Towns / Venice
Golf Carts on the Island of Venice: Rules, Routes and Rentals
Venice's 25 mph island grid suits LSVs. Whether the City has designated any street for untagged golf carts could not be confirmed, so treat plain carts as not permitted until it does.
Plain golf cart (no tag)
Not confirmed
No City of Venice ordinance designating any street for golf carts was found. Treat plain golf carts as not permitted on public roads until the city confirms.
LSV (tagged, titled, insured)
Yes
Any city street posted 35 mph or less; the island grid is reported at 25 mph. Not on US 41, Business 41 or the bridges unless a sign says 35 or less.
- County
- Sarasota County
- Who sets the rules
- City of Venice; FDOT for US 41 and the bridges
- Last checked
Based on local reports, not yet confirmed with the town. Not sure what counts as a golf cart or an LSV? Read the Florida law explainer first.
The short version
We found no City of Venice ordinance designating any street for golf carts. Until the city confirms one, treat a plain golf cart as not permitted on public roads. LSVs (low-speed vehicles: the tagged, titled, insured kind that every rental company on this coast actually rents) are legal on any Venice street posted 35 mph or less, and the island’s grid is reported at 25 mph, which is why the rental trade here is busy. The thing most people get wrong is the bridges and US 41. Those are state roads, closed to golf carts, and open to LSVs only where a sign says 35 mph or less. For the two vehicle types, see golf cart vs LSV in Florida.
Who makes the rules here
Venice is a city in Sarasota County, and the City of Venice is the body that would designate streets for golf carts under s. 316.212. We tried to read the city code and could not; the online code viewer would not load for us, and no city page on golf carts turned up. That absence is the reason for the verdict above, not evidence that carts are banned by name. US 41 and Business 41, the Venice Avenue bridge and the KMI bridge are state roads under FDOT.
Plain golf carts
Under s. 316.212 a golf cart may be driven only on streets that the city has designated and signed after finding them safe for cart traffic. We could not find any Venice designation. We also could not find any statement from the city that it has declined to designate streets. The honest position is that nobody we read knows, and the only way to settle it is to ask the City Clerk or Venice police.
If the city does designate streets at some point, the state rules still sit on top. Since 1 October 2023 a driver under 18 needs a learner’s permit or driver licence, and a driver 18 or over must carry government photo ID. Carts run sunrise to sunset unless the city permits night driving and the cart has headlights, brake lights, turn signals and a windshield. Brakes, steering, tyres, a rear-view mirror and red reflectors front and rear are always required.
LSVs
An LSV may use any street posted 35 mph or less under s. 316.2122. A rental-industry page reviewed in August 2026 reports that the island grid streets are largely 25 mph and that Harbor Drive is 25 mph all the way to Caspersen Beach. We have not audited those postings ourselves; drive the route and read the signs before you count on it.
US 41 and Business 41, the Venice Avenue bridge and the KMI bridge are state roads. A golf cart may not travel along any of them. An LSV may use a state road only on a stretch posted 35 mph or less, and FDOT may prohibit LSVs on a state road for safety. We have no verified postings for any of these, so treat all of them as closed to LSVs until you see a sign that says otherwise.
An LSV driver needs a valid driver licence, and because the vehicle has seat belts by law, Florida belt and child-restraint rules apply inside it.
Bridges and getting on and off the island
The Venice Avenue bridge and the KMI bridge are the state-road links between the island and the mainland. No golf cart may use them. Whether an LSV may cross depends on the posted limit on each bridge, which we could not verify. Ask your rental operator where its contract lets you go, and read the signs at each approach.
Renting here
A rental-industry listing counts 18 operators covering Venice. Most require a driver 21 or older and a licence. Published day rates as of October 2026, published by rental operators, run from about $85 to about $203 depending on cart size, and several operators list prices on request. Venice Buggies is the local brand; its website would not load for us, so confirm its terms by phone.
GolfCartNearMe lists rental companies by town. Read renting a golf cart on the Gulf coast for what to bring, which usually means a licence and proof of your own auto insurance. Whatever the contract says, the driver, not the company, gets the ticket.
Parking, paths and the beach
Park in car spaces. No sidewalks, no bike lanes and no sand. Rental operators keep carts off the beaches and off the Venetian Waterway Park trail and the Legacy Trail; we could not verify the trail authorities’ own rules, but under s. 316.212 a cart has no business on a path unless the local government has designated it, and we found no such designation. For gear and the child-seat rules see beach golf cart accessories and safety. Salt air reaches the island grid as surely as it reaches the beach; see salt-air golf cart care.
What we could not confirm
- Whether the City of Venice has designated any street for golf carts, and any ordinance number. Ask the City Clerk or Venice police on the non-emergency line.
- Posted limits on the island grid, on Harbor Drive to Caspersen Beach, on US 41 and Business 41, and on the Venice Avenue and KMI bridges. Drive them and read the signs.
- Whether the city permits night operation of golf carts.
- The Venetian Waterway Park and Legacy Trail rules on motorised carts. Ask the City Clerk, who can point you to whoever manages each trail.
- Venice Buggies’ current terms and rates.
- The rental rates above beyond October 2026.