Legislative Session Leaves E-bike Laws As They Are…For Now

You may have read a story online about new Minnesota e-bike laws. Or saw a TV story. Maybe you saw comments from your local police department about new restrictions on e-biking.

But the truth is, there are NO new statewide e-bike laws in Minnesota this summer.

A package of changes DID pass in the Minnesota Senate, but did not advance in the Minnesota House before the legislature adjourned in May.

So there are no changes for 2026.

E-bikes vs. e-motos

The Minnesota biking advocacy group BikeMN pushed this past legislative session to clarify what is an "e-bike," and what's an "e-moto."

You've likely encountered an electric bike or an electric-assist bike -- a bicycle that has a battery and motor that can be used to help the biker pedal farther and flatten out hills.

These e-bikes help bicyclists as they pedal and travel up to 20 mph.

But e-motos -- they're a different thing and they can sometimes cause problems.

E-motos are considered "heavier, faster machines that exceed the 750-watt and 20-mph maximum throttle assisted pedal capable class 2 e-bikes or 28-mph max pedal assisted class 3 e-bikes thresholds that are the legal definition of an e-bike in MN."

And according to BikeMN, they're not e-bikes -- they're motor vehicles like a motorcycle or dirt bike. And with higher speeds and more power, they should be dealt with as such.

State strategies for moving forward.

The 2026 Electric-Assisted bicycle Youth Operation Study -- prepared by the Minnesota Department of Transportation and Minnesota Department of Public Safety -- was an in-depth look at young people and e-bike use.

The study's seven strategies boil down to efforts to:

• educate riders
• clarify definitions
• expand access
• standardize rules
• integrate e-bikes into transportation planning
• build better infrastructure, and
• gather better data

The study did NOT recommend raising the minimum riding age, requiring licenses or registration, imposing broad trail bans, or creating a statewide helmet mandate.

Easy does it in regulating e-bikes.

E-bikes are appearing more and more often on Minnesota's trails and roads. They're becoming a larger part of our transportation system.

But BikeMN says while we do need to build safer systems, "the evidence does not support the narrative that e-bikes represent an out-of-control safety crisis requiring restrictive new laws."

The next Minnesota legislative session begins January 12th.

Stay tuned.