Maine E-Bike and Electric Scooter Rules for Families

Before you buy: how Maine sorts e-bikes

Maine moved to the three-class model in 2019 (Public Law 2019, chapter 349), writing the definition into Title 29-A at section 101(22-B). To count as an e-bike, it must have two or three wheels, pedals that fully work, and an electric motor under 750 watts, and it must fit one of the three classes.

Class 1 helps only while the rider pedals and cuts off at 20 mph. Class 2 can run on the motor alone and, in the statute's words, cannot propel the bike at 20 mph. Class 3 is pedal assist only up to 28 mph, and a 2021 amendment requires it to have a speedometer reading miles per hour. That 2019 change also pulled e-bikes out of the legal categories for mopeds, motorized bicycles and motor vehicles.

Here is how that plays out for a family. A 14 year old who wants a throttle bike is out of luck until 16, because a throttle makes it Class 2. A 14 year old on a Class 1 pedal assist bike with a helmet is fine.

What you do not need: license, plates, insurance

Under section 2063(14)(A), the parts of Title 29-A covering driver's licenses, registration, plates and financial responsibility do not apply to e-bike riders. So a teen needs no permit for a Class 1, and a grown-up riding a Class 3 to work needs no insurance.

The bike itself is regulated, though. It has to meet the federal bicycle standards at 16 C.F.R. part 1512. Applying the brakes must cut the motor, and on Class 1 and Class 3 bikes so must stopping pedaling. Tinkering that alters top speed or turns a pedal assist bike into a throttle bike (or the reverse) is illegal unless a new, accurate label goes on. Push it beyond 28 mph with pedal assist, or beyond 20 mph on the throttle, and the law stops treating it as an e-bike.

Ages and helmets

Maine's age rule is tighter than in many states. Section 2063(14)(H) bars anyone under 16 from operating a Class 2 or Class 3, so younger teens cannot use throttle bikes, not just the fastest class. Younger riders may only be carried on a Class 2 or 3 that was designed with a passenger in mind.

Every e-bike rider or passenger under 16 must wear a bicycle helmet that is properly fitted and fastened. Maine's general helmet law for pedal bicycles, section 2323, uses the same under 16 cutoff on public roads and bikeways. Adults are not required to wear one.

Out riding: where each class may go

On public ways, e-bikes follow bicycle rules: hug the right side as much as is practical, and paved shoulders are yours to use. The two lower classes can go wherever regular bicycles go, multi-use and bicycle paths included, unless the town or agency running a path bans them.

Class 3 is limited. It may use a bicycle path only when the path is inside a highway corridor or its manager has expressly allowed Class 3 bikes. No class of e-bike may use a path set aside for nonmotorized traffic where long stretches have a natural surface like gravel, stone or wooden bridging, unless that use has been authorized. On private roads and land, the owner decides. And yes, the open container law covers people riding e-bikes.

Electric scooters: the rule that catches families out

The legal definition, in section 101(41-B), covers a scooter whose two or three wheels are smaller than 10 inches, or whose engine is a gas motor below 25 cc, or whose electric motor is 750 watts at most. That captures nearly every stand-up electric scooter on the market. On the road it is handled like a bicycle under section 2063(1), and section 2063(6) caps it at 20 mph.

Now the surprise. The BMV's vehicle chart says motorized scooters and motorized bicycles cannot be registered and need no inspection, yet riding one on a public way takes a credential: a license, an instruction permit or an endorsement, of whatever class. Maine permits start at 15 and come after driver education, so a 13 or 14 year old with a new scooter should ride it on private property only.

Bigger machines: motorized bicycles, mopeds and 1,500 watts

Beyond scooters and e-bikes, wheel size and motor size decide the category. Section 101(41) puts the motorized bicycle at 1.5 brake horsepower at most, with an unassisted top speed of 25 mph. Under section 101(36), a moped has wheels 10 inches or larger and and either a gas engine of 50 cc or less or an electric motor below 1,500 watts. Reach 1,500 watts and the machine is a motorcycle.

Mopeds must be registered before going on a public way, and the rider needs a license of any class. Section 2083 requires protective headgear for moped riders and passengers under 18, and for any moped operator still on a permit or in the first year after their test.

If something goes wrong: fines, impounds and local rules

From age 17, a section 2063 violation is a traffic infraction costing $25 to $250. Younger riders get no fine. Instead the local police chief may hold the bike or scooter: as long as 5 days the first time, 10 the second, then 30 for each one after.

Towns may add their own rules about where bicycles can ride, but only through an ordinance approved by the Departments of Public Safety and Transportation. Check with Portland or your own town before assuming a path is open.

The e-bike rules date from 2019. The 2021 amendment added the Class 3 speedometer requirement and the private property clause, and the Revisor's text as extracted in October 2026 shows no later changes to section 2063.