California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed SB 1167 on Sept. 30, 2026, and the 750-watt e-bike limit stays where it was. The law goes after e-motos sold as e-bikes, mainly through new rules on advertising, labels and crash reports. Class 1, 2 and 3 e-bikes keep their current definitions.
Our earlier piece on California e-bike laws and what changes in 2027 covers the wider picture. Here we stick to SB 1167.
Where the 750-watt limit applies
California still defines an e-bike as a bicycle with fully operable pedals and a motor that does not exceed 750 watts. The Legislative Counsel’s digest in the chaptered bill text restates that. Assisted speed caps are also unchanged: 20 mph for Class 1 and 2, and 28 mph for Class 3.
The text goes after machines sold as Class 2 or Class 3 e-bikes that exceed the motor limit or the speed thresholds. That is the target. Bicycle Retailer, in its report on the signing, also says the 750 W and speed limits are untouched.
Are 1,000-watt e-bikes legal in California?
A 1,000-watt bike does not meet the e-bike definition, because the cap is 750 W. Retailer blogs, such as one from Happy Run Sports, say these bikes may be treated as mopeds or motorcycles that need registration, insurance and a license. Those are retailer claims, not a legal reading. The bill’s moped and motor-driven cycle definitions, below, are the better guide.
What counts as an e-moto now
“E-moto” is the common label for these machines. The bill itself uses the terms electric moped and motor-driven cycle. Per Singletrack World and Streetsblog California, the lines look like this:
| Type | Motor power | Speed | Rules |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class 1, 2, 3 e-bike | Up to 750 W | 20 mph assisted (Class 1, 2); 28 mph (Class 3) | Existing e-bike rules |
| Electric moped | Under 3,000 W (4 hp) | Up to 30 mph, pedals or not | M1 or M2 license, registration, insurance, federal safety standards |
| Motor-driven cycle | Up to 3,750 W (5 hp) | Not given in our sources | Motor vehicle rules, plus extra equipment requirements |
The leginfo summary adds that mopeds and motor-driven cycles need permanent certification labels. It also requires the SAE J2929 battery standard for mopeds and off-highway electric motorcycles.
Off-highway electric motorcycles get their own limits. The bill adds restrictions on riding them on forest, brush or grass-covered land. It also requires electrical safety compliance and permanent markings from the maker.
What sellers have to do
Anything outside the e-bike definition cannot be advertised, labeled or sold as an e-bike. Makers, importers and sellers of mopeds and motor-driven cycles must say in all advertising, online included, that these are motor vehicles. The ad must also say they are subject to registration, licensing and insurance rules on highways. Per Bike News, the disclosure must warn that an existing insurance policy may not cover a crash.
Two other changes touch ordinary shops. Retailers cannot sell or install classification labels online, according to the leginfo summary. And police crash reports must record a vehicle’s classification and whether its labels are present.
The bill’s sponsors frame it as a shopping-honesty fix. CalBike’s executive director, Kendra Ramsey, said in the group’s release that parents should be able to buy an e-bike without investigating whether it matches its description. Sen. Catherine Blakespear (D-Encinitas) authored the bill. CalBike, PeopleForBikes, Streets Are For Everyone and Streets For All co-sponsored it.
Timeline and effective date
Blakespear introduced the bill on Feb. 18, 2026, per Bike Legal, a California law firm. Two tougher bills did not survive. AB 1557 would have capped Class 1 and 2 motors at 250 W. AB 1942 would have required plates for Class 2 and 3 e-bikes. eBikes International reported both dead in the Appropriations Committee in May.
The Senate gave final approval in August, and the Assembly passed the bill 77-0, per Bicycle Retailer. The chaptered text reads “Approved by Governor September 30, 2026” and “Chapter 846,” so it is law. Bicycle Retailer gives Sept. 25 as the signing date. We go with the chapter header and CalBike, which both say Sept. 30.
Singletrack World and Bicycle Retailer both say the law takes effect Jan. 1, 2027. The text we read does not state one effective date. California laws usually take effect on Jan. 1 after signing, which fits. Nothing here applies to sellers or riders today.
The text does set later dates for two sections. Rental requirements in Vehicle Code section 26303 become operative Jan. 1, 2028. Driver’s license section 12804.9 stays in effect until Jan. 1, 2029, then is repealed and replaced by successor provisions.
What to check before you ride or buy
Is California cracking down on e-bikes? On e-motos and the people who sell them, yes. For legal e-bikes, none of our sources reports new registration, license or insurance rules. Bike Legal made the same point about the bill before it passed.
Do police care? Our sources say nothing about street enforcement. Bike Legal’s pre-passage summary says officers could remove certain unauthorized electric vehicles from public roads. We could not confirm that in the final text.
- Look for the class and the motor wattage in the listing. You want 750 W or less, with working pedals.
- Ask the maker how that wattage is measured. Our sources do not say whether the figure means rated or peak power.
- Treat a pedal-less or faster machine, or one over 750 W, as a moped or motorcycle until a seller shows otherwise. Ask about the license, plate and insurance before you buy it for a teenager.
- Keep the class sticker on your bike. Do not order a replacement online. Take the bike to a shop.
- Call your insurer if you own or plan to buy anything over the e-bike line.
- Expect the new disclosure language in ads after Jan. 1, 2027. A listing that skips it deserves a second look.
