E-Bikes and Electric Scooters in Arkansas: Rules for Riders

Before you buy: the three classes

Under Arkansas Code 27-51-1702, an electric bicycle has pedals that fully work, a motor under 750 watts, and fits one of three classes. Class 1 gives power only while you pedal and quits at 20 mph. Class 2 can move on the motor alone, with no pedaling, but also quits at 20 mph. Class 3 gives power only while you pedal and quits at 28 mph.

Equipment is covered in section 27-51-1704, which ties e-bikes to the federal bicycle safety rules at 16 CFR Part 1512. Squeeze the brakes on a Class 2 and the motor must stop; on a Class 1 or Class 3 the motor must stop as soon as the pedals do.

Before you buy: matching the bike to your teen's age

Section 27-51-1706 sets 16 as the youngest age to be in control of a Class 3. A younger child may ride along as a passenger on a Class 3 that was built to carry one. Every Class 3 also needs a speedometer that reads in miles per hour.

It also puts every Class 3 rider and passenger younger than 21 in a helmet certified to the federal standard for bicycle helmets, 16 CFR Part 1203. Most states draw that line at 18, so Arkansas is stricter than usual.

Classes 1 and 2 carry neither an age floor nor a helmet mandate in the state e-bike law. Nothing stops you from making helmets a household rule, and cities or park managers sometimes impose their own requirements.

For example, if your 14 year old wants an e-bike for the ride to school, a Class 1 or Class 2 is the legal choice. Wait until 16 for a Class 3, and even then a helmet is mandatory until 21.

On the ride: roads, paths and trails

Under section 27-51-1703, someone on an e-bike has every right and duty a cyclist has, so the road is shared on the same terms. ARDOT's handout on e-bikes says the same: one set of road rules covers e-bikes and pedal bikes alike.

Section 27-51-1705 lets Class 1 and Class 2 bikes share bike lanes and multi-use paths wherever pedal bikes are welcome, unless whoever controls the path has banned them. A Class 3 is allowed on such a path only when the path is within or beside a road, or when the local authority allows Class 3 bikes.

Dirt mountain bike trails are up to whoever owns or runs them, and on federal land an e-bike is classed as motorized. Check with the land manager before you take an e-bike onto a trail.

If the machine is not a legal e-bike: mopeds and motor driven cycles

Anything that falls outside the three classes is not treated as an e-bike at all. According to the State Police study guide, a person riding a motorized bicycle, motor driven cycle, motorcycle or motor vehicle on a public highway needs a license or certificate.

Teens from 14 to 16 have two routes: a Motorized Bicycle certificate for bikes and small motorcycles at or below 50cc, or the Class MD for motorcycles as large as 250cc. Both mean passing the usual driver written test, a separate motorcycle written test, an eye check and a riding test. Someone who already holds a learner's, intermediate or Class D license may ride the 50cc and under machines on that license.

If you are looking at a stand-up scooter

Stand-up scooters got their own statute in 2019, sections 1901 to 1905 of the same chapter. A scooter, for this law, is under 100 pounds, rides on two or three wheels, has a deck to stand on and handlebars, and cannot exceed 20 mph. E-bikes, mopeds and motorized bicycles are excluded.

Under section 27-51-1903, riders must be 16 or older and may not go faster than 15 mph. Rental fleets and shared scooter programs are defined in the same law, and cities keep the power to regulate where scooters are ridden and parked on public land.

Little Rock, the biggest city in the state, fought over scooter rules in 2020, and one version of the ordinance was vetoed by the mayor that December. Renting there? Check the company's rules inside its app, then confirm sidewalk and downtown rules in the current city code or with city hall.

Staying current: changes to watch

Lawmakers have left the 2017 e-bike statute largely alone, yet agencies continue to adjust the rules around it. The Arkansas Motor Vehicle Commission, for instance, opened comments between April 19 and May 19, 2026 on a proposal to treat e-bikes that top out at 20 mph as specialty vehicles outside its dealer regulations.

We checked the rules quoted here against the laws as passed, Act 956 of 2017 for e-bikes and Act 1015 of 2019 for scooters, both posted by the Arkansas Legislature, plus the State Police and ARDOT documents in the source list. Before you count on an age or path rule, look on the Arkansas Legislature's website for any newer amendment to Title 27, Chapter 51.