A third e-bike ticket in Modesto could cost you $5,000. That’s the top fine in an ordinance the city council voted 6-0 to introduce on October 13, 2026. It is not law yet.
Introduction isn’t adoption. The council waived the first reading and will take the ordinance up again at its next meeting for a final vote. The city’s council agenda page lists the next regular meeting as October 27 at 5:30 p.m., but a final-vote date hasn’t been confirmed. If the ordinance passes, it takes effect 30 days after final passage. Local outlets covered the vote, including a Yahoo News report on the details below.
The ordinance covers bicycles, e-conveyances and electric bikes. So it isn’t just aimed at throttle-happy teens on e-bikes. Riders on plain pedal bikes fall under it too.
What a ticket would cost
The fines climb fast with each violation.
| Violation | Proposed fine |
|---|---|
| First offense | $500 (administrative fine) |
| Second offense | $2,500 |
| Third or later | Up to $5,000 |
| Parent or guardian who knowingly lets a minor violate the rules | $2,000 administrative fine, or criminal prosecution |
Police Chief Brandon Gillespie told the council that parents could also face misdemeanor charges. Police could impound a bicycle or certain electric devices for up to 30 days. Owners would get a 10-day window to appeal, and unclaimed devices could be disposed of after 90 days. Officers could also require safety courses for minors.
So what happens if you get caught? Under this proposal, you’d likely lose the bike for a month and pay at least $500. Parents are on the hook too.
Park and trail limits, spelled out
Despite the headlines, the proposal doesn’t ban e-bikes from parks or trails. It sets speed and conduct rules for them.
- A 15 mph general limit in city parks and on city trails. The parks director could approve up to 20 mph.
- A 5 mph cap when approaching or passing other trail users.
- A duty to yield to other trail users.
- No unsafe passenger carrying and no dangerous stunts.
The banned behaviors include wheelies, jumps and spins. They also cover swerving toward pedestrians or vehicles, carrying passengers where the bike isn’t built for them, and riding through a parade route without taking part.
Most Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes top out at 20 mph under the assist. If you’re unsure where your bike sits, our guide to how fast an e-bike goes by class has the numbers. A 15 mph park limit means even a legal bike will often be going faster than the posted speed if you ride it wide open.
Why Modesto is pushing this now
Gillespie said the ordinance took several months to develop in response to dangerous riding. The numbers behind it are real. Modesto logged 97 injury collisions involving e-bikes or scooters in 2025, nine of them severe. In the first half of 2026 there were 34, including two severe head-trauma cases.
Police also report 227 calls about groups of bike riders, 71 bicycle impoundments and about 25 citations so far in 2026. California Highway Patrol data cited in the coverage shows e-bike crashes rising from 18 in 2023 to 53 in 2024, a 194% jump.
Mayor Sue Zwahlen put the goal this way: “We want people to walk and use our trails to bike.” Some residents asked the council to give first-time offenders warnings and courses instead of an immediate fine. Nothing I’ve seen says the council made that change.
How it sits with California law
Statewide, a legal e-bike has working pedals and a motor of 750 watts or less. Class 1 and 2 assist up to 20 mph, and Class 3 up to 28 mph. Riders under 18 need a helmet on any class, and Class 3 riders of any age need one. Class 3 riders must be 16 or older. California requires no license, registration or insurance for Class 1 to 3 bikes.
That answers a question I see a lot: is a 3,000-watt e-bike street legal? No. Past 750 watts, it falls outside the e-bike definition and may be treated as another type of vehicle with licensing and registration rules. Our explainer on whether you need a license for an e-bike covers how that splits by state.
Cities are also getting more room to set speeds. Governor Newsom signed AB 2346 on September 30, 2026. From January 1, 2027, it lets local governments set 10, 15 or 20 mph limits on bike paths and multiuse trails. It also sets a 10 mph prima facie limit on sidewalks. Modesto’s 15 mph default with a 20 mph ceiling sits inside that range.
My read
The $500 starting point is what jumps out. San Anselmo, in Marin County, bans e-bikes outright in most town parks, and its administrative citations run from $100 up to $500 per violation. Modesto would start where that ladder ends, for conduct that isn’t a ban at all.
The enforcement numbers tell a story too. Seventy-one impoundments against about 25 citations suggests police have been taking bikes more than writing tickets. A formal ladder, plus a 10-day appeal window, at least gives riders a process. I think that’s the better part of the package.
The parent provision is the part I’d watch. Other places are moving the same way. Albany County, New York, passed its own e-bike law, and several suburbs are rewriting rules as teen ridership grows. Pushing cost onto households tends to get attention fast. It can also catch parents who had no idea what their kid did on the way to school.
If I lived in Modesto, I’d do three things now. Check the actual ordinance text once the final agenda is posted. Slow down to walking pace around anyone on a trail, since 5 mph is the number that gets enforced in a crowd. And if I had a teen riding, I’d talk through the stunt list at home. Wheelies and jumps are exactly the kind of thing that turns a $500 first ticket into a $2,000 parent bill.
What’s still open
- The final vote date. The next meeting is expected, but the exact date isn’t confirmed.
- How offenses are counted. I haven’t seen whether a second or third offense resets after a set period.
- Which devices count. “Certain electric devices” is broad. Whether it reaches high-powered e-motos, or only e-bikes and scooters, isn’t clear.
- Warnings. Whether first-time riders get a break instead of a $500 fine is unsettled.
The ordinance could still change before the second vote. Check the council agenda before you plan around any of these numbers.
Photo: A man riding an electric bicycle by Freshman404, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped.
