The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office is issuing a warning to county residents accustomed to using golf carts: Be careful to stay on county roads that have been specially approved for that purpose. (The list is published at the end of this article).

According to sheriff’s Capt. Bryan Woodie, deputies regularly encounter golf carts on roads that weren’t designed to accommodate them, and most unincorporated county roads “are not authorized for use by motorized carts.”

“The use of motorized carts is generally safe, if the operators drive safely and obey the law,” Woodie said. “Our intention is to ensure that no one is injured or killed due to having disregarded laws designed to restrict the unsafe operation of motorized carts.”

Even if a golf cart driver is traveling on the shoulder of the road, that is considered just the same as if the cart was on the road pavement itself, Woodie noted.

In addition to staying off unauthorized roads and streets, cart drivers must also stay off sidewalks and use headlights and taillights when driving at night, according to the county ordinance.

Cart drivers in unincorporated Fayette must be at least 16 years old and have a valid driver’s license, unlike in Peachtree City where drivers can be 15 years old if they have their learner’s permit to drive.

The county rules allow a 15-year-old with a learner’s permit to drive if they are accompanied by someone at least 18 years old who has a valid driver’s license. No one under 15 can drive a cart, whether they are supervised or not.

Motorists may not cross an unapproved road to access an approved road or recreational path, Woodie noted.

A link to the ordinance is on the county’s Web page at www.fayettecountyga.gov. Although the restriction hasn’t been enforced in the past due to “technical reasons,” those issues have been resolved, he said.

The following county roads have been approved for use by golf carts:
Addison Drive
Annelise Park Drive
Ashborough Park
Autumn Lake Court
Briarmeadow Court
Brisbane Court
Brown’s Crossing Drive
Burbury Close
Cadencia Court
Chastain Circle
Cheshire Chase
Colony Park
Compton Drive
Conservatory Point
Cotton Mill Court
Coventry Court
Covey Crossing
Diamond Pointe
Denton Circle
Dresden Place
Driftwood Trail
Edinburgh Court
Fitzgerald Lane
Glen Grove
Glenwood Chase
Glenfare Trace
Gristmill Drive
Grouse Point
Hancock Court
Hearthstone Lane
Highgrove Drive
Horsemens Run
Housman Drive
Indigo Park
Iverness Shores Drive
Ivy Log Way
Jefferson Woods Drive
Kirby Lane
Kyle Court
Lodge Trail
Longmead Drive
Manor Drive
Meeting House Road
Millstone Drive
Mockingbird Trail
Monarch Drive
Newhaven Drive
Oak Shadow
Old Ivy
Osborne Court
Platinum Ridge Point
Pleasant Hill
Quarters Road
Reynolds Place
Riveroak Drive
Southgate Drive
Spring Mist Drive
St. Charles Place
Streamview Circle
Strickland Court
Stonebriar Lane
Stonehaven Drive
Suffolk Place
Summerfield Place
Tall Timbers Court
Tarrogon Drive
Tranquil Court
Trotters Ridge
Vickery Lane
Village Lake Court
Vinings Walk
Watergate Cove
Waters Way
Wellborn Chase
West Creek Court
Weston Way
Whitegate Drive
Wilshire Way
Woodcreek Lane
Woodberry Place
Woodleigh Drive
Woodmere Lane

All other roads or streets are off-limits for cart use.