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DUI in a golf cart costs: low speed, full DUI penalties in FL, AZ and TX
A golf cart feels like resort equipment. In Florida, Arizona and Texas it is, for DUI purposes, a vehicle — and the impaired-driving statute that applies is the same one that applies to a pickup truck. This page sets out the component fines and license consequences in the three states where golf-cart DUIs are most common, from the statutes themselves.
Why a golf cart is a vehicle
Florida defines a golf cart in § 316.003 as a motor vehicle designed and manufactured for operation on a golf course for sporting or recreational purposes and not capable of exceeding 20 miles per hour, and § 320.01 carries the same concept. Low-speed vehicles — the street-legal cousins that can exceed 20 but not 25 miles per hour — are separately defined and registered. Neither definition removes the device from § 316.193, which makes it an offense to drive or be in actual physical control of a vehicle while impaired or at 0.08 or higher. Florida's DUI statute even reaches conduct "within this state," not only on a public highway, which is why arrests happen on community roads and resort paths as well as public streets.
Arizona's DUI statute, A.R.S. § 28-1381, makes it unlawful to drive or be in actual physical control of a vehicle while impaired to the slightest degree or at an alcohol concentration of 0.08 or more within two hours of driving — and Arizona courts apply "vehicle" in Title 28 broadly to motorized devices, including golf carts operated on roadways in the state's many golf communities. Texas Penal Code § 49.04 defines DWI around operating a "motor vehicle" in a public place, and the Penal Code's motor-vehicle definition — a device in, on or by which a person or property is propelled, moved or drawn in or on a highway, except a device moved by human power — covers a motorized golf cart. In all three states, the low top speed changes nothing in the statute.
The component fines, state by state
Because the ordinary statute applies, the fine for a first golf-cart DUI is the ordinary first-offense fine. In Florida that is § 316.193(2): not less than $500 or more than $1,000 for a first conviction, up to six months' imprisonment, rising to $1,000–$2,000 and up to nine months where the breath or blood alcohol level was 0.15 or higher or a minor was present. A first Florida conviction also brings probation of up to a year, 50 hours of community service, 10-day impoundment or immobilization of the offender's vehicles under § 316.193(6), DUI program completion, and license revocation of 180 days to one year under § 322.28.
In Arizona a first § 28-1381 conviction carries a minimum 10 consecutive days in jail (with a portion the court may suspend on completion of screening and treatment), a base fine of at least $250 plus the assessments the statute adds — $500 for the prison construction and operations fund and $500 for the public safety equipment fund, which § 28-1381(G) states "are not subject to any surcharge" — and a 90-day license suspension. In Texas a first DWI is a Class B misdemeanor: a fine of up to $2,000, confinement of 72 hours to 180 days (six days minimum if an open container was present), plus the separate $3,000 state fine under Transportation Code § 709.001 that follows a first conviction within a 36-month period. None of these figures is golf-cart-specific; that is precisely the point of this page.
| State — first golf-cart DUI | Published components |
|---|---|
| Florida (§ 316.193) | Fine $500–$1,000; up to 6 months; $1,000–$2,000 at 0.15+; 10-day vehicle impoundment; revocation 180 days–1 year |
| Arizona (§ 28-1381) | Base fine at least $250 + $500 + $500 statutory assessments; 10-day jail minimum; 90-day suspension |
| Texas (§§ 49.04, Transp. Code 709.001) | Fine up to $2,000; 72 hours–180 days; plus $3,000 state fine on first conviction in 36 months |
Sources: Florida Statutes §§ 316.003, 316.193, 322.28; A.R.S. § 28-1381; Texas Penal Code § 49.04; Texas Transportation Code § 709.001. Last verified: October 2026.
The fine is one line in a longer stack — court costs, program fees, interlock, supervision and reinstatement all bill separately. Price the layers that apply to your case in the calculator.
Open the DUI cost calculatorWhere golf-cart cases differ in practice
Three practical differences recur. First, location: many golf-cart arrests happen inside gated or resort communities. In Florida the statute's "within this state" wording means a private community road does not remove the conduct from § 316.193, while in Texas the DWI element is a "public place," a broader term than public highway that can include places the public has access to. Second, licensing: some golf-cart operators have no driver license at all — which does not prevent arrest, and a conviction can still be recorded against future licensing. Third, the cart itself: impoundment and towing charges for a cart are set by the lot or community, not by any state schedule, so this page states the statutory impound period (10 days on a Florida first offense) and does not invent a storage price. Our towing and impound guide explains how those lot charges work for cars.
Converted and street-legal low-speed vehicles add registration and equipment rules, but they do not change the DUI analysis: an LSV is a motor vehicle in all three states, and its driver is in the same statutory position as a car driver for fines, jail exposure and license action. Readers comparing a full breakdown should see Florida DUI costs, Arizona DUI costs and Texas DUI costs; the component figures there are the figures that apply here.
Common questions
- Can you get a DUI on a golf cart on private property?
- In Florida, yes — § 316.193 is not limited to public highways. In Texas the question is whether the place is a "public place" under the Penal Code. A cart operated entirely inside a closed private yard is a different case from one on community roads open to residents and guests.
- Does a golf-cart DUI suspend your car driver license?
- Yes, in all three states. The suspension or revocation attaches to the person's driving privilege, not to the vehicle involved — Florida revocation of 180 days to one year, Arizona 90 days, and Texas 90 days to one year on a first conviction.
- Is the fine lower because a golf cart is slower?
- No statute in the three states sets a separate, lower golf-cart fine. The published fines are the ordinary DUI fines in the table above.
Related cost guides: Florida DUI costs, Arizona DUI costs, Texas DUI costs, and boating under the influence costs.
Sources: Florida Statutes §§ 316.003, 316.193, 322.28; A.R.S. § 28-1381; Texas Penal Code §§ 49.04, 1.07; Texas Transportation Code § 709.001. Last verified: October 2026. This page is educational information about costs only — not legal advice. Laws and fees change; confirm current figures with your court and your state's driver-licensing agency.