Are Electric Scooters Legal on Sidewalks?
Is your scooter legal? That is right, it is an enormously growing industry. Laws change from state to state and year to year. To provide clarification to the electric scooter users, we have reported and collected official compliance reports.
Besides we have to spend a lot of time studying the formal rules and regulations from varying US states and different countries. This is a text that is continually changing as the law can change and grow.
Please include references or references to support your informative statements about this topic. This job is not only to help Unagi riders but to benefit all environmentally conscious people.
United States Scooter Laws
1) Alabama
Electric scooters are deemed to be motor vehicles and are necessary to receive vehicle registration tags in Birmingham. The operator of the scooter must also hold a valid motorcycle license. Electric scooters are often said to be risky and they are not permitted to be used in the streets of Auburn. The city of Tuscaloosa also denied the electric scooters because they are not street legal.
According to Farris, Riley & Pitt in Alabama, electric scooters are not motor vehicles and they have more specifically differentiated themselves from one another. Individual cities will now function openly, according to their individualistic values. Although some cities understand the safety risks of scooter use, others make full use of scooter use. Hopefully, cities like Birmingham will take advantage of the experience of other cities with a strong track record of scooter usage and incorporate them to create a functioning local law that preserves the healthy use of scooters while respecting the needs of their cities. There are some inherent hazards with the scooter sharing scheme, and it is a complicated and challenging problem to solve.
2) Alaska
There are no rules for electric scooter operating in the state of Alaska.
3) Arizona
In Arizona, operators of e-scooters come under the control of electric or electric-assisted bicycle rules. Arizona has no legislation controlling electric bicycles, but federal regulations apply to them.
These cycles must have fully operable pedals and must adhere to the safety requirements of conventional cycles. Electric scooters under this classification can be ridden in pedestrian areas, including sidewalks, and bicycle lanes.
These aren’t ideal for the streets and highways. Arizona’s electric scooter program requires electric scooters to be used in bike lanes as well as on the highway. There is no registration or insurance required.
4) Arkansas
In Arkansas, individuals must be at least 16 to ride electric scooters. Scooters must be powered at a speed of no more than 15 mph. Shared scooters must employ an electric motor of 750 watts or less. The scooters shall be able to stand up safely while parked.
5) California
California’s latest electric scooter legislation took effect as of January 1st, 2019. Electric bicycles have been barred from riding over 15 mph on normal roads. They are allowed to be ridden on streets with a speed limit of up to 25 mph, but even when there is such a condition, the 15 mph restriction for scooter use remains.
6) Delaware
An individual under 16 years of age may not run, ride upon, or ride as a passenger on any motorized skateboard or scooter in the state of Delaware. Motorized skateboards and scooters are not permitted on public streets or rights-of-way in Tennessee. Motorbikes can be ridden on the streets and roads when the engine is turned off.
7) Florida
Electric scooters are not legally permitted in Florida because of a variety of issues such as lack of a seat. Electric scooters are not legally mandated to be licensed and passengers over the age of 16 do not have to wear helmets when they ride. Riders also need to hold motorized scooter licenses in Florida, but any driver’s license is approved.
8) Georgia
The state of Georgia requires its residents to run electric scooters and bikes on bike lanes, bike paths, and streets with a speed limit of 35 miles per hour if necessary.
9) Illinois
It is a law for mopeds, scooters, and bikes to retain liability insurance.
10) Indiana
Scooters cannot be used on roads, in parks, or on greenways. Pedestrians must ride electric scooters on the highway, following all usual rules of traffic. Also, motorbikes are not allowed to use the section of the road reserved for bicycles and go against the flow of traffic.
Riders of electric scooters are forbidden from riding in the oncoming traffic lanes. Helmets are advised but not mandated, and cars should be parked leaving four feet of clearance on the sidewalk.
11) Iowa
An electric scooter bill in the Indiana State House describes an electric scooter as a scooter that weighs less than 100 pounds and has two or three wheels, handlebars, a floorboard capable of supporting a standing rider, and is driven by the rider or an electric motor capable of speeds up to 20 miles. This bill also proposes to allow scooters on the lane.
12) Kansas
Riders can not use bikes or electric scooters on the sidewalk; they must travel on the street and, wherever possible, remain on bike lanes. Electric scooters can not be used on sidewalks and they are not required while helmets are encouraged.
Riders can park scooters in the vicinity of existing bike car parks. Electric scooters must be kept away from entries, too. This includes entries to firms, crosswalks, or otherwise, which could pose a danger to footpaths. Electric scooters can only be used by drivers with valid driver licenses.
13) Kentucky
Under Kentucky Regulation, electric scooters are handled in the same way as bicycles without any provision of state registration or purchase insurance. Scooters can be parked on sidewalks as long as the foot traffic is not hindered. The State of Kentucky has no cask criteria.
14) Louisiana
According to the DMV, it is possible to ride electric, low-speed scooters on sidewalks, bicycle lanes, and roads at speed limits of 25 mph or less. Only one person at a time is permitted on a scooter. Helmets must be worn during scooter service.
15) Maine
Electric scooters must always go to the farthest right side of the road unless the rider crosses or turns left. The running of an electric scooter is not required to be faster than 20 mph. When riding at night, a scooter must be fitted with a front light that emits visible white light from at least 200 feet away and a backlight or reflector which gives visible red or amber light from at least 200 feet behind your scooter. Electric scooters must also be fitted with reflectors.
16) New York City
State policymakers have approved electric scooters, but cities have a chance to determine how the vehicles will be governed. Shared scooters in Manhattan or densely populated municipalities are not permitted to run. It is legal to buy your electric scooter in New York.
17) North Carolina
Electric scooters are North Carolina rule vehicles. If the sidewalk is part of the lane, it must be registered before the vehicle can be driven on the sidewalk. According to city law, riders should be 16 years of age or older. Drivers are advised to wear a helmet, but not mandatory.
18) North Dakota
Electric scooters must stay away from sidewalks and bike paths. They must also comply with all traffic legislation and regulations. There must be electric scooters with steering, a headlight, and a backlight. If you are under the age of 18, you must wear a motorcycle helmet.
19) Pennsylvania
The electric scooters on roads in Pennsylvania are illegal, because, according to the Transport Department of Pennsylvania, ‘these vehicles do not comply with equipment specifications and inspection requirements for motor vehicles and cannot be licensed or titled in the Commonwealth.’ “Also, these vehicles cannot be operated on the roads and sidewalks of Pennsylvania.”
20) Texas
In Texas, an assisted motor scooter can only be driven on roads or highways with a speed limit of 35 mph or less. Traffic laws applicable to bicycles apply to motor scooters too. The operator has to comply with normal traffic laws that bicycle operators have to comply with, such as speed limits, signal turns, etc. Certain rules do not apply to motor vehicles, such as drivers with no security check, driver’s license, registration, or insurance, for the use of an electric scooter with up to 750 watts.
21) Virginia
Although statewide scooter Virginia information is not accessible, Arlington County regulatory information is available. The riders in Arlington must be at least 16, but they don’t have to wear a helmet. The County asks people not to park scooters on sidewalks, block footpaths, block passes, or at building entrances. The county also notes that there is no law banning drivers from riding on sidewalks with scooters. However, bicycle paths off-street cannot be used for electric scooters. Though scooters have to be parked on public sidewalks or motorcycle racks, they are not an obstacle.
22) Washington
Drivers can ride their electric scooters on sidewalks, on roads, and in alleys in Washington. Riders cannot ride on sidewalks, walking paths, or other public roads where the speed limit is more than 35 miles per kilometer. Riders cannot drive an e-scooter on children’s playgrounds or schoolyards. Riding agents with disabilities and using their e-scooters to improve mobility can run their vehicles at any of the above places, except on roads exceeding 35 mi/h.
23) West Virginia
Both mopeds must be titled and licensed by the local motor vehicle department (DMV). Riders and riders have to wear helmets while moping. Moped handlebars shall not exceed 15 inches in height of the seat. Riders must change their seats correctly while riding. Riders do not carry passengers except for the particular purposes of their vehicles. This means a second seat or sidecar vehicle is obtained. Riders must have a rearview mirror visible when driving the vehicle in their moped. Riders are expected to comply with the same traffic rules, lights, as other highways.
