MARVIN -- Effective Thursday, a new town ordinance will allow golf carts to share the road with cars in 17 Marvin subdivisions.

Village leaders said the change came after Marvin residents, many living in Firethorne, asked permission to drive their carts from home to their neighborhood club.

“(Firethorne) is one of the main reasons,” Mayor John Ciaramella said. “A couple of the other neighborhoods, subdivisions — folks have their own golf carts to drive to get to the pool.

“They do that over in Marvin Creek and I’ve seen that in a couple of other neighborhoods … folks will take their own personal golf cart to go down to their pool to whatever amenities may be offered within the community.”

The ordinance will require registration of each person wanting to drive a golf cart and will be regulated on public streets and roads where the speed limit is 35 mph or less.

Although carts will be allowed in 35 mph zones, they are not allowed to exceed 20 mph.

Golf cart owners must complete and submit a golf cart registration form to the village before they take to the roads. The initial registration fee is $10 per cart, a rate that drops to $5 after the first year. Registration stickers expire on Dec. 31 of each year.

“We’re going to encourage folks that they need to register their golf cart with the village,” Ciaramella said. “That way it’s on file so we can make sure that the deputy knows who has golf carts and who is registered and who the illegal operators are.”

Golf carts must be operated in accordance with state and local laws — including those that cover the use and transportation of alcohol while driving.

Driver’s licenses are required.

And, although golf carts don’t come with seat belts, the village limits occupancy to one person per seat, with no passengers in bag-storage areas, or ‘cart-surfing’ on the roof.

Golf carts may be operated only in daylight unless they have at least two lighted lamps, one on each side of the front of the golf cart, visible at night from a distance of at least 300 feet in front of the cart. The village also requires a red lamp on the rear, visible at night from at least 200 feet to the rear of the cart.

Violators will be charged a $50 fine, Ciaramella said.

Fast facts:

Out-of-bounds areas include seven local roads:

Bonds Grove Church Road

Providence Road

Joe Kerr Road

Marvin Road

Marvin School Road

New Town Road

Waxhaw-Marvin Road

Subdivisions approved under the ordinance are:

Beechwood

Bridle Path Estates

Canterfield Creek

Firethorne

Innisbrook

Marvin Creek

Oak Brook

Providence Downs

Providence Estates

Providence Glen

Providence Ridge

Providence Road Estates

Weddington Chase

Willow Creek

Woodland Forest

Wyndham Hall Plantation

Valhalla Farms