Massachusetts E-Bike and Scooter Bill 2026: Speed Tiers, Age Limits and Where It Stands

Massachusetts is close to replacing its patchwork of e-bike, moped and scooter rules with a single system based on how fast a device can go. The House and Senate each passed a version in July as part of the economic development bill, after Gov. Maura Healey filed the idea in May as the “Ride Safe Act.” The two versions agree on most of the framework: four speed tiers, helmet requirements, battery safety standards, registration and insurance for mopeds, and the end of the state’s current scooter law. They disagree on the question parents ask most, which is how old a rider has to be. The bill has been in a conference committee since July 30.

Here is what is in it, based on the texts of H.5576 and the Senate version (S.3228) at malegislature.gov, and where it stands.

How it got here

November 2024. Section 306 of Chapter 238 of the Acts of 2024, the Mass Leads Act, created a special commission “to study and recommend ways to regulate micro-mobility vehicles,” including on bike paths, sidewalks and shared use paths.
January 2026. The Special Commission on Micromobility issued its final report. Streetsblog Massachusetts reported it made 16 recommendations, including a speed-based classification system and a 20 mph limit on shared use paths.
May 4, 2026. Healey filed S.3077, “An Act to enhance the safe use of micromobility devices.” “This legislation positions Massachusetts as a national leader by moving beyond device-by-device rules and towards a unified, speed-based framework for all micromobility,” her filing letter said. The Joint Committee on Transportation heard it on May 28.
July 6. The Transportation Committee reported S.3168, a new draft combining bills by Sen. Nick Collins, Sen. Sal DiDomenico and others, and sent it to Senate Ways and Means.
July 8. The House passed its economic development bill, H.5576, 148 to 2, with a micromobility section.
July 22. Healey’s stand-alone bill was sent to a study order, the bill history shows. Its substance was already moving in the larger bill.
July 24. The Senate passed its version, which also includes the framework.
July 30. The House refused to accept the Senate’s changes and a conference committee was named: Reps. Aaron Michlewitz, Carole Fiola and Michael Soter, and Sens. Barry Finegold, Michael Rodrigues and Peter Durant.

MASSterList reported on September 24 that the six negotiators “will have to make decisions on everything from zoning reforms to new rules around AI and e-bikes.” The bill history shows no conference report as of October 19.

The four speed tiers

Both versions add a new section 64 to chapter 90 that classifies every “micromobility device” by its “maximum manufacturer assisted or designed speed, whichever is higher”:

Speed tier 0: unpowered devices and powered devices up to 20 mph, “including, but not limited to, unpowered micromobility devices, class 1 and class 2 electric bicycles and mobility aid devices.”
Speed tier 1: powered devices from 21 to 30 mph, including the new Class 3 e-bike.
Speed tier 2: powered devices from 31 to 40 mph.
Speed tier 3: powered devices faster than 40 mph.

Where each tier may go:

Tier 0 devices get the rights and duties of bicycles.
Tier 1 devices get the rights and duties of e-bikes under G.L. c. 85, § 11B¾, which bars e-bikes from sidewalks.
Tier 2 and tier 3 devices may not travel “on sidewalks, bike lanes, bike paths, bike routes, separated micromobility lanes or shared use paths.”
Bike lanes and bike paths would be redefined as reserved for bicycles and tier 0 and tier 1 devices, with mopeds excluded.

The Senate version adds a 20 mph maximum for micromobility devices on shared use paths unless the municipality sets a different limit. The House version does not.

What both versions would change

Class 3 e-bikes become legal e-bikes. A new definition covers pedal-assist bikes whose motor stops at 28 mph, and the definition of “electric bicycle” is expanded to include them.
Mopeds go electric, and get plates and insurance. The “motorized bicycle” or moped definition is rewritten to cover a motor up to 50 cc “or the hybrid or electric powered equivalent.” A moped could not be operated on a way without “an annual registration and sticker or plate bearing a distinctive number,” and could not be registered without proof of compulsory liability insurance. Mopeds would be excluded from bike lanes as well as off-street paths.
The scooter law is repealed. The definition of “motorized scooter” is struck and G.L. c. 90, § 1E, with its license requirement and daylight-only rule, is repealed. Electric scooters, skateboards, hoverboards and motorized unicycles become “powered micromobility devices” in the tier system.
Helmets. Riders and passengers 16 and younger on tier 0 devices must wear a helmet meeting federal standards. Anyone operating or riding on a tier 1, 2 or 3 device must wear protective headgear.
Battery safety. Powered devices sold, leased, rented or operated in the state must meet UL battery and electrical system standards, including UL 2849 for e-bikes and UL 2850 for lithium-ion mopeds. The Senate version exempts e-bikes bought before the new section takes effect from the battery and electrical standards.
No modifications. No one may modify a device, including its battery, to increase its designed speed, range, power or passenger capacity, except as allowed by regulation.
Motor vehicle penalties. Micromobility devices would be subject to motor vehicle speed limits and to “all civil and criminal fines and penalties applicable to the operation of a motor vehicle under sections 24 to 24R, inclusive, 24V and 25” of chapter 90, which include the OUI law. Administrative penalties apply only if the registrar adopts them.
A working group. A group chaired by the registrar would recommend registration or identification decals, licensing, insurance, fines and other rules, and design a standard crash-report form feeding a public database. Its report is due by December 31, 2027.

Where they differ: age limits

House (H.5576). It would be unlawful “for any person younger than 16 years of age to purchase, rent, lease or operate any powered micromobility device, motorized bicycle or moped” in any speed tier. That includes Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes, which today have no state age limit. CommonWealth Beacon described the House bill as “banning anyone under 16 from operating” a powered device.
Senate (S.3228). No person “who is not more than 14 years of age” may purchase, rent, lease or operate a powered device in any tier, and no person “who is not more than 16 years of age” may do so on a tier 1, 2 or 3 device. In practice, a 15- or 16-year-old could ride a 20 mph e-bike under the Senate version but not under the House version.

Both versions exempt mobility aid devices used by people with disabilities and purely human-powered devices.

Other differences are smaller. The Senate version lets the registrar vary the helmet rules by regulation for speed tier, device type or circumstance. The House version directs the working group to consider whether to require helmets on tier 0 devices “regardless of age.”

When it would take effect

Most of the framework would not take effect until January 1, 2028, under both versions. In the House version, that date covers the moped registration rule, the repeal of the scooter law, the tier system in new section 64 and the bike lane and path definitions, while the new definitions and the moped insurance requirement would take effect 90 days after the act does. The Senate version sets January 1, 2028 for all of its micromobility sections. Until then, the current rules apply: see our guides to e-bike law, scooter law and how the categories differ.

Other bills filed this session

H.3761 (Rep. Kelly Pease) would define “motor vehicle” to include electric bicycles and motorized scooters. The Transportation Committee’s reporting deadline was extended to July 31, 2026.
HD.5664 (Rep. Alan Silvia) would add a definition of “electric moped.” It was referred to House Rules in February.
H.3697 (Rep. Steven Howitt) would require helmets for operators and passengers of electrically propelled wheeled vehicles. It was sent to a study order in November 2025.
H.2641 (Rep. Howitt), “An Act relative to the safe storage of nationally recognized testing laboratory electric mobility devices,” addresses storage of e-bikes and other electric mobility devices.

Frequently asked questions

Did Massachusetts pass a new e-bike law in 2026?

Not yet. The House and Senate each passed e-bike and scooter provisions in July 2026 as part of the economic development bill, but the two versions differ and the bill has been in a conference committee since July 30. Most provisions would take effect January 1, 2028.

What is the Ride Safe Act?

Gov. Maura Healey’s bill, S.3077, filed May 4, 2026, to regulate e-bikes, mopeds and scooters by top speed. The stand-alone bill was sent to a study order on July 22, but its framework is included in both versions of the economic development bill.

Would kids under 16 be banned from e-bikes?

Under the House version, yes: no one under 16 could operate any powered micromobility device, including Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes. Under the Senate version, riders 14 and under could not use any powered device, and riders 16 and under could not use devices faster than 20 mph.

Would mopeds need insurance in Massachusetts?

Under both versions, a moped could not be operated on a public way without an annual registration and sticker or plate, and could not be registered without proof of compulsory liability insurance.

Would the bill require e-bike registration?

Not directly for tier 0 e-bikes. It would let the registrar, with the Division of Insurance, adopt registration, licensing and insurance rules for micromobility devices by regulation, and a working group would recommend whether to require an identification decal.

Sources: H.5576, S.3228, S.3168, S.3077 and bill histories for those and H.3761, HD.5664, H.3697 and H.2641, malegislature.gov; Chapter 238 of the Acts of 2024, § 306; Special Commission on Micromobility, final report, January 2026; Streetsblog Massachusetts, February 27, 2026; CommonWealth Beacon, July 23, 2026; MASSterList, September 24, 2026. General information, not legal advice.