The time has come for golf cart owners in unincorporated Fayette County to register their vehicles in compliance with new county regulations.
The Fayette County Board of Commissioners passed a series of ordinance changes in 2014 regarding the golf cart regulations, one of which was a mandatory registration of carts and the use of decals identifying each vehicle, to help law enforcement identify cart operators in case of misuse or theft.
The county postponed the registration process until this year to allow time to create reciprocal registration recognition agreements with all of the county’s cities. Such agreements are in place with Fayetteville and Tyrone, but Peachtree City chose not to enter into one.
County officials spent a great deal of time debating what should be done with Peachtree City golf owners, specifically whether to require them to register with the county and pay the appropriate fees just as that city requires unincorporated county residents to do when operating on its cart paths.
“In the end, we decided not to force the city cart owners to register with the county and we continue to hope that the city government in Peachtree City will opt to reverse their requirements and emulate with us what they do with Tyrone,” said Board of Commissioners Chairman Steve Brown. “We would love to see the great collaborative momentum concerning cart use to the high school continue.”
All golf carts used on public areas such as roads and multi-use paths in unincorporated Fayette County must be registered with the county government this month. Registrations are handled with the Finance Department at 140 Stonewall Avenue, Suite 101, in Fayetteville. Cart owners have until Jan. 30 to register their golf carts without receiving a citation for violation of the ordinance.
“Unfortunately, we are anticipating a problem with the unincorporated golf cart owners having to display a county decal and a city decal simultaneously because there may not be enough room on the body of the vehicle to accommodate it,” said Brown. “The decal numbers have to be clearly displayed and we are still hoping for a reciprocal agreement with Peachtree City to avoid having to affix multiple decals.”
The county’s golf cart registration fee is $12 and is good for five years. Proof of ownership is required for registration. For questions related to registration, phone 770-305-5413.
