E-bike Ordinance
🚲 Parents — school starts next week, and there is a new City ordinance you should know about before your kids head out.
Charleston City Council passed new rules on e-bikes, e-motos and mopeds after a rise in complaints about reckless riding on sidewalks and paths. The most important thing to understand is that e-bikes and e-motos are not the same thing under the law.
Here are useful materials to use and share:
Graphics to share:
⚡ An E-BIKE has working pedals, a motor under 750 watts, and tops out under 20 mph. It follows the same rules as a bicycle.
🏍️ An E-MOTO has a motor over 750 watts and can go faster than 20 mph on the throttle alone. The law treats it as a moped or motorcycle — which means it must be registered, and the rider must have a driver's license or moped license. If your child is not licensed, they cannot legally ride an e-moto anywhere on public property. Riders under 21 also need a helmet and eye protection, and headlights and taillights have to be on whenever it is running. A lot of families do not realize the machine in their garage is legally a motorcycle. That is worth checking this week.
🛑 Where e-bikes can go: bike lanes, buffered lanes, paved shoulders, bicycle boulevards and multi-use paths — yes. Sidewalks — no, not anywhere in the City.
⚠️ And if the rules are broken: a juvenile can be cited or taken into custody. A parent or guardian can also be cited for allowing it. If no parent is available, the bike may be towed at the family's expense. Violations are a misdemeanor — up to $500 or 30 days.
The goal here is not to punish kids - it is to keep them alive. We have young riders on sidewalks and in traffic on machines that move like motorcycles, and the close calls are adding up. Please take ten minutes this weekend to look at what your kid is riding and talk through where they can ride it.
Questions? Email me at skardonl@charleston-sc.gov. 🚲