California’s e-bike rules in 2026 come down to a short list. A legal e-bike has working pedals and a motor of no more than 750 watts, and it falls into one of three classes. Nobody under 16 may ride a Class 3, and every Class 3 rider needs a helmet. Every rider under 18 needs a helmet on any class. Since January 1, 2026, an e-bike must carry a red rear reflector or light at all hours, stores may not sell a Class 3 to anyone under 16, and police may impound a Class 3 ridden by a child under 16. There is still no license, no registration, no plate, and no statewide minimum age for Class 1 or Class 2.
The other half of the picture is local. Calabasas, Agoura Hills and Westlake Village have each adopted their own rules for sidewalks, parks and paths over the past 14 months, and Simi Valley has been moving its own through the city council. This guide lays out the state rules, the 2026 changes, what is pending and the local ordinances, then explains why it matters if a child is hurt.
What counts as an e-bike, and the three classes
Vehicle Code 312.5 defines an electric bicycle as a bicycle with fully operable pedals and an electric motor that does not exceed 750 watts. The statute then sorts e-bikes into three classes.
- Class 1: the motor helps only while the rider pedals and stops helping at 20 miles per hour.
- Class 2: the motor can propel the bike on its own by throttle, and it stops helping at 20 miles per hour.
- Class 3: the motor helps only while the rider pedals, stops helping at 28 miles per hour, and the bike must have a speedometer.
Every e-bike must carry a permanently affixed label showing its class, maximum assisted speed and motor wattage.
Since January 1, 2025, under SB 1271, subdivision (d) draws the line that matters most for parents. A two- or three-wheeler the manufacturer designed to be modifiable to exceed 20 miles per hour on motor power alone or 750 watts, a bike modified to do either, or a bike with its pedals removed, is not an electric bicycle and may not be sold or labeled as one. Those machines are motorcycles or off-highway motorcycles under the Vehicle Code, which means a license, registration and a DOT helmet, and an off-highway model cannot be ridden on public streets at all. The pedal-less electric dirt bikes many middle schoolers ride fall there.
Two related rules target the aftermarket. Vehicle Code 24016(d) prohibits tampering with an e-bike’s speed capability unless it still meets the definition and the label is replaced. Vehicle Code 24016(e), as amended by AB 545 effective January 1, 2026, prohibits selling any product, device or application that can modify an e-bike’s speed so it no longer meets the definition. That reaches the speed-unlock phone apps.
No license, no registration, no insurance requirement
Vehicle Code 24016(b) says an e-bike rider is not subject to the code’s financial responsibility, driver’s license, registration or license plate provisions, and that an e-bike is not a motor vehicle. The 2026 bills that would have changed this did not pass. AB 1942, which would have required DMV registration and plates for Class 2 and Class 3 bikes, and AB 1557, which would have cut Class 1 and Class 2 assistance to 16 miles per hour, were both held in the Assembly Appropriations Committee on May 14, 2026.
Age and helmet rules
The only statewide age rule is Vehicle Code 21213(a): a person under 16 shall not operate a Class 3 electric bicycle. There is no state minimum age for Class 1 or Class 2. The pilot programs in Marin County (under 16, Class 2) and San Diego County (under 12, Class 1 and 2) apply only in those counties.
Helmets follow two statutes. Vehicle Code 21213(b) requires every Class 3 rider and passenger, of any age, to wear a properly fitted and fastened bicycle helmet that meets ASTM or CPSC standards. Vehicle Code 21212(a) requires anyone under 18 to wear the same kind of helmet on any bicycle, and under Vehicle Code 312.5(b) that includes Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes. The fine for a minor’s helmet violation is capped at $25, and the parent or guardian is jointly liable for it.
The 2026 changes
Three bills from the 2025 session, plus the AB 545 app rule above, took effect on January 1, 2026.
- AB 544 added Vehicle Code 21201(f), which requires an electric bicycle to have, during all hours, a red rear reflector or a solid or flashing red light with a built-in reflector, visible from 500 feet. A reflector alone satisfies it, the front white lamp is still required only during darkness, and the rule applies to e-bikes only. AB 544 also added Vehicle Code 21212(f), which lets a minor’s helmet ticket be dismissed without a record if, within 120 days, the parent shows the child has a compliant helmet and has completed a bicycle safety course or, for an e-bike violation, an e-bike safety course such as the CHP program under Streets and Highways Code 894.
- AB 965 created Vehicle Code 21212.5, which prohibits selling a Class 3 e-bike to a person under 16, with a fine of up to $250.
- AB 875 created Vehicle Code 22651.08, which allows a peace officer to remove a Class 3 e-bike ridden by someone under 16, or any electric two- or three-wheeler that is not an e-bike, can exceed 20 miles per hour on motor power alone, and is ridden by an unlicensed operator. The vehicle is held at least 48 hours, and for an under-16 Class 3 seizure release may be conditioned on proof of an e-bike safety course.
Under SB 1271, Health and Safety Code 26302 prohibits, as of January 1, 2026, selling or leasing an e-bike unless its battery has been tested by an accredited lab to UL 2849, EN 15194 or another approved standard, with the lab’s name and the standard permanently marked on the bike, battery or charger. Scooters must be tested to UL 2272. The rental-fleet version begins January 1, 2028.
One 2026 bill has been signed: AB 1569, chaptered August 27, 2026, requires the State Department of Education to develop an e-bike safety program for grades 7 through 12 by March 1, 2028. It creates a curriculum rather than a mandatory course.
What is pending
Two larger bills are on the Governor’s desk as of this writing, with a deadline to act of September 30, 2026. SB 1167 would bar selling mopeds and motor-driven cycles as e-bikes, add the brand and manufacturer to the required label, and make it unlawful to ride on a public road any electric two- or three-wheeler capable of more than 20 miles per hour on motor power alone unless the code authorizes it. AB 2346 would require speedometers on Class 2 bikes and front and rear lamps on all e-bikes sold on or after January 1, 2029, let local authorities post 10, 15 or 20 mile-per-hour limits on bike paths, and set a 10 mile-per-hour speed limit on sidewalks. If signed, both would take effect January 1, 2027. Neither is law today.
Local ordinances in the west Valley and Simi Valley
State law lets local authorities regulate bicycle operation on sidewalks under Vehicle Code 21100(h) and, under Vehicle Code 21207.5, prohibit e-bikes on trails. Four nearby cities have acted.
Calabasas Ordinance 2026-423, adopted March 11, 2026 and effective about 30 days later, bans electric mobility devices, including e-bikes, motorized scooters and electric skateboards, from public sidewalks, parks, athletic fields, trails and unpaved public areas. Streets remain governed by the Vehicle Code. The ordinance sets no minimum age and no helmet rule beyond state law, and enforcement begins with education and warnings.
Agoura Hills adopted a similar ordinance by council vote on April 8, 2026, barring e-bikes from sidewalks, parks, trails and bicycle paths, with published reports describing fines of $100 and $200 for a first and second violation, a misdemeanor for a third within a year, and an education program option for minors.
Westlake Village moved first, with a July 9, 2025 council vote banning e-bikes, e-scooters and e-motorcycles from sidewalks, parks, trails and fields. Published reports describe fines of $100, $200 and $500. Simi Valley’s council approved its ordinance on first reading February 23, 2026, with a second reading set for March 9, according to published reports. That ordinance includes a 15 mile-per-hour limit on pedestrian paths, a front white and rear red light requirement, a ban on dual-ear headphones, and release of impounded bikes only on proof of a safety course.
Why the rules matter in an injury claim
Rules written for traffic enforcement become evidence when someone is hurt. California applies pure comparative negligence under Li v. Yellow Cab (1975), so an injured rider’s own violation reduces the recovery by their share of fault without barring it, and an insurance company defending a driver will raise every violation it can find. A 15-year-old on a Class 3, a rider without a helmet, or a bike on a sidewalk in Calabasas each gives the company an argument. Those arguments go to percentage, and to whether the violation had anything to do with the crash.
The classification rules cut deeper. If the device was not legally an e-bike, because it was modified or never had pedals, the driver’s insurer will call it an unregistered motor vehicle, and the family’s own homeowners and auto policies may exclude it. If a child on that device hurts someone else, the parent who supplied it faces a negligent entrustment claim, and Vehicle Code 17708, which makes a parent liable for a minor’s driving of a motor vehicle with permission, may reach a machine it would never reach as a legal e-bike. The label, the receipt and the bike itself answer those questions, which is why the bike should be kept untouched after any crash.
Rules help injured riders too. A driver who passes an e-bike with less than three feet of clearance violates Vehicle Code 21760, and a driver who turns across a cyclist with the right of way is responsible whatever the cyclist was riding. Our bicycle accident page explains how those claims are built, and our scooter accident page covers the separate motorized scooter rules, which require a license or permit, cap speed at 15 miles per hour and bar sidewalks. Deadlines are two years under Code of Civil Procedure 335.1, paused for a minor until 18 under Code of Civil Procedure 352, except that a claim against a public entity is due within six months under Government Code 911.2 regardless of age; our statute of limitations guide has the details.
Key points
- A legal e-bike has pedals and a motor of no more than 750 watts; Class 1 and 2 stop assisting at 20 miles per hour, Class 3 at 28.
- No one under 16 may ride a Class 3, all Class 3 riders need a helmet, and all riders under 18 need a helmet on any class.
- As of January 1, 2026, e-bikes need a red rear reflector or light at all hours, Class 3 sales to under-16s are banned, and police may impound illegal rides.
- Modified or pedal-less machines are not e-bikes under Vehicle Code 312.5(d) and are treated as motorcycles.
- Calabasas, Agoura Hills and Westlake Village have banned e-bikes from sidewalks and parks, and Simi Valley’s council has moved path rules of its own through first reading, according to published reports.
- A violation reduces an injury claim by the rider’s share of fault but does not bar it.
Frequently asked questions
Does my 13-year-old need a license or registration for an e-bike?
No. Vehicle Code 24016(b) exempts e-bike riders from license, registration and plate requirements, and the 2026 registration bill did not pass. A 13-year-old may ride a Class 1 or Class 2 with a helmet, but not a Class 3.
Does the new rear-light law mean a light must be on in daylight?
It does not. Vehicle Code 21201(f) requires a red rear reflector or a red light with a built-in reflector at all hours on an e-bike, and a reflector alone complies. The front light is still required only during darkness.
Can my child ride an e-bike on the sidewalk in Calabasas or Agoura Hills?
Not since spring 2026. Both cities have banned e-bikes from public sidewalks, parks and trails. Streets are still governed by state law.
Is a pedal-less electric dirt bike an e-bike?
It is not. Under Vehicle Code 312.5(d) a device without operable pedals, or one modified to exceed 20 miles per hour on motor power alone or 750 watts, is not an electric bicycle. It is treated as a motorcycle, and an off-highway model cannot be ridden on public streets.
If your child was hurt on an e-bike in the San Fernando Valley or anywhere in California, call Manoukian Law Firm at (818) 818-5031 or reach us through our contact page. Consultations are free and there is no fee unless we recover for you.
