Online, mail best options to avoid line

City officials are worried that many residents haven’t yet taken the time to register their golf carts with the new numbered decals.

As of late this week, 5,800 golf carts have been registered with the city, but officials suspect there are a total of 8,500 to 9,000 golf carts operating in town. With the registration deadline approaching Sept. 30, the city is hoping to avoid a flux of residents swamping City Hall at one time to register at the last minute.

Instead of an in-person visit to City Hall, residents can re-register their golf carts online at the city’s web site, www.peachtree-city.org or mail in their application and $12 fee. In both cases, the city will send the new decal back in the mail.

“Online and mail-in registration are strongly recommended to avoid any possible long lines,” said City Public Information Officer Betsy Tyler.

So far, 44 percent of the decals have been distributed in-person at City Hall, while 24 percent came from mail-in applications and the remaining 32 percent submitted their application and paid online, Tyler said.

The yellow decals were required in large part to help update the city’s golf cart ownership database, which will assist in helping police investigate golf cart thefts and other golf cart related violations, officials said.

Although the deadline to register carts is Sept. 30, there will be a month-long grace period during which warnings will be given by the police department, Tyler noted.

The fine for failure to properly register a golf cart is $80, according to a city ordinance.