The City of Centennial passed an emergency ordinance to regulate the use of e-bikes and e-motorcycles on Aug. 18. Stock photo
Centennial City Council approved new rules governing electric bicycles, electric motorcycles and other high-powered electric vehicles on public property on Aug. 18.
Ordinance 2026-O-13, which took effect immediately, is intended to clarify where various electric vehicles can be used and establish safety requirements for streets, sidewalks, trails, parks and other public spaces.
The city said it collaborated with the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office, Arapahoe County’s Open Space, Trails Parks and Recreation District, South Suburban Parks and Recreation District, and across city departments to develop a plan to address issues around e-bikes.
According to South Metro Fire Community Risk Reduction, paramedics have noticed a spike in e-bike and e-scooter injuries, where almost half of these incidents included riders who did not wear a helmet.
Eric Eddy, Centennial’s assistant city manager, led the presentation regarding the ordinance to the city council on Aug. 18.
Eddy presented trends about e-bike injuries from the local and national level. He quoted from the University of Colorado Anschutz’s studies that found these injuries for adolescents tend to be more severe than regular bicycle accidents.
According to the university, common injuries are to the head, neck, and face, including internal injuries, and boys younger than 16 present a high risk for these.
“I don’t present this to you to say the world is bleak because I don’t believe it is in this case. I present this to you to emphasize that there is a case beyond just the need for this regulation because of complaints or because of what we’ve seen on Nextdoor,” Eddy said. “There is a documented medical issue our partner providers have seen in this area.”
Under the ordinance, Class 3 e-bikes and electric motorcycles are prohibited on sidewalks and trails. They may be operated on city streets when riders comply with applicable traffic laws and other legal requirements.
The measure also addresses toy vehicles, off-highway vehicles and other high-powered electric recreational devices.
Key provisions include:
Riders must be at least 16 years old to operate an electric motorcycle.
Electric motorcycles must meet applicable licensing, registration and insurance requirements.
Riders younger than 18 must wear helmets.
Standard e-bikes may not be modified to exceed the speed intended or specified by the manufacturer.
Violations may result in fines, parental liability or vehicle impoundment.
“We’re not able to say this is exactly the thing we need to take off the streets and we’re good to go. There’s a lot of nuance to this,” Eddy said.
Eddy clarified which vehicles don’t constitute an e-bike, according to Bicycle Colorado, a nonprofit advocacy organization that promotes safe and accessible biking practices.
“You may have seen people riding vehicles that resemble e-bikes — with two or three wheels and possibly pedals — but clearly exceed the speed and motor limits defined by the three-class e-bike system,” the Bicycle Colorado website reads. “These are not e-bikes. They are more accurately classified as electric mopeds, electric motorcycles, or e-motos.”
Class 1 and 2 e-bikes feature functional pedals, motors capped at 750 watts, and maximum speeds of 20 mph, whereas Class 3 e-bikes can reach up to 28 mph, as detailed on the City of Centennial’s new e-bikes webpage.
Conversely, electric dirt bikes and motorcycles are excluded from Colorado’s e-bike classification. They generally lack working pedals, feature power outputs above 750 watts, and can exceed speeds of 30 mph. Because of these operational differences, electric motorcycles are subject to licensing, registration, and insurance mandates.
In response to the proposed ordinance, Councilmember Cindy Sandhu asked about the enforcement strategies the sheriff’s office intends to employ when encountering minors operating e-bikes in violation of the new rules.
“I’m assuming the sheriff’s department will not chase the kids, or will they?” she asked.
Chief Kenneth McKlem of the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office said, “It would depend on what the rider is doing, but under almost all circumstances, we would not be pursuing small children on e-bikes… We have other methods… Most of our laws and regulations hope for 90% of people will comply 90% of the time.”
McKlem added that he hopes promoting the new ordinance will assist in ensuring complaints about e-bikes will decrease.
Councilmember Ashish Vaiyda asked, in the case that South Suburban adopted the new ordinance, whether the rules would apply to South Suburban’s areas outside of Centennial.
“The short answer is sort of,” Eddy said. “There are additional actions that need to be taken… This creates a consistency and uniformity of expectation within the City of Centennial. Based on what we anticipate in Arapahoe County and the leadership of those two parks and rec districts, we believe that they will put these very same rules into effect.”
McKlem said the county has a study session scheduled for Sept. 18 to discuss passing a similar ordinance.
“(The commissioners) are aware of the issue and understand (Centennial) is taking the lead,” he said. “I think the full intention is to pass an ordinance that is as close as to what the city does.”
Ordinances typically take 30 days to go into effect, but Councilmember Don Sheehan requested the ordinance go into effect immediately, and the motion passed unanimously.
Information about e-bike classifications and where different types of e-bikes may be operated is available at centennialco.gov/bikes.