New rules for e-bikes OK’d

Wellington adopts age limit of 15, other restrictions

Valentina Palm

Palm Beach Post USA TODAY NETWORK

Wellington this week became the latest municipality in Palm Beach County to adopt restrictions on electric bicycles, limiting where they can be ridden and who can operate them.

In a 3-2 vote on Aug. 11, the Village Council approved regulations requiring riders to be at least 15 years old and carry government-issued identification or a school-issued ID if they are minors. The rules also require helmet use and cap speeds at 15 mph on sidewalks, canal paths and trails.

The new rules come as state and local governments move to regulate the rapidly growing use of e-bikes, which can reach speeds of up to 28 mph. E-bike crashes killed six people in Palm Beach County in 2025.

“This means that no elementary school children and no middle school children will ride their scooters to and from school,” said council member Amanda Silvestri, who voted in favor of the regulations.

The Village Council also approved a resolution to ban e-bikes and electric scooters from several Wellington locations including neighborhood parks,

Wellington’s new rules on the use of e-bikes will effectively ban elementary and middle-school students from riding the vehicles to and from school. The rules also require helmet use and cap speeds at 15 mph on sidewalks, canal paths and trails.

MAYA WASHBURN/PALM BEACH POST

Wellington Town Center, and the Heart Trail at Village Park. Violators may face fines and be removed from the areas.

Cities across Palm Beach County have adopted similar e-bike regulations, including Jupiter, Palm Beach, Boca Raton and Lake Worth Beach.

In Palm Beach, e-bikes and other motorized rides are banned from the island’s sidewalks, trails and the scenic Lake Trail. Jupiter also banned these rides, sometimes call micromobility devices, from fields, sidewalks and public parks.

In Delray Beach, companies may not rent out motorized scooters, e-bikes or other micromobility devices.

Florida law also penalizes e-bike riders going more than 10 mph on a sidewalk if they are within 50 feet of a pedestrian.