Age Limit for eBikes

Question

Jackie asked: My grandchild, aged 11, received an electric bike for Christmas and I wonder if she needs a driver’s license and anything else. I saw her on the road by her home with it and it scared me since she has no idea of traffic rules. When I say bike I mean bicycle with an electric motor. We live in Florida.

Answer

A bicycle equipped with a small electric assist motor is a bicycle, and the operator is not required to have a driver’s license, registration or title, unless you are in a city or county such as Daytona Beach which has a local ordinance that requires registration of bicycles.

s. 316.003 – Definitions

(2) Bicycle – Every vehicle propelled solely by human power, and every motorized bicycle propelled by a combination of human power and an electric helper motor capable of propelling the vehicle at a speed of not more than 20 miles per hour on level ground upon which any person may ride ….

There is no age restriction on the operator of a bicycle powered only by human power. However, the age of your granddaughter prohibits her from riding an eBike on the roadway and, with a few exceptions such as motorized wheelchairs, motorized vehicles may not be operated on a sidewalk. The statute above continues as follows:

No person under the age of 16 may operate or ride upon a motorized bicycle.

Leave a Reply