Montana Rules for E-Bikes, Scooters and Mopeds

Before you buy: the one number that matters

Rather than sorting bikes into classes, Montana writes one test into Section 61-8-102: two wheels in a line, an electric motor, and a top motor speed of 20 mph with a 170 pound rider on smooth level pavement. That section also folds e-bikes into the word bicycle, which means Part 6 of Chapter 8, the bicycle part of the traffic code, is what governs them.

With no classes, Montana does not care whether the motor answers a throttle or only pedaling. The 20 mph ceiling is the test. Many bikes marketed nationally as Class 3 assist to 28 mph, and those fall outside Montana's e-bike definition whatever the box says.

Before you buy: what a faster machine becomes

Something with pedals that tops 20 mph will usually be a moped instead. In Montana a moped has two or three wheels and pedals, at most 2 brake horsepower, a top unassisted speed of 30 mph, and no clutch or gears to shift. Mopeds are left out of both the motor vehicle and the motorcycle definitions in Section 61-1-101.

Past those limits, the machine is a motorcycle in the eyes of the law: you need the endorsement under Section 61-5-102, plus title and registration as for a car. When you cannot tell where a model lands, call the MVD while it is still on the showroom floor.

Before the first ride: ages and helmets

Montana's traffic title has no age floor for riding an e-bike, moped or motorized scooter, and nothing requiring bicycle helmets generally. The helmet law, Section 61-9-417, covers anyone under 18 operating or riding on a motorcycle, moped, motorized scooter or quadricycle on public streets and highways, and the helmet must meet Department of Justice standards. A bike that meets the e-bike definition is not covered.

So the e-bike helmet decision is yours, your school's or the rental company's. Penalties for breaking the helmet law come from the general penalty section, 61-9-518, and an operator carrying a minor passenger without a helmet is also guilty of an offense. The simplest house rule is a helmet on every ride, on every one of these machines.

On the ride: where each machine can go

Section 61-8-602 treats people on bicycles, mopeds and motorized scooters as drivers with the usual rights and duties, subject to the special rules in Part 6. Under Section 61-8-605, a bicyclist may ride in the road or on a paved shoulder, ride side by side on the shoulder, and leave the right hand lane to overtake, to turn left or to steer around hazards like debris or parked cars.

On sidewalks, the type of machine decides. Section 61-8-608 says anyone riding on a sidewalk or crosswalk gives way to people on foot, sounds a warning before overtaking them, and stays off where signs say no. A moped or motorized scooter on a sidewalk or bike path must run on muscle, not motor. E-bikes under motor power on sidewalks are not addressed, so the safe choice is to pedal or walk.

• E-bike: road, shoulder, bike lane and path; on sidewalks only where no sign forbids it, and pedestrians come first
• Moped: motor on in the road, bike lane or shoulder; pedals only on sidewalks and bike paths
• Motorized scooter: treated like a moped, minus the seat
• Anything faster: motor vehicle rules, an endorsement and registration

Scooters after the 2025 law

House Bill 588 became law in May 2025, as Chapter 693 of that year's session laws. It defines a motorized scooter as having no seat, being driven by muscle, an engine or a motor, and unable to exceed 30 mph on flat ground. The updated code takes these scooters out of the motor vehicle category and gives their riders the road rights and duties of a bicyclist.

The older general definitions still list a motor driven cycle, including a motorized scooter of up to 5 horsepower, as a motorcycle, which does not fit neatly with the new definition. If your scooter is the ordinary stand-up electric kind, go by the Part 6 rules; if it is unusually strong, check with the MVD.

Riding at dusk and after dark

One equipment rule, Section 61-8-607, covers bicycles, mopeds and motorized scooters alike. Between dusk and dawn the rider needs a white light in front, a red light or reflector at the back, and reflective material on the sides, and each must be visible at 500 feet. A light on the helmet is an acceptable substitute for one on the handlebars.

Brakes count too: the machine has to stop within 25 feet from 10 mph on clean, dry, flat pavement. Section 61-8-601 makes any Part 6 violation a misdemeanor, so a dead headlight is a real offense, not a friendly reminder.

Afterward: city rules and what may change

Local governments get their own say under Section 61-12-101: a city or town may set operating rules for bicycles and mopeds and may require local registration and a license fee. That is how places like Billings and Missoula can ban sidewalk riding downtown. We could not confirm whether Billings has a scooter ordinance, so read the city code or ask the police before riding in a downtown area.

Senate Bill 387 tried to bring e-bike classes to Montana in 2025 but died after missing its transmittal deadline. Lawmakers return in 2027, so a class system could come up again; check the definition again before buying anything that assists beyond 20 mph.