A bill in the Ohio Senate would create the state's first new statewide registration and safety requirements for e-bikes and e-scooters. The legislation would replace a patchwork of local ordinances across Franklin County and fill gaps in Dublin's own regulations.

Senate Bill 477, introduced by state Sen. Bill DeMora, D-Columbus, would ban riders 13 and younger from operating e-bikes or e-scooters, require helmets for all ages and impose a one-time $25 state registration fee. State Rep. Eric Synenberg, D-Beachwood, has not yet introduced a companion bill in the Ohio House.

"Current law has no (age) limit for the Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes," Synenberg said, as first reported by the Ohio Capital Journal, published by Columbus Underground. "A six-year-old could be riding one."

The bill would also cap speeds at 10 mph on shared-use paths and 5 mph on sidewalks. It would raise the minimum age for Class 3 e-bikes from 16 to 18. Those bikes can reach 28 mph. Registered devices would need to display a sticker, and owners would need a driver's license, learner's permit or completion of a safety course, according to WBNS-TV. The registration requirement would not apply to rental services.

Failure to register would be a minor misdemeanor. Impoundment for 30 days is also possible.

Where Dublin stands

Dublin updated its micromobility rules in early 2026. The city had run a pilot program since 2022. The Ride Smart. Ride Safe. campaign requires helmets for riders under 16 and for all Class 3 e-bike riders. It sets no age floor for Class 1 or Class 2 e-bikes and no numeric speed limit on the city's more than 150 miles of shared-use paths.

SB 477 would go further on several fronts. It would raise the helmet requirement to all ages, set a minimum rider age of 14 and impose the 10 mph path speed cap Dublin currently lacks. Parents who let children break the rules already face penalties under Dublin's ordinance.

The bill addresses a problem local officials have flagged for months. As WOSU reported in September, Upper Arlington was weighing its own registration requirement, and Hilliard had adopted separate helmet and speed rules. TransitColumbus Policy Chair Will Titus warned that a rider traveling from Hilliard to Ohio State's campus through Upper Arlington should not need three different city registrations.

Safety numbers behind the push

Children ages 11 to 14 account for nearly 40% of all pediatric e-bike and scooter injuries nationwide, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. A March 2026 study by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons found a 300% increase in youth e-bike injuries, NBC4 reported.

By mid-July 2026, Akron Children's Hospital had already surpassed its total e-bike and e-scooter injury count for all of 2025, DeMora said.

Delaware County Probate/Juvenile Court Judge David Hejmanowski wrote in an Oct. 10 column in the Delaware Gazette that juveniles too young for a learner's permit are increasingly appearing in traffic court for e-bike offenses. Those violations mark their driving records before they ever hold a license, Hejmanowski wrote.

What happens next

Ohio lawmakers are on break until after the Nov. 3 election. Any bill that does not pass before the General Assembly's two-year session ends in December would have to be reintroduced. DeMora and Synenberg also want to fold in elements of a bipartisan companion bill from Rep. Andrea White, R-Kettering, and Rep. Kevin Miller, R-Newark, which calls on state agencies to identify gaps in existing law and expand rider education.

Dublin has not publicly commented on SB 477. No committee hearing date has been scheduled.