Off-Highway Vehicles, Golf Carts and Neighborhood Electric Vehicles in Texas in 2026

Off-highway vehicles

The TxDMV's unique vehicles page defines four: an all-terrain vehicle with a seat for the rider and one passenger, three or more tires, not more than 50 inches wide, designed for off-highway use and not for farm or lawn care; a recreational off-highway vehicle with seats for the rider and one or more passengers and four or more tires; a utility vehicle with side-by-side seating, four or more tires, designed for utility work rather than recreation; and a sand rail, built for sandy terrain with a tubular frame, an integrated roll cage, a rear or mid-mounted engine and a gross weight between 700 and 2,000 pounds. The TxDMV titles them but they are not eligible for registration; the county tax office issues an Off-Highway Vehicle license plate, a Texas use tax from the Comptroller applies to one bought in another state, and the driver license requirements come from DPS. On public off-highway land the vehicle needs a brake system, a muffler, a U.S. Forest Service qualified spark arrester, a headlight and tail light, and an Off-Highway Vehicle decal from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Where an off-highway vehicle may use a road

With the plate: in a master planned community with a uniform set of restrictive covenants and a county or municipality approved plat; on a road with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less, during the day and no more than two miles from where it is usually parked, to get to and from a golf course; to cross an intersection, including one on a road posted above 35 mph; and on roads a city or certain counties have authorized within their boundaries, at 35 mph or less, with a slow-moving vehicle emblem when operated at 25 mph or less. Without a plate: a vehicle owned by the state, a county or a city on a public beach or highway for public safety; a farmer or rancher in daytime up to 25 miles from the point of origin for agricultural work; a public utility worker in daytime up to 25 miles for utility work; and law enforcement, firefighting, ambulance, medical or other emergency services up to 10 miles, each with a triangular orange slow-moving emblem at least six feet above the ground and the headlights and taillights on.

Golf carts

A golf cart, designed by its manufacturer primarily for a golf course, is neither titled nor registered by the TxDMV, but the county tax office issues a Golf Cart license plate on an Application for Texas Title and/or Registration (Form 130-U). With the plate it may be driven in a master planned community with restrictive covenants and an approved plat, on a public or private beach open to vehicular traffic, on a highway posted at 35 mph during the day within two miles of where it is usually parked to reach a golf course, to cross an intersection including one posted above 35 mph, and on roads a city or certain counties authorize at 35 mph or less, with a slow-moving vehicle emblem at 25 mph or less. Required equipment: headlamps, tail lamps, reflectors, a parking brake and mirrors.

Neighborhood electric vehicles

A vehicle is a neighborhood electric vehicle when it has a maximum speed of 35 mph, four tires, seat belts, head and tail lights, a windshield, a parking brake, turn signals, rear-view mirrors, brake lights, reflectors and a valid 17-digit VIN. It is titled and registered at the county tax assessor-collector's office with evidence of ownership (a Manufacturer's Certificate of Origin or a title), Form 130-U and proof of insurance, with the TxDMV's instructions for the form. The $200 electric vehicle fee does not apply to neighborhood electric vehicles, nor to motorcycles, mopeds, autocycles or hybrids. Boats, boat motors and personal watercraft are registered and titled with Texas Parks and Wildlife, and off-highway motorcycles are titled but not registered, as the registration guide notes.

Questions about off-highway vehicles, golf carts and NEVs

Does an ATV get a title?

Yes, the TxDMV is required to title ATVs, ROVs, UTVs and sand rails, but they are not eligible for registration; they may carry an Off-Highway Vehicle plate from the county tax office. A use tax applies to one bought in another state, through the Comptroller.

Can I drive a UTV on the street?

With an Off-Highway Vehicle plate, in a master planned community with restrictive covenants and an approved plat, on a road posted at 35 mph or less during the day within two miles of where it is parked to reach a golf course, to cross an intersection, and on roads a city or county has authorized at 35 mph or less; at 25 mph or less it displays a slow-moving vehicle emblem. Farmers, utility workers and emergency responders may drive one on roads without the plate within set distances, with a triangular orange flag and the lights on.

Is a golf cart registered?

No. The TxDMV neither titles nor registers golf carts, but the county tax office issues a Golf Cart plate on Form 130-U, which allows the same road uses as an off-highway plate plus a beach open to vehicles, with headlamps, tail lamps, reflectors, a parking brake and mirrors.

What makes a vehicle a neighborhood electric vehicle?

A top speed of 35 mph, four tires, seat belts, head and tail lights, a windshield, a parking brake, turn signals, rear-view mirrors, brake lights, reflectors and a valid 17-digit VIN; it is titled and registered at the county with the certificate of origin or title, Form 130-U and proof of insurance, and it pays no electric vehicle fee.

What equipment is required on public off-highway land?

A brake system, a muffler, a U.S. Forest Service qualified spark arrester, a headlight and tail light, and an Off-Highway Vehicle decal from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Who sets the driver license rules for these vehicles?

The Texas Department of Public Safety; the TxDMV refers the question there. Off-highway motorcycles are titled but not registered, and boats go to Texas Parks and Wildlife.