Utah’s New eBike Law Explained: What Every Rider Needs to Know
Utah recently passed a new eBike law and there has been some confusion as to what it all means. Here at Bakcou we sat down with Bryan Child, one of our owners, to talk about the new law. Bryan was instrumental in crafting the new law and was on site at the capitol to offer his insights. Below is a brief summary of what the law contains.
According to Utah’s new law, an eBike has been defined as a bicycle with a motor no larger than 750 watts. The pedals are affixed to the frame, and the bike must have the ability to be powered independently of the motor (you can pedal it to make it go without the motor). This clarified earlier descriptions of eBikes that were confusing to some.
Within the eBike spectrum, there are 3 classifications.
Class 1
A Class 1 eBike has a maximum 750 Watt motor. The max speed allowed through pedal assist is 20 mph, and you cannot have a throttle attached so you still have to pedal.
Class 2
Class 2 has the same size motor and speed limit as Class 1 but now you are allowed a throttle. It’s no longer restricted to just pedal assist. Use the throttle to go up hill, down hill, whatever the terrain is. You can also use pedal assist, but this just gives you another option. This is probably the most popular type of eBike and one that is most commonly sold in your big box stores (aka WalMart).
Class 3
Lastly, we have Class 3. Same motor size (750 Watts) but a new speed limit and the throttle is gone again. Pedal assist only on this eBike.
If your bike doesn’t fall within any of these parameters, then legally it’s not an eBike. It’s good to note that if your bike doesn’t exceed these specifications, it can still be an eBike. It could have a 250 Watt motor and a max speed limit of 15 mph and still be an eBike.
Where can I ride?
This is also a very common question amongst the eBike community. According to the law, you can ride an eBike on all state highways (minus freeways). Essentially, if an ATV can ride there, you should be safe. eBikes are also welcome on some trails, but there are some regulations and restrictions there as well. If a trail has restrictions it will be posted at the trailhead. For example, a trailhead can state “Class 1 eBikes only” or another classification. Please follow these trail restrictions so that we can all enjoy the trails. If nothing is posted, you are free to ride.
Even still, with these classifications, there are some new rules that need to be followed.
No riders under 8 years old. Sorry kids, you have to stick to regular bikes for right now.
From age 8 to 13, parental supervision is required and you are restricted to Class 1 and Class 2 eBikes. Still this isn’t a huge deal because most eBikes fall within this category.
At age 14, parental supervision isn’t required.
When you hit 16, then you can ride a class 3 eBike.
If you are under the age of 18, a safety course is required (still to be defined) and if you are over 18 and don’t have a driver’s license, you also need to take a safety course. If you are over 18 and have a driver’s license, no safety course is required.
And finally, helmets until you turn 21. But honestly, every rider of every age should wear a helmet. Protect your noggin.
I also want to mention, this only applies to public highways. If you’re on private land, you are allowed to do what you want in regards to eBikes.
The majority of this is simply to make eBikes safer for kids.
What about eMotos?
Now what if it doesn’t fall within these categories. Then it can fall into 1 of 2 other categories. eMoto and High Powered Electrical Device. I don’t want to make this blog post too long, so I’ll go over these briefly.
eMoto = Motor over 750 Watts, no attached pedals, has a saddle, throttle (obviously), sole propulsion is from the motor.
If you’re riding an eMoto, the same rules apply to an eMoto as it would to a regular gas powered motorcycle on public roads. The vehicle needs to be insured and registered, plus the rider needs a motorcycle endorsement on their driver’s license. That adds on the age limit of 16 years old. Helmets are required until the age of 21. The endorsement is a good idea either way and can help you in dice-y situations.
Lastly, we have the high-powered electrical devices. This is that grey area where it’s not an eBike, but it’s also not an eMoto. Some examples of these are eScooters, one wheels, e-powered unicycles (it’s a thing), and electric powered skateboards.
So I hope this helps you make a little more sense of Utah’s new eBike laws. We will continually do more posts and podcasts regarding this subject. In the meantime, if you have any questions, feel free to comment on this post, or on the YouTube video itself. Check it out.