Tennessee E-Bike and E-Scooter Rules for Riders and Parents

Before you buy: what counts as an e-bike

The 2016 law, Public Chapter 823, wrote the e-bike rules into the code. Section 55-8-301 describes an electric bicycle as having two or three wheels, at least one measuring 20 inches across or more, fully working pedals, and a motor rated below 750 watts. Class 1 helps only while you pedal and quits at 20 mph. Class 2 can move on the motor alone, also up to 20 mph. Class 3 is pedal assist again, but keeps helping until 28 mph.

Every new e-bike sold in the state since January 1, 2017 carries a permanent label listing its class, top assisted speed and wattage. Under T.C.A. 55-8-304, tinkering with the speed and leaving the old label on is a Class C misdemeanor, so swapping a controller can make a legal bike illegal.

No license, no plates, no insurance

T.C.A. 55-8-302 takes the e-bike and its rider out of the motor vehicle rules, listing by name the insurance law, licensing law, and title and registration requirements. Bicycle law applies instead, which gives the rider the same rights and duties as any vehicle driver on the road.

The bike also has to satisfy the federal bicycle rules (16 CFR Part 1512), with power that stops when a brake is pulled or a kill switch released. A Class 3 also needs a speedometer in miles per hour before it goes on a street or highway.

Choosing by age: the 2026 change and helmets

Public Chapter 651, which came from Senate Bill 1782 and was signed April 1, 2026, lifted the age to operate a Class 3 from 14 to 16 effective July 1, 2026 (T.C.A. 55-8-307). Younger kids may still ride on the back of a Class 3 that has a passenger seat. Breaking the age rule carries only a fine of up to $50.

That section also requires every Class 3 operator and passenger, whatever their age, to wear a snug, buckled helmet labeled as meeting CPSC or ASTM standards, and a violation is a Class C misdemeanor. On top of that, the Child Bicycle Safety Act (T.C.A. 55-52-105) puts anyone under 16 in a helmet whenever they ride or ride along on a bicycle, and e-bikes fall under bicycle law.

Put simply: a 15 year old who got a Class 3 last spring may not take it on streets or highways until turning 16, and on a Class 1 or 2 in the meantime still needs a helmet.

• Class 1 and 2: no statewide age floor; helmet under 16
• Class 3: rider 16 or older from July 1, 2026; helmet for every rider and passenger
• Bike rental shops may not rent to anyone under 16 unless a helmet is available

Out riding: where each class may go

The two 20 mph classes go wherever bicycles go on a road, and under T.C.A. 55-8-306 that includes bike lanes, shoulders (the berm) and bicycle paths and trails. A Class 3 is confined to lanes, shoulders, paths and trails that run in or alongside the road, unless whoever manages the path, local or state, opens more to it.

Sidewalks are closed to e-bikes unless the local government permits bicycles there, and even then the motor must be off. Taking a Class 3 where it is banned, or riding a sidewalk against these rules, is a Class C misdemeanor.

Local control grew in April 2026

Before 2026 a town could limit the slower two classes on paths and trails and nowhere else. The first section of the new law, effective the day it was signed (April 1, 2026), extends that power to every part of a road that bicycles may use, state highway segments included, when it decides public safety requires it. State agencies got the same power through rules or policy.

Riding rules can therefore change from one town line to the next. Collierville is one example: it publishes local guidance and asks e-bike riders to keep off sidewalks in commercial areas such as the Town Square. If the bike is for getting to school, read your local ordinances and the greenway rules on that route before you buy.

Electric scooters

Public Chapter 388 of 2019 added an electric scooter definition to T.C.A. 55-8-101: a handlebar device weighing less than 100 pounds, driven by an electric motor, by the rider's own effort or both, that tops out at 20 mph under motor power. Scooters are not motor vehicles under the law and, like e-bikes, skip title and registration.

That 2019 law also gives cities, counties and metro governments the power to regulate scooters or outlaw them by ordinance. No statewide age minimum exists; local law and the rental company fill the gap. Watch out for one thing: for DUI purposes (T.C.A. 55-10-401) a scooter counts as a motor-driven vehicle, and riding drunk can bring the same charge as driving drunk.

Renting in Nashville

In Nashville, shared scooters and e-bikes are licensed by the Transportation Licensing Commission under Chapter 12.62 of the Metro Code. GPS fencing automatically slows or halts a device in areas the commission marks for reduced speed, no riding or no parking, and big occasions like CMA Fest, Independence Day and New Year's Eve bring extra temporary closures.

A pilot began in 2022; in May 2024 the commission decided the fleets should lean toward e-bikes, and service now spans all of Davidson County. Park in downtown corrals, painted pavement boxes or racks; report misparked devices through hubNashville or by dialing 311. Each company's terms set its own age limit.

If it is too powerful: when it is no longer an e-bike

Once the motor reaches 750 watts, or assist continues past 28 mph, the bike falls out of the electric bicycle definition. According to the manual, riding a motorcycle, a motor-driven cycle, or a motorized bike or scooter takes a Class M license; engines under 125 cc can be ridden on the more limited Class M version.

Those machines also come with title, registration and insurance obligations that e-bikes avoid. Unsure where a high powered bike or sit-down scooter falls? A Driver Services Center can tell you before it hits the road.