San Diego | Monday, August 17, 2026
A new City of San Diego ordinance took effect August 13, prohibiting children under 12 from operating Class 1, 2, or 3 electric bicycles on city streets, bike paths, parks, trails, and boardwalks — a response to what city officials describe as a sharp rise in serious e-bike-related injuries among young riders over the past two years.
The ordinance, approved unanimously by the City Council’s Public Safety Committee earlier this year and passed by the full council in June, was made possible at the state level through Assembly Bill 2234, the San Diego Electric Bicycle Safety Pilot Program, authored by Assemblymember Tasha Boerner. Under the new rules, children under 12 are limited to traditional pedal bicycles within city limits; those between 12 and 15 may ride Class 1 and 2 e-bikes; and riders must be at least 16 to legally operate a Class 3 e-bike, which can reach speeds of up to 28 miles per hour. The ordinance also reinforces existing helmet requirements for riders under 18 and bans carrying passengers on e-bikes not equipped with a permanent second seat.
The data behind the policy is significant. According to Rady Children’s Hospital, more than 1,000 children were treated for e-bike-related injuries in 2025 alone — a figure that goes beyond minor scrapes to include serious trauma from stunts and unsafe riding in traffic. San Diego Police Commander Ben Kelso said local law enforcement and hospitals have both observed the increase firsthand, and City Councilmember Raul Campillo, who championed the ordinance, said the goal was addressing young riders performing wheelies and weaving through busy streets that prompted the council to act.
Enforcement will be phased in gradually. The city has built in a 60-day education and warning period, meaning officers will issue warnings rather than citations through October 12, 2026. After that date, violations become citable under San Diego Municipal Code 84.20, though the ordinance includes an off-ramp: individuals cited can complete an approved online e-bike safety course within 120 days in lieu of paying a $25 fine. Notably, the ordinance’s enforcement structure places some responsibility on parents as well as riders, since minors cannot legally be held solely accountable for citations under existing juvenile enforcement frameworks — a detail that has prompted local coverage specifically addressing what parents need to know before the grace period ends.
San Diego joins a growing list of neighboring jurisdictions — including La Mesa, Carlsbad, and Encinitas — that have adopted similar local restrictions in the past two years, suggesting a broader regional consensus is forming around e-bike safety even as state law itself has not yet imposed uniform statewide age minimums for all e-bike classes. That patchwork approach, with each city setting its own thresholds and enforcement mechanisms under AB 2234’s pilot framework, means families crossing municipal lines within San Diego County face different rules depending on where they are riding — an inconsistency that could eventually prompt state lawmakers to consider a uniform statewide standard rather than a city-by-city pilot approach.
Safety advocates used the run-up to the ordinance’s effective date to reinforce the message directly to parents. At a media event earlier this month, the Automobile Club of Southern California demonstrated the impact of a helmet-less fall using watermelons dropped from waist height — a visceral illustration timed to coincide with students returning to school and relying on e-bikes as a primary means of transportation. With the 60-day warning period now underway, the practical test of the ordinance’s effectiveness will come in how citation and injury data compare once real enforcement begins in mid-October.
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