E-Bikes in Santa Barbara
E-Bikes and E-Motos in Santa Barbara
E-bikes have changed how our city moves. Kids ride them to school, parents use them instead of a second car, and State Street has become as much a bike promenade as a walking one. That shift has brought real benefits, but it has also brought real safety problems, and Santa Barbara has been playing catch up. Here is where the law actually stands, what the state controls versus what the city controls, what is moving in Sacramento right now, what the city could still do, how our police department fits in, and where I stand on it.
I support legal Class 1, Class 2, and Class 3 e-bikes. They reduce traffic, give people an affordable way to get around, and let more of our community enjoy the city without a car. The problem isn't responsible riders. It's reckless behavior and high-powered devices capable of motorcycle speeds operating in places built for bicycles and pedestrians.
The Current Rules, Set by the State
California defines e-bikes in the Vehicle Code, and almost everything about what counts as a legal e-bike comes from the state, not the city.
Class 1: pedal assist only, motor cuts off at 20 mph
Class 2: throttle assisted, motor cuts off at 20 mph
Class 3: pedal assist only, motor cuts off at 28 mph, rider must be at least 16 and wear a helmet
All classes are capped at 750 watts. Anything over that, or anything that can hit more than 20 mph on motor power alone, does not legally qualify as an e-bike at all. It is either a moped, a motorcycle, or an off highway vehicle, and it is not supposed to be sold or ridden on our streets as one.
A few other state rules that apply here in Santa Barbara:
No license, registration, or insurance is required for a legal Class 1, 2, or 3 e-bike.
Riders under 18 must wear a helmet on any bike, electric or not.
As of January 1, 2026, every e-bike needs a rear red reflector or light visible at all times, not just after dark.
New e-bikes, batteries, and chargers sold in California now have to meet lab tested safety certification standards, aimed at reducing battery fires.
Officers can now impound a device that looks like an e-bike but is not, meaning it exceeds the wattage or speed limits, if it is being ridden without registration or by an unlicensed rider.
How State Law Actually Overrides City Codes
This is the part that surprises a lot of people. California Vehicle Code Section 21 says state traffic law applies uniformly across every city and county, and a city cannot pass its own ordinance on anything the Vehicle Code already covers unless the state specifically allows it. That means Santa Barbara cannot, on its own, decide to require e-bike registration, set its own age minimums for riding a Class 1 or 2 e-bike, or reclassify a high powered device on our own authority. Those are matters the state has already occupied.
What the city can do is regulate conduct, meaning how someone rides, not what an e-bike legally is. That is the lane Santa Barbara used when it amended Chapter 10.52 of the Municipal Code in February 2025. The current city ordinance:
Generally prohibits riding e-bikes and other e conveyances on sidewalks, with only limited exceptions
Requires riders to yield to pedestrians and operate safely around others
Prohibits blocking sidewalks or pedestrian access when parking
Allows Santa Barbara Police to issue citations for unsafe operation, sidewalk riding, and other violations
That ordinance is legal because it regulates behavior on our streets rather than trying to redefine or reregister the vehicle itself. If Santa Barbara wanted to go further, for example setting a minimum age to ride a Class 1 or 2 e-bike, the city cannot simply vote that in. The state would have to grant that authority first, the same way it has done for a handful of other counties.
What's Moving in Sacramento Right Now
The legislature is actively working through a wave of e-bike bills, and several would directly change what cities like Santa Barbara are allowed to do:
SB 956: This is the one that matters most for local control. It would authorize any city or county in California, not just a handful of pilot counties, to adopt its own local rules on e-bike speed limits, age requirements, and equipment standards. This is the kind of authority Santa Barbara would need to set real local rules of its own, rather than waiting years for the state to grant us a one-off pilot the way it did for San Diego and Marin Counties.
SB 1167: Backed by the bike industry and safety advocates, this bill draws a hard legal line between real e-bikes and high-powered e-motos that are marketed as e-bikes but perform like motorcycles. It would require those devices to be sold and registered as the motor vehicles they actually are.
AB 2284: Would direct the California Highway Patrol, working with bicycle advocacy groups, to compile and publish a public list of electric two-wheeled products that don't meet the state's legal definition of an e-bike. This is aimed squarely at the enforcement problem: police and schools currently have no official way to tell which brands and models are illegal e-motos being sold as e-bikes.
AB 2346: Would require speedometers on all e-bike classes and running lights, cap speed at 15 mph for riders under 16, set a statewide 10 mph sidewalk speed limit, and let cities set lower speed limits on bike paths and multi use trails.
AB 1942, the "E-Bike Accountability Act": Would have required DMV registration and license plates for Class 2 and 3 e-bikes statewide. It stalled in the Assembly Appropriations Committee in the spring of 2026 after pushback from riders and advocacy groups, so it's effectively dead for now, though similar proposals tend to resurface.
Pilot programs already in place: San Diego County and Marin County both won special state authorization to set their own local age minimums, something Santa Barbara does not currently have.
My Perspective
I don't think Santa Barbara has an e-bike problem so much as it has an e-moto problem. A kid on a Class 1 pedal assist bike riding to school is not the same thing as an unregistered, high powered device capable of motorcycle speeds weaving through the State Street promenade, and our laws should stop treating them the same. That's why I support working with our state legislators to create a separate category for these high powered devices, including a minimum operator age of 16, registration with a visible identification sticker or plate, and safety equipment requirements that match how fast these things actually go. Different vehicles should have different rules.
I also think the honest answer here is that Santa Barbara has been slow twice over. Slow to pass any e-bike rules at all, and then slow to actually fund the enforcement once we did. The numbers make that clear. 108 accidents in ten months, 11 of them serious, one fatal, and nearly a third involving kids, is not a problem we can address with a two day operation here and there. We can't keep asking an understaffed Bike Patrol to take on a new job with no new resources and then act surprised when enforcement is inconsistent. If we're serious about the ordinance we already passed, that means dedicated patrol hours and real budget behind it, not just good intentions.
And on the state and local piece, I'd rather see Sacramento hand cities real, permanent authority over local rules of the road, like SB 956 would do, than have Santa Barbara spend years lobbying for its own one off pilot program the way San Diego and Marin Counties had to. Local streets should mean local control, within reasonable statewide safety standards. Enforcement should focus on dangerous behavior, whether that's an illegal e-moto, a reckless rider, or a repeat offender, not on penalizing the many people using legal e-bikes responsibly every day.
The Current Challenge
The numbers make the case for why more needs to be done. Santa Barbara Police Chief Kelly Gordon reported 108 e-bike accidents in the city between May 1, 2025 and February 28, 2026. Of those, 11 involved serious injuries and one was fatal. 31 of the 108 involved juvenile riders. In that same window, the department issued 311 unsafe operation citations to riders of e-bikes and traditional bicycles combined, though the department's data doesn't separate the two.
During a focused two day enforcement operation in July 2026, officers issued 39 citations for unsafe e-bike operation and towed six illegally operating e-motos from city streets.
These numbers tell me education alone isn't enough. We need clear laws, consistent enforcement, and a public that actually understands the rules.
E-Bikes for Our Police Department
Santa Barbara Police already uses e-bikes, and it works. The department got its first three, funded by a grant, in 2022, with the Police Foundation later donating for five more. Officers patrol State Street, the waterfront, the Mesa, and Milpas Street on them. They cover more ground than they would walking or on a standard bike and get to calls faster.
But there is a real gap between having the bikes and having the enforcement capacity to use them. Our dedicated Bike Patrol has historically focused on visibility and warnings rather than citations, in part to preserve its community friendly reputation, and in part because the department is understaffed and any added enforcement duty means unfunded overtime. That gap is a big part of why the July 2026 enforcement numbers came from a special two day operation rather than routine patrol.
Expanding the department's e-bike patrol program with dedicated hours, not overtime borrowed from an already stretched schedule.
Increasing visible patrols along State Street and the waterfront, especially during peak hours.
Continuing targeted enforcement operations focused on reckless riding, illegal e-motos, and repeat offenders, rather than blanket citations for responsible riders.
Pursuing grant funding earmarked specifically for e-bike enforcement, the same way the original bike fleet was funded.
What the City Could Do
Within the city's existing authority:
Fully staff and fund enforcement of the ordinance already on the books. The Santa Barbara County Grand Jury found that when the city handed the Police Department new enforcement responsibilities in 2025, it came with no new funding or staffing to go with them.
Run a sustained public education campaign, in partnership with the school district, local bike shops, and neighboring cities like Goleta, so riders and parents actually understand the difference between a legal e-bike and an illegal e-moto.
Continue publishing collision and citation data regularly, the way Chief Gordon's office has started doing, so residents and the Council can see whether enforcement is working.
By seeking state authorization:
Support SB 956, which would grant every California city, including Santa Barbara, the authority to set its own age minimums and equipment standards, rather than requiring a separate pilot bill for each county.
Push for the state to finish the work SB 1167 and AB 2284 have started: a clean legal separation between e-bikes and e-motos, plus an official list law enforcement and schools can actually use, so our police have solid ground to stand on when they impound a device.