North Dakota Rules for E-Bikes, Scooters and Motorized Bicycles

Before you buy: what counts as an e-bike

Under NDCC 39-01-01, an electric bicycle needs pedals that work, a seat, and a motor no stronger than 750 watts, and it must fit one of three classes. Class 1 helps only while you pedal and cuts out at 20 mph. Class 2 has a throttle that can move the bike without pedaling, also cutting out at 20 mph. Class 3 also needs you to pedal, but keeps helping up to 28 mph.

The same section counts an electric bicycle as a bicycle and takes it out of the motor vehicle, motorcycle and motorized bicycle definitions. So an e-bike that meets the definition goes without a title, registration or operator's license.

Before you buy: labels, standards and tampering

Since January 1, 2022, NDCC 39-10.1-09 has required a permanent label showing class, top assisted speed and motor wattage in at least nine point Arial. Federal bicycle standards at 16 CFR part 1512 apply, and when the rider stops pedaling or touches the brakes, the motor has to disengage.

Class 3 riders are responsible for a speedometer that works. Changing the motor's speed or the way it engages is forbidden unless the label is swapped to match. Push a bike past these limits and the law no longer treats it as an e-bike.

Ages and helmets: what the law does and does not say

No North Dakota statute puts an age floor on any class of e-bike. The only age line in the e-bike law concerns helmets, and it applies to Class 3 riders younger than 18.

Nothing in state law requires a helmet on a Class 1 or 2 at any age. Even so, the NDDOT driver manual advises a helmet for anyone on a bicycle or motorized bicycle, and for a 12 year old on a throttle bike that reaches 20 mph, that is the easy call. Local path rules set by a city or park district may go further.

Once you are riding: roads and paths

Road rules come from NDCC 39-10.1, the chapter for bicycles. Keep as far right as practicable and ride no more than two side by side unless on a path or lane set aside for bikes. Stop signs depend on the road: come to a complete stop if the road has three lanes or more or another vehicle is already waiting there; otherwise you may slow, look and continue when clear.

Section 39-10.1-09 lets any class of e-bike use bicycle paths and multi-use paths unless the governmental entity in charge bans them. Multipassenger bicycles work the other way round: off those paths unless allowed.

If a teen gets a ticket on an e-bike, NDCC 39-10.1-08 keeps bicycle and e-bike violations off the driving record as points, though fines still apply. Riding impaired is the exception that bites, with a $200 fee.

When it is faster than an e-bike: motorized bicycles

North Dakota's motorized bicycle has two or three wheels, is 32 inches wide or less, has either pedals or footrests, makes two brake horsepower or less, cannot exceed 30 mph and needs no clutch or shifting. A combustion engine may not exceed 49.98 cc. The law treats it as a motor vehicle when it comes to title, registration and licensing.

Riders must be 14 or older and hold one of these: a motorized bicycle operator's permit, a motorcycle permit, an instruction or temporary permit, or a regular operator's license. The motorized bicycle permit, created by NDCC 39-06-14.1, costs $10 to apply for and involves a written traffic law test and an eye check. Helmets are required under 18, according to the NDDOT manual.

If it is a scooter, and if you live in Fargo

State law has no category for stand-up electric scooters, so what rules apply turns on how it is built and how fast it goes. If it has footrests and tops out at 30 mph or below, it may meet the motorized bicycle definition. That would mean a minimum age of 14, a permit or license, registration and a helmet for riders under 18. Check with NDDOT before you buy a quick scooter for your teen.

In Fargo, the city code includes Article 8-20 on motorized scooters. Fargo police cautioned in June 2026 that plenty of riders could be violating the law unknowingly. Standard e-bikes are fine, but faster scooters and e-bikes with no pedals may not be allowed on any street, sidewalk or path in the city, and buying one at a store or online is no proof it is road legal. Police put out a model-by-model breakdown; check it and the current ordinance before buying.