
Alabama E-Scooter Laws: Sidewalk, Helmet & Age Rules (2026)
Alabama's Act 2019-361 regulates shared e-scooter systems with local authorization, but whether it covers privately owned scooters is a genuinely open question.
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Alabama's Act 2019-361 regulates shared e-scooter systems with local authorization, but whether it covers privately owned scooters is a genuinely open question.

Alaska has no dedicated statewide statute for standup e-scooters. See what the state's motor-driven-cycle default means and how Anchorage handles it locally.

Albania has banned e-scooters, private and rental, from public roads since October 2025. Police have seized about 1,000 scooters while a court challenge is pending.

Algeria's 2025 decree created a power-based licensing regime for electric mopeds and motorcycles, but standing kick-scooters are still not covered by it.

Andorran press reporting describes a 25 km/h cap, a minimum age of 16, and mandatory insurance for e-scooters, while Andorra la Vella separately bans sidewalk riding.

Angola names trotinetas directly and treats them like pedestrian traffic under Article 102, though a separate vehicle category may instead require registration and a helmet.

Antigua and Barbuda has no dedicated e-scooter law. Cap. 460 defines any mechanically propelled vehicle as a motor vehicle, sweeping e-scooters in by default.

Argentina has no national e-scooter law. Compare Buenos Aires City's Ley 6164 with Rosario's and Cordoba's own, different ordinances.

Arizona treats e-scooters as bicycles under state law, with no statewide age or helmet rule. See what ARS 28-819 covers and how Phoenix's local rules differ.

Arkansas sets a statewide minimum age of 16 and a 15 mph operating cap for e-scooters under Act 1015 of 2019. There is no statewide helmet requirement for riders of any age.

Armenia has no e-scooter law at all. Nothing forbids riding one and nothing regulates it, with no age floor, helmet rule, or speed cap in place.

The Bahamas has no e-scooter law. The Road Traffic Act's 'wholly or partially propelled by mechanical means' definition treats e-scooters as motor vehicles.

Bahrain's Decision No. 58 of 2026 caps private e-scooters at 25 km/h on internal roads only, bars highway riding, and requires a helmet plus shoulder, hand, and leg protection.

Bangladesh's 2018 Road Transport Act defines any electrically powered vehicle as a motor vehicle with no exemption, placing e-scooters under motorcycle-level rules.

Barbados has no e-scooter-specific law, so its Road Traffic Act's broad motor vehicle definition likely applies, implying registration and licensing obligations.

Belarus has regulated e-scooters nationally since 1 September 2025, capping speed at 25 km/h on bike paths and 10 km/h on sidewalks, with no stated age or helmet rule.

Belize has no scooter-specific law, but fuel-neutral vehicle definitions sweep e-scooters in, with reporting citing a minimum age of 17 and a motorcycle licence.

Bhutan has no dedicated e-scooter law, but its transport regulations define motor vehicle broadly enough to capture e-scooters by default.

Bolivia's national traffic code never mentions e-scooters, a genuine legal vacuum with no registration, age floor, helmet rule, or insurance requirement.

Bosnia and Herzegovina has no state-level e-scooter law after a bill failed on 22 July 2026, while Republika Srpska already runs its own riding regime.

Botswana's 1972 Road Traffic Act defines "motor vehicle" as anything self-propelled by electrical power, with no lighter category for e-scooters to fall into.

Brazil's CONTRAN 996/2023 exempts e-scooters from national registration and licensing, but Sao Paulo sets its own 20 km/h cap, bans sidewalk riding, and requires riders to be 18.

Brunei has no dedicated e-scooter law, so its Road Traffic Act's broad motor vehicle definition sweeps scooters into the same registration and driving licence rules as cars.

Bulgaria lets riders 16 and older use e-scooters on roads generally, caps devices at 25 km/h, and requires a helmet only under 18, with fines criticized as too low at 10 to 50 BGN.

Burundi's 2012 traffic code names the motorized scooter category directly and exempts it from vehicle registration, though a licence or helmet rule is not confirmed.

California e-scooter law explained: the real 15 mph speed cap behind the 25/35 mph figures, the under-18 helmet rule, sidewalk ban, and LA's stricter age rules.

Cambodia exempts e-scooters under 11 kilowatts from needing a driving licence, requiring only an ID card from age 15, but a number plate is still required.

Cameroon's 1979 decree defines vehicles only by engine size, but the CEMAC regional road code that binds Cameroon is far broader, and it already covers an e-scooter.

The Central African Republic has no e-scooter law of its own. A shared CEMAC road code applies instead, putting e-scooters in the same category as a car.

Chad has no e-scooter statute, but a regional CEMAC road code applies. With no moped tier available, e-scooters land in the same category as a car.

Chile regulates e-scooters nationally as a 25 km/h VMP category requiring a helmet for every rider, while a seated device without self-balancing cannot use public roads at all.

China has no national e-scooter category. See why Beijing, from May 2026, and Shanghai ban them outright, the fines, and how smaller cities vary.

Colombia's Ley 2486 de 2025 sets national e-scooter rules: 1,000W cap, age 16, no sidewalks. A separate 2026 resolution adds licence plates from January 2027.

Colorado sets no statewide age or helmet rule for e-scooters under C.R.S. 42-4-1412. The 16/18 rule some sites cite actually applies only to Class 3 e-bikes.

Connecticut e-scooter laws under CGS section 14-1 and section 14-286b: the 75 lb, 20 mph device definition, no license or age minimum to ride, and a helmet rule for riders 15 and under.

E-scooters are prohibited on Costa Rican roads today, confiscated under Article 124. A signed reform, Ley 10834, opens a legal path only from December 20, 2026.

Croatia has required e-scooter riders to wear a helmet at every age since 2022, one of only two EU countries with an all-ages mandate, plus a minimum riding age of 14.

Cuban press reporting describes an A1 licence requirement for a powered electric two-wheeler under Ley 109, though the statute's own text could not be verified.

Cyprus raised its e-scooter minimum age to a uniform 17 in April 2026 under Law 19(I)/2018, replacing two separate lower age thresholds after accidents involving young riders.

The Czech Republic treats a seatless e-scooter capped at 1kW and 25 km/h as a legal bicycle needing no registration, while Prague ended all rental contracts on 1 January 2026.

Delaware's two-tier e-scooter law: section 4198Q's 15 mph bicycle-like framework sets age 14 and a helmet rule under 18, while section 4198N nearly bans a different scooter category from public roads.

Denmark requires every e-scooter rider to wear a CE-marked helmet regardless of age, a rule in force since 2022, alongside a minimum riding age of 15 under Faerdselsloven.

DC e-scooter laws under DC Code section 50-2201.02: why a standard Bird or Lime scooter is legally an 'electric mobility device,' not a 'personal mobility device,' with a minimum age of 16.

Djibouti's road code defines every powered two-wheeler category by a combustion engine, so an electric scooter fits none of them, leaving its status unclear.

Dominica has no dedicated e-scooter law, but its motor cycle class has no wattage floor, so e-scooters need registration, insurance, and a licence from age 17.

The Dominican Republic regulates e-scooters under Decreto 256-20, exempting them from a licence but banning sidewalk riding and requiring a helmet, with a reported 20 km/h cap.

In the DRC, an e-scooter's electric motor locks it out of the lenient moped category and into full motor vehicle rules, requiring registration and a driving permit.

See e-scooter laws by state for 2026: whether a dedicated statute exists, sidewalk rules, and helmet requirements, with links to a full guide covering all 50 states plus DC.

In the country of Georgia, traffic law defines only self-balancing devices like Segways, leaving ordinary kick-scooters in a gap that Bolt's Tbilisi rentals fill informally.

Ecuador's national transit law leaves e-scooter regulation to city governments, and traffic agents say they lack a legal tool to sanction riders on helmet use or licensing.

Cairo and Giza have banned e-scooters from their streets by governor decree, while Traffic Law 121/2008 is reported to require licensing that most riders ignore in practice.

El Salvador has no e-scooter law. Its transport ministry has issued informal safety recommendations, but no licensing, age, or helmet rule exists yet.

Equatorial Guinea is bound by the CEMAC community road code, which has no moped category and sweeps an electric scooter into full motor vehicle rules.

Estonia's kergliikur category permits e-scooters on sidewalks unlike Sweden or Norway, and ties riding access to age tiers rather than a single minimum age.

Eswatini's Road Traffic Act defines motor vehicle as any self-propelled vehicle, and its pedestrian-controlled exclusion does not reach a stand-on e-scooter.

Ethiopia's Road Transport Proclamation neither names nor prohibits e-scooters and functions mainly as a commercial-licensing law, leaving riders without a clear conduct code.

The Falkland Islands is a British Overseas Territory with its own traffic ordinance, not UK law. It has no scooter-specific rule and no rental trial scheme.

Faroese traffic law has no dedicated e-scooter category, but its broad moped definition, covering any electric-motor two-wheeler, may sweep scooters in too.

Fiji's Land Transport Act 1998 has no scooter or personal mobility device exception anywhere in its text, so its registration rules apply with no carve-out found.

Finland's 17 June 2025 reform set a new minimum riding age of 15, brought e-scooters under a 0.5 promille alcohol limit, and confirmed a 25 km/h, 1 kW device cap.