Vermont Statutes Title 23 Sec. 1136a
Terms Used In Vermont Statutes Title 23 Sec. 1136a
- Electric bicycle: means a bicycle equipped with fully operable pedals, a saddle or seat for the rider, and an electric motor of less than 750 watts that meets the requirements of one of the following three classes:
- following: when used by way of reference to a section of the law shall mean the next preceding or following section. See
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Motor vehicle: includes all vehicles propelled or drawn by power other than muscular power, except farm tractors, vehicles running only upon stationary rails or tracks, motorized highway building equipment, road making appliances, snowmobiles, tracked vehicles, motor-assisted bicycles, electric bicycles, or electric personal assistive mobility devices. See
- Municipality: shall include a city, town, town school district, incorporated school or fire district or incorporated village, and all other governmental incorporated units. See
- Operator: shall include all persons 18 years of age or over properly licensed to operate motor vehicles. See
- Person: includes any natural person, corporation, association, co-partnership, company, firm, or other aggregation of individuals. See
- State: when applied to the different parts of the United States may apply to the District of Columbia and any territory and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. See
§ 1136a. Electric bicycles
(a) Except as provided in this subsection, electric bicycles shall be governed as bicycles under Vermont law, and operators of electric bicycles shall be subject to all of the rights and duties applicable to bicyclists under Vermont law.
(b) Electric bicycles and their operators shall be exempt from:
(1) motor vehicle registration, inspection, and certificate of title requirements under chapter 7 of this title, section 1222 of this title, and chapter 21, subchapter 2 of this title;
(2) operator‘s license requirements under chapter 9, subchapter 1 of this title;
(3) financial responsibility requirements under chapter 11 of this title; and
(4) requirements applicable to all-terrain vehicles under chapter 31 of this title.
(c) An electric bicycle shall comply with the equipment and manufacturing requirements for bicycles promulgated by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, including 16 C.F.R. part 1512 as may be amended, and may only be operated in such a way that the electric motor is disengaged or ceases to function when the operator stops pedaling or applies the brakes.
(d) A class 3 electric bicycle shall be equipped with a speedometer that displays the speed the bicycle is traveling in miles per hour.
(e)(1) An electric bicycle may be ridden in places where bicycles are allowed, including highways, bicycle lanes, and bicycle or multiuse paths.
(2) Following notice and a public hearing, a municipality, local authority, or State agency having jurisdiction over a bicycle or multiuse path may prohibit the operation of a class 1 electric bicycle or class 2 electric bicycle on that path if it finds that such a restriction is needed for safety reasons or compliance with other laws or legal obligations.
(3) A municipality, local authority, or State agency having jurisdiction over a bicycle or multiuse path may prohibit the operation of a class 3 electric bicycle on that path.
(4) This subsection shall not apply to a trail that is specifically designated as nonmotorized and that has a natural surface tread that is made by clearing and grading the native soil with no added surfacing materials. A municipality, local authority, or State agency having jurisdiction over a trail described in this subdivision may regulate the use of an electric bicycle on that trail.
(f) An individual under 16 years of age shall not operate a class 3 electric bicycle but may ride as a passenger on a class 3 electric bicycle that is designed to accommodate passengers.
(g) Manufacturers and distributors of electric bicycles shall apply a label that is permanently affixed, in a prominent location, to each electric bicycle. The label shall contain the classification number, top assisted speed, and motor wattage of the electric bicycle and shall be printed in Arial font in at least 9-point type.
(h) A person shall not tamper with or modify an electric bicycle so as to change the motor-powered speed capability or engagement of an electric bicycle unless the label indicating the classification required in subsection (g) of this section is replaced after modification. (Added 2021, No. 40, § 6; amended 2021, No. 40, § 7, eff. Jan. 1, 2022.)