Where You Can Ride an E-Scooter or E-Bike in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia

This is chapter 1 of The E-Scooter and E-Bike Injury Guide.

Key points

• D.C.: no riding on sidewalks in the Central Business District; elsewhere bicycles, e-bikes, and personal mobility devices may use sidewalks if they yield to pedestrians (18 DCMR §§ 1201.9 to 1201.11). Shared scooters and e-bikes are barred from Central Business District sidewalks and riders must be at least 16 (D.C. Code § 50-2201.03c(j)).
• Maryland treats e-bikes and stand-up e-scooters as bicycles, so they may use sidewalks unless a local ordinance says otherwise (Md. Code, Transp. §§ 11-104, 21-1103(b)). Montgomery County bars its shared e-scooters from sidewalks.
• Virginia allows e-bikes on sidewalks and allows motorized scooters there unless an ordinance prohibits it, and localities may ban riding on designated sidewalks (Va. Code §§ 46.2-903, 46.2-904). Alexandria bars scooter and e-bike riding on sidewalks.
• On a sidewalk or in a crosswalk, a rider generally has the rights and duties of a pedestrian and must yield to people on foot.
• Virginia caps motorized scooters at 20 miles per hour and requires adult supervision for riders under 14 (Va. Code § 46.2-908.1).

What counts as an e-scooter or e-bike under the law?

Each jurisdiction uses its own terms, and the label decides which rules apply.

• D.C. calls a stand-up e-scooter an "electric mobility device": a device under 75 pounds, powered only by an electric motor or human power, carrying one rider, and no more than 24 inches wide and 55 inches long. An e-bike with working pedals, wheels of at least 16 inches, and a motor that cannot push it past 20 miles per hour on level ground is a "motorized bicycle." Heavier or self-balancing devices are "personal mobility devices" (D.C. Code § 50-2201.02(6A), (11A), (13)).
• Maryland defines an "electric low speed scooter" as a stand-up scooter under 100 pounds, powered by an electric motor and human power, capable of up to 20 miles per hour (Md. Code, Transp. § 11-117.2). An "electric bicycle" has working pedals, two or three wheels, and a motor of 750 watts or less, in three classes: Class 1 and Class 2 stop assisting at 20 miles per hour, and Class 3 assists only while pedaling, up to 28 miles per hour (§ 11-117.1). Both count as a "bicycle" under Maryland's vehicle law (§ 11-104).
• Virginia uses "motorized skateboard or scooter" for a sit-down or stand-up electric device under 100 pounds with no vehicle identification number and a top motor speed of 20 miles per hour, and "electric power-assisted bicycle" for an e-bike with pedals, a seat, and a motor of no more than 750 watts, in the same three classes (Va. Code § 46.2-100).

A faster or heavier machine can fall outside these definitions and be treated as a moped or motorcycle, with registration, licensing, and insurance requirements. If your device was modified or is unusually powerful, tell your lawyer early, because the insurer will look for it.

Can you ride an e-scooter on the sidewalk in D.C.?

Not in the Central Business District, and elsewhere only with care. D.C. regulations allow a bicycle, motorized bicycle, or personal mobility device on a sidewalk "so long as the rider does not create a hazard," but not on sidewalks in the Central Business District except where the Mayor designates (18 DCMR § 1201.9). A rider on a sidewalk must yield to pedestrians, may go no faster than the posted limit on the adjacent road, and has the rights and duties of a pedestrian (18 DCMR §§ 1201.10, 1201.11).

For shared scooters and e-bikes rented through an app, the D.C. Code adds its own rules: no riding on a Central Business District sidewalk, no riders under 16, no passengers, and no headphones in both ears (D.C. Code § 50-2201.03c(j)). A person riding an electric mobility device must use a protected bike lane "if available and safe," and may not exceed the speed limit set by the District Department of Transportation (§ 50-2201.03c(h), (i)). The sidewalk regulation does not separately mention privately owned stand-up e-scooters, so the safest course on your own scooter downtown is the street or the bike lane.

Can you ride an e-scooter or e-bike on the sidewalk in Maryland?

Yes, unless a local ordinance prohibits it. Maryland law provides that "[u]nless prohibited by local ordinance, a person may ride a bicycle" on a sidewalk (Md. Code, Transp. § 21-1103(b)(2)), and because electric bicycles and electric low speed scooters are "bicycles" under § 11-104, the same rule reaches them. On a sidewalk or in a crosswalk, a rider has the rights and restrictions of a pedestrian and must yield to pedestrians (§ 21-1202(b)).

Local rules matter. Montgomery County's Department of Transportation states that its shared e-scooters are prohibited from riding on the sidewalk or on streets with a speed limit of 50 miles per hour or higher, that the scooter speed limit is 15 miles per hour, and that renters must be 18 and show a driver's license (Montgomery County DOT, bikeshare and dockless page, accessed November 5, 2026). Check the rules of the city or county where you ride, including Takoma Park, Rockville, Gaithersburg, and the Prince George's County municipalities.

In the street, a Maryland rider going slower than traffic must ride as near the right side of the road as practicable and safe, except to turn left, pass, avoid hazards, avoid a right-turn-only lane, or when the lane is too narrow to share (§ 21-1205(a)). A stand-up e-scooter is ridden standing on its platform (§ 21-1203(a)(2)).

Can you ride an e-scooter or e-bike on the sidewalk in Virginia?

Usually yes, under state law, but many localities say no. Virginia prohibits driving vehicles on sidewalks except for listed devices, including a bicycle, an electric power-assisted bicycle, and "unless otherwise prohibited by ordinance, a motorized skateboard or scooter" (Va. Code § 46.2-903). A county, city, or town may ban riding on designated sidewalks and crosswalks if it posts signs (§ 46.2-904).

On a sidewalk, shared-use path, or crosswalk, a rider must yield to pedestrians, "shall give an audible signal before overtaking and passing any pedestrian," and has all the rights and duties of a pedestrian (§ 46.2-904). Northern Virginia examples:

• Alexandria states that scooter and e-bike riding "is not permitted on sidewalks per City Code" and is allowed on streets, in bike lanes, and on certain trails (City of Alexandria dockless mobility page, updated September 29, 2026).
• Arlington County allows bikes, e-bikes, and e-scooters on streets, sidewalks, and paved trails, requires riders to use a protected bike lane instead of the sidewalk where one runs the same way, and states that county code allows e-scooters up to 15 miles per hour and e-bikes up to 20 in the street and on multi-use trails, with sidewalk riders asked to stay under 6 (Arlington County shared micro-mobility page, accessed November 5, 2026). Shared e-scooter and e-bike riders there must be 18.

Statewide, no one may ride a motorized scooter faster than 20 miles per hour, and no one under 14 may ride a motorized scooter or a Class 3 e-bike without the immediate supervision of someone at least 18 (§ 46.2-908.1). E-scooters and e-bikes are barred from interstate highways except on approved separated paths (§ 46.2-908.1). In the street, a rider slower than traffic rides as close as safely practicable to the right edge, with exceptions much like Maryland's (§ 46.2-905).

Why does this matter after a crash?

Because in Maryland and Virginia, a rider who broke a riding rule may be called contributorily negligent and barred from recovery, if the violation helped cause the crash. A sidewalk rider who darts into a crosswalk, a rider going the wrong way, or a scooter going over the posted speed gives the insurer an argument. The answer is often that the violation did not cause the crash: a driver who turns across a crosswalk without looking hits a rider whether or not the rider should have been in the street. In D.C., a rule violation bars recovery only if the rider's negligence was greater than the defendants' combined negligence. The next chapter explains how each rule works.

The rules above also help riders. A driver who fails to yield to a rider lawfully in a crosswalk, or who passes too close in a bike lane, violates rules written to protect riders, and that violation is evidence of the driver's negligence.

• Next chapter: Hit by a Car on an E-Scooter or E-Bike

Related practice areas

Related reading

• Scooters hit D.C.'s streets: the early legal questions
• Baltimore's rental scooters and city liability
• The e-scooter boom in D.C.: injuries and insurance gaps
• Bicycle Injury Guide: dooring, unsafe passing, and bike lanes

Responsible attorneys: Ryan C. Posey and Jacob M. Lebowitz. Posey Lebowitz PLLC, 3221 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007.