The Local Girl Team 
Over the past three years, the usage and presence of electric bikes have increased substantially. This has created new dynamics for road safety laws and vehicle culture, with recent e-bike incidents encouraging a review of legislation. New Jersey has enacted a new law that will govern the use of e-bikes, including dictating helmet and registration requirements for the bikes. Read on for more about the new e-bike laws in New Jersey.
About the Rise of E-Bikes
E-bikes have emerged as a national phenomenon with over one million sold in the United States in 2022. This number rose to 1.7 million in 2024, an increase of 70% — and market observers believe this upwards trajectory will continue on an exponential path. Their popularity can be attributed to convenience, accessibility, and price, especially in dense areas where conventional commuting can be time-consuming or expensive.
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However, e-bike legislation has been inconsistent in New Jersey, resulting in a handful of incidents. Aside from laws differing from city to city, road design has not consistently supported bicycles. For example, officials in Essex County do not see the district’s road infrastructure as safe for e-bike use. “[Safety] must be reinforced with safer infrastructure, including protected bike lanes, improved intersections, and traffic-calming measures”, Leigh Ann Von Hagen, the executive director of Rutgers’ Voorhees Transportation Center, explained in a write-up about the e-bike boom.
Hoboken has served as a model for safety measures with the vehicle, requiring registration with the city, passing a license test, and paying a fee to drive e-bikes legally. Hoboken and Jersey City employ bike lanes and anti-sidewalk driving laws to limit accidents and employ strict rules regarding the obedience of signage and traffic lights. With these regulations serving as a positive example for e-bike safety, Senate President Nick Scutari has recently shown interest in enforcing them statewide.
About Current E-Bike Legislation
Electric bicycles are federally defined as “low-speed vehicles” and are therefore not considered motor vehicles, according to QuietKat, a major electric bicycle manufacturer. This means that they do not require registration, insurance, or a license to be operated, despite many e-bikes reaching speeds of up to 30 mph. Rules on e-bikes differ by state, but they all follow unique, statewide legislative measures.
In 39 states, including New Jersey, e-bikes are categorized using a three-class system:
- Class 1: Bicycles equipped with a motor that provides assistance only when the rider is pedaling, and that cease to assist when the bicycle reaches 20 mph.
- Class 2: Bicycles equipped with a motor that may be used exclusively to propel the bicycle, and that are incapable of assisting when the bicycle reaches 20 mph.
- Class 3: Bicycles equipped with a motor that provides assistance only when the rider is pedaling, and that cease to assist when the bicycle reaches 28 mph.
There are also no unanimous rules for age restrictions on e-bikes. For example, in Pennsylvania, the minimum age required for e-bike operation is 16 – however, California has no age restrictions at all.
In New Jersey, age restrictions are split by class — Class 1 and 2 e-bikes have no minimum age requirement, as they are regulated like regular bicycles. Users of Class 3 bikes — which are instead defined as motorized bicycles, a decision unique to the state — must be at least 15 and possess an operator’s license. No e-bikes are permitted to ride on pedestrian sidewalks, and all three may ride on bicycle paths.
About Senator Scutari’s Proposal
Senator Scutari’s concern is that the practices and views around e-bikes are outdated. “We are in a new era of e-bike use that requires updated safety standards to help prevent accidents, injuries and fatalities”, he explained in an announcement. New Jersey e-bike laws have not been updated since May of 2019 and Scutari no longer considers them acceptable for the vehicle’s present-day capabilities. Federal data supports his notion, with e-bike injuries rising by 317% from 2020 to 2022 — and an estimated young people suffered 13% of the injuries.
To limit New Jersey’s continued contribution to this data, Scutari believes that change must happen at the distributive and legal levels. His biggest target for change is the e-bike classification system, with his proposed update being as follows:
- Class 1 electric bicycles would also include throttle-assisted models with a maximum speed of 18 mph.
- A new Class 4 for bicycles with maximum speeds that go above 28 mph or 750 watts.
Among Senator Scutari’s other proposals include a new MVC electric bicycle registration, an insurance and sticker system for Class 2 and higher e-bikes, and the prohibition of minors under the age of 17 to operate e-bikes above Class 1. This proposed legislation would also require users of Class 2 or higher e-bikes to possess a moped or e-bike license officially administered by MVC.
And although Senator Scutari’s initiative has received plenty of praise for its dedication to safety and consciousness of micromobility rights, it has a vocal group of opposers. Some cyclists are concerned that stronger regulations on registration could disproportionately affect delivery workers, who will now have to consider the impact of registration costs. There is also a belief among them that the state’s legislative goals imply a growing opposition to e-bikes, which contrasts with other states that provide e-bike incentives and promote them in the pursuit of positive climate goals.
Some pro e-bike coalitions also believe that change should occur at the infrastructural level, versus distributive. They suggest that New Jersey should focus on installing a statewide Vision Zero policy, which Hoboken and Jersey City have received acclaim for. “Hoboken has gone seven years without a fatal crash,” Corey Hannigan of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign noted in a 2024 protest. Hannigan and others believe that e-bike safety would naturally improve with uniform changes to infrastructure.
Bill Passage
The bill was passed in January 2026 and was signed into law by former Governor Phil Murphy. While some people support the new laws, many bike safety advocates say that it is too restrictive and burdensome. Advocacy group People for Bikes said, “The law sets New Jersey up to become the most unfriendly state for bicycling in the country by requiring registration and a driver’s license to ride all e-bikes in the state with an additional insurance requirement for Class 2 and 3 e-bikes.”
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