You should also consider enacting age restrictions to protect kids from the dangers of operating golf carts without sufficient knowledge or skill.
3. Designated Areas for Use
Your HOA board should consider limitations on where owners can drive golf carts within the community. For example, you might allow golf carts on certain roads but not others. You might also prohibit golf carts on landscaped areas or other people’s yards.
4. Traffic Rules
It’s a good idea to require all golf cart drivers to follow traffic signs and signals. They should also obey the enforced speed limits. Additionally, golf carts should have turn signals, brake lights, headlights, seatbelts, and a horn. All of these ensure safety on the road for drivers, passengers, and pedestrians.
5. Safety
Golf carts are considered vehicles, so they should follow the rules of the road. If owners fail to do so, the HOA should impose fines, citations, or a temporary suspension of their golf cart privileges. Of course, you should make sure that your board has the authority to penalize owners for violations based on state laws and your governing documents.
6. Parking
Owners should not park their golf carts just anywhere. Your HOA should also have rules on where and how owners can park their golf carts — similar to parking rules for cars.
7. Noise and Usage Hours
Your HOA should enforce restrictions on noisy carts to help keep the peace within the neighborhood. It’s also wise to enact allowed usage times, which can help limit noise at night or early morning hours.
8. Architectural Guidelines
Golf carts should adhere to the architectural standards of the community. If you don’t have aesthetic guidelines for golf carts, now is the time to create them. Golf carts come in all sorts of designs, and ensuring they match the community’s character and aesthetic is paramount.
HOA Golf Cart Insurance Considerations
Homeowners associations that allow golf carts within the community should also carry proper insurance. If residents have their own golf carts, they must have insurance coverage for their vehicles, too.
Liability coverage is a big one. This protects against damages stemming from accidents. State laws may have a say on golf cart insurance, like in Arizona. According to the Arizona Department of Transportation, golf carts are considered vehicles, so they must have a minimum coverage of $25,000 for bodily injury liability for one person or $50,000 for two or more people. They must also have a $15,000 property damage liability coverage.
Another critical insurance policy to have is collision coverage. This covers damage from traffic accidents that involve other drivers, inanimate objects, and potholes. There’s also non-collision coverage, otherwise known as comprehensive coverage. This covers theft, fires, vandalism, natural accidents, and weather-related damage.
How to Enforce HOA Golf Cart Rules
Some HOA boards may find it hard to enforce rules on golf carts in HOAs. However, you can adopt a few key strategies to make enforcement easier.
1. Issuing Permits and Tags
Create a system for tracking golf cart registrations. This will allow you to stay on top of how many golf carts are in the community and to whom each one belongs. A registration system will make tagging violations to specific owners and monitoring compliance easier.
2. Fines and Penalties
Sometimes, rules are enough to keep golf cart owners in line. However, you should make sure to have penalties in place to show people that violations have real consequences. Depending on your governing documents, you may be able to impose a monetary fine for violations. You could also consider suspending the golf cart privileges of a repeat offender.
3. Routine Inspections
Your HOA board or rules committee should conduct regular inspections to identify potential violations. This shows that the HOA takes golf cart rules seriously and will encourage owners to comply. You can also accept violation reports from residents within the community. Just make sure to have a system to verify these reports.
4. Certificates of Insurance
To ensure golf cart owners carry the proper insurance policies, your HOA board can request copies of their Certificates of Insurance. These certificates prove that the owner’s insurance policy is intact and up-to-date.
Professional Assistance
Navigating the ins and outs of golf carts in HOAs can come as a challenge, especially for inexperienced board members. Adopting these strategies is a good way to start. However, for better management, it’s best to seek professional assistance.
Cedar Management Group provides expert HOA management services to homeowners associations, condominiums, and golf communities. Call us today at (877) 252-3327 or email us at help@mycmg.com to learn more!
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