Verified as of 2026-10-23 against RMV

Massachusetts · E-Bike and E-Scooter Laws

E-Bikes and Electric Scooters in Massachusetts: What Riders Need

This page is for Massachusetts families shopping for an e-bike, scooter or moped, often for a teen who cannot drive yet. The decision is which machine to buy, because the law sorts them into very different boxes. Massachusetts counts just two e-bike classes, Class 1 and Class 2. Both have working pedals, a motor rated at 750 watts or under, and assistance that cuts off at 20 mph. Bikes like that are handled much like ordinary bicycles, with no license or registration, though Chapter 85, Section 11B3/4 keeps them off every sidewalk. A motorized scooter is a separate category: under Chapter 90, Section 1E the rider needs a license or permit and a helmet, and may not exceed 20 mph.

E-bike classes in state law: Class 1 and Class 2 only, assist ends at 20 mph
Motor cap: 750 watts
License or plate for an e-bike: Not needed
E-bikes on sidewalks: Banned
E-bike helmet: Required for riders 16 and younger
Motorized scooter: License or permit, helmet, 20 mph, daylight only
Moped (motorized bicycle): 16+, license or permit, helmet, 25 mph

Step by step

Read the label in the store
Manufacturers have to put the class, the top assisted speed and the wattage on a sticker. If it does not say Class 1 or Class 2 at 750 watts or less, Massachusetts does not treat it as an e-bike.
Teach road and bike lane riding
Your rider follows the same rules as anyone on a pedal bike, on the street and in bike lanes. Sidewalks are never allowed for an e-bike in this state.
Check your town's path rules
Local and state bodies that manage bike paths can limit e-bikes or post a speed cap once they hold a public hearing. Unpaved trails are closed to e-bikes until the managing body says otherwise.
Helmet anyone 16 or under
Bicycle helmet law carries over to e-bikes, and it covers passengers as well as riders aged 16 and younger.
Permit first for scooters and mopeds
No one rides a motorized scooter or a moped without at least a learner's permit, so 16 is the floor. Pair it with a DOT-standard helmet.

Before you buy: what the law calls an e-bike

The definition sits in Chapter 90, Section 1. To count, the machine needs two or three wheels, pedals that genuinely work, an electric motor of no more than 750 watts, and a fit with either Class 1 or Class 2. A Class 1 bike only assists while you are pedaling and stops assisting at 20 mph. A Class 2 bike has a throttle that can move it without pedaling, again with no assistance past 20 mph.

That section then carves e-bikes out of both the motor vehicle and the motorized bicycle categories. The carve-out is the whole reason a qualifying bike skips licensing, registration and plates, and a bike outside the definition gets none of that relief.

Before you buy: the Class 3 trap

Many states define a Class 3 e-bike. Massachusetts never did. So a bike with pedal assist that runs to 28 mph is not an e-bike here, and depending on how it is built it could land in the motorized bicycle category instead. That brings a minimum age of 16, a license or permit, a helmet, and no riding on off-street paths.

Parents buying for a 13 or 14 year old get caught by this more than anything else. Read the class on the sticker, and if the bike is marketed as Class 3, or has a setting that raises its speed, put the question to the RMV before you buy.

Once it is home: where an e-bike can go

Under Chapter 85, Section 11B3/4, a person on an e-bike has the same rights and the same obligations as a cyclist under Sections 11B and 11B1/2, other statutes and local bylaws. The single carve-out is sidewalks, which are off limits. Ordinary bikes are allowed on sidewalks outside business districts where safety calls for it, so this is a genuine difference.

Bike paths are fair game until whoever runs them decides otherwise. A town, a city or a state agency may ban e-bikes or regulate them, including a speed limit, after public notice and a hearing. Dirt trails designated nonmotorized are closed to e-bikes unless the managing body votes to let them in.

Once it is home: helmets and young riders

You will not find an age limit in the e-bike statute. The bicycle statute does that job instead. Chapter 85, Section 11B says anyone aged 16 or under, riding or carried as a passenger on a public way or bike path, wears a helmet that meets federal standards and is fitted and strapped, and the rule covers e-bikes as well.

Parents may not knowingly allow a child under 18 to break these rules. Police can hold a bike for as long as 15 days if a minor was riding it in violation. It is not a criminal matter for the child, but two weeks without the bike tends to make the point.

Over time: labels, modifications and new rules

Each e-bike must comply with the federal safety standard for bicycles and wear a permanent sticker listing its class, its top assisted speed and its motor's wattage. Tinkering that changes the assisted speed or how the motor kicks in is off limits unless a matching new label goes on, and a modified bike can drop out of the e-bike definition altogether.

The Secretary of Transportation has power to write rules on how e-bikes are ridden and labeled. Separately, Chapter 238 of the Acts of 2024 (Section 306) set up a special commission on micromobility to look at paths, sidewalks and shared scooters, with a report due by December 1, 2025. Look on malegislature.gov for any bills that came out of it.

A different machine: motorized scooters

In Massachusetts law a motorized scooter means a device with handlebars, either two wheels in line or three wheels, that you stand or sit on, driven by an electric or gas motor. A typical stand-up electric scooter fits. Chapter 90, Section 1E says you need a valid license or learner's permit to use one on a public road, which puts the real minimum age at 16.

The rest of the rules: 20 mph at most; keep right, including while passing; working brake lights and turn signals, so both hands stay on the handlebars; none of it after sunset or before sunrise; a helmet that meets the registrar's standard; nobody riding with you. Scooters cannot be registered with the RMV. Fines reach $25 for a first violation and $100 for a third.

A different machine: mopeds, and when an e-bike becomes one

The law's motorized bicycle, which most people call a moped, is either a pedal bike fitted with a helper motor or a bike with no pedals whose engine is 50 cc or smaller, shifts automatically, and cannot top 30 mph. Chapter 90, Section 1B sets the rider's age at 16 or more, requires a license or permit, and limits riding speed to 25 mph.

Moped riders can use bike lanes but are barred from off-road recreational paths. Helmets are mandatory for rider and passenger, and a permit holder carries no passenger at all. Under Section 1D the dealer fixes a numbered RMV sticker or plate to the moped when it is sold, and it is renewed when the RMV requires.

Massachusetts teen drivers ed: common questions

Does an e-bike rider need a license in Massachusetts?

No, provided the bike is Class 1 or Class 2 with a motor of 750 watts or under. State law does not treat those as motor vehicles, so licensing, registration and plates do not apply.

How old must you be to ride an e-bike in Massachusetts?

The e-bike law names no minimum age for Class 1 or 2, though anyone 16 or under must wear a helmet. A faster machine that falls outside the definition may require the rider to be 16.

Are e-bikes allowed on sidewalks?

Never. Section 11B3/4 of Chapter 85 bars them from sidewalks, including the stretches where an ordinary bicycle is permitted.

Can I buy a Class 3 e-bike for use in Massachusetts?

You can buy one, but Massachusetts law only recognizes Classes 1 and 2. A bike that assists to 28 mph may be classed as a moped, with all its rules, so get the RMV's view first.

Is a license required for an electric scooter?

Yes. Section 1E calls for at least a learner's permit, a helmet, a top speed of 20 mph and no riding after dark.

My 15 year old wants a scooter. Is that legal?

On public roads, no. The lowest credential that qualifies is a learner's permit, and permits start at 16.

Can police take my child's e-bike?

Yes. If a minor rides in breach of the rules, police can impound the bike for as long as 15 days.

E-Bike and E-Scooter Laws in another state

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Sources

Rules change. If a source above says something different from this page, the source is right. Last checked 2026-10-23.

Step by step

Read the label in the store

Teach road and bike lane riding

Check your town's path rules

Helmet anyone 16 or under

Permit first for scooters and mopeds