New York City Council committees heard 23 e-bike and micromobility items on September 30, 2026. Three of them go after Class 3 e-bikes: a ban on selling and renting them, a later ban on riding them, and a trade-in program. None has passed.
The session was a hearing with no vote, according to NY1 and amNY. On Legistar, the sales bill (Int. 244) shows as laid over by all three committees that heard it, and its enactment date is blank. ABC7 New York, in a story Yahoo carried on October 3, says the Council is expected to take up more than 20 proposals.
Your Class 3 is still legal to ride in the city today. The sections below separate what the bills say from what the law says now.
What the committees took up
Council Member Shaun Abreu chairs the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and led the 10 a.m. session in the Council Chambers at City Hall. He sat with the Consumer and Worker Protection panel and the Public Safety panel. The Transportation Committee agenda lists 17 numbered bills, four more with temporary T2026 numbers, and two resolutions.
Streetsblog NYC reports the hearing ran past 10 hours. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch stayed away, and Deputy Commissioner Michael Gerber and Chief Olufunmilola Obe spoke for the department.
Speaker Julie Menin said testimony from agencies, delivery workers, recreational riders and pedestrians will shape what the Council moves forward, per Bicycle Retailer. The Council’s August 4 announcement called these “initial proposals” and said more bills were coming.
Int. 244: the sales and rental ban
Council Member Crystal Hudson introduced Int. 244 on January 29, 2026. It has 27 co-sponsors and was drafted with the Manhattan Borough President. The bill text adds a section to the city Administrative Code (§20-610.2). It bars anyone from distributing, selling, leasing or renting a Class 3 e-bike, or offering one for sale or rent.
Owning one stays legal under this bill, and so does riding one. The sales ban would start 180 days after enactment.
A first violation carries no fine. Later violations, issued on separate days within two years of the first, could cost up to $2,000 each. Every stock keeping unit counts on its own, so a shop that stocks several Class 3 models faces a penalty per model.
T2026-2361: the riding ban
Hudson’s second bill had no Int. number on the agenda, so the committees heard it as a preconsidered item. The Council’s page for the bill says it covers streets, parks and other public places.
We did not see the full text, so the penalty details come from reporting. Bicycle Retailer’s summary says violations before April 1, 2029 would draw a warning and information. After that, the fine would be $50 for a second violation and $100 for each further one within two years of the first. A third or later violation involving unsafe riding could mean impoundment. amNY likewise reports a two-year phase-in, with warnings through April 1, 2029.
In the Council’s September 30 press release, Hudson described the sequence as a stop on sales and rentals, a two-year implementation period, then a phase-out of use. She said current riders, delivery workers in particular, would get time and options to switch.
Int. 985-A: the trade-in program
Abreu’s Int. 985-A was introduced on August 13, 2026, with Hudson, Maloney, Schulman and Feliz as sponsors. It was re-referred on September 22, heard on September 30 and laid over.
DOT would run the program. Riders could hand in a Class 3 e-bike, or another fast device that fails the legal e-bike definition, in return for a Class 1 or 2 e-bike or a voucher to spend at a retailer.
- DOT must stage a minimum of one event in each community district every year, with retailers as partners.
- The goal is 10,000 trade-ins, depending on demand and retailer participation.
- Eligibility can’t hinge on occupation or income.
- Recipients can’t resell the bike for one year.
- Trade-in value turns on condition, specifications and manufacturer.
- The program would start 120 days after enactment.
DOT would write the rules, and no source we reviewed lists dollar values. DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn raised resource concerns about the program at the hearing, amNY reports.
Who pushed back, and who backed it
City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection Commissioner Sam Levine warned that the Class 3 ban risks unintended consequences that would hit delivery workers hardest. Ligia Guallpa of the Workers Justice Project asked for a “real transition plan.” Both are in amNY’s report.
Transportation Alternatives’ Ben Furnas told NY1 that phasing out devices able to reach 25 or 28 mph “makes sense.” On a separate bill, NYPD’s Gerber questioned the cost and procurement of dynamometers, saying the idea would be “new to any major American city.”
The numbers cited at the hearing vary by source and period:
- NYPD counts 738 injuries and 13 deaths involving e-bike riders in the first half of 2026, up from 601 and 10 a year earlier (Bicycle Retailer).
- Flynn testified to 17 e-bike deaths so far this year, two tied to illegal devices and three with unknown status (amNY).
- ABC7 says 20 cyclists have died in 2026, most on e-bikes.
- DOT estimates 65,000 delivery workers use e-bikes or similar devices, about 40% of micromobility traffic. Electrek cites about 80,000.
None of these counts isolates Class 3 e-bikes.
The rest of the package
| Bill | What it would require |
|---|---|
| Int. 986 | NYPD and DOT test motor watts and top assisted speed with dynamometers, on probable cause only |
| Int. 988 | Ban ads for vehicles that must be DMV-registered as powered bicycles or mobility devices |
| Int. 950 | License delivery services |
| Int. 994 | Liability insurance for third-party food delivery services |
| Int. 389 | Delivery apps verify moped registration |
| T2026-2587 | Apps track unsafe riding and alert workers |
No vote has been reported on any of them. Bicycle Retailer also describes a bikeshare bill that would require sidewalk-riding detection and automatic slowdown, with operator penalties up to $1,000 after a first violation. Another would add traffic calming devices in bike lanes at 50 or more intersections.
Two resolutions ask Albany to act. Resolution 43 backs S.7587/A.7833, the Commercial E-Bike Licensing Act, which would require registering commercial e-bikes and create employer liability. Resolution 44 backs A.1679/S.561, which raises penalties for fleeing an e-scooter crash and would extend to e-bikes.
Sales rules already on the books
NYC DOT’s e-bike page says vendors may not sell, lease or rent an e-bike that exceeds 25 mph. NBC News reports that Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration sent cease-and-desist letters to more than 40 online retailers, including Amazon, Walmart and Target. Penalties run up to $2,000 per illegal sale, per NBC.
Those rules target bikes over the legal speed. Int. 244 would add a sales ban on Class 3 e-bikes that meet the legal definition.
On July 31, 2026, Attorney General Letitia James issued a consumer alert with the same message. Sellers can’t market over-limit vehicles as e-bikes, and her office takes complaints at 1-800-771-7755.
Rider questions, answered
Can I ride a Class 3 e-bike in NYC?
Yes, today. DOT’s chart lets a Class 3 use bike lanes and any street posted at 30 mph or below. Riders must be 16 or older, and the chart says a helmet is required. Legal e-bikes need no DMV registration or plate, but all e-bikes are capped at 15 mph on city streets.
The attorney general says riding a Class 3 outside the city is illegal. By that reading, a citywide riding ban would leave the class with nowhere legal to ride in the state.
What counts as Class 3?
DOT lists it as pedal assist or throttle with pedals. New York law cuts motor assist at 25 mph for this class, and the attorney general’s page says the same. The Council’s release says Class III motors can exceed 25 mph. Bicycle Retailer and NBC cite 28 mph, the figure used in most other states. We use 25 mph because it applies in New York.
Why would the Council target one class?
Supporters point to rising injuries and deaths and to bikes that can top 25 mph. Opponents want a transition plan first, especially for delivery workers. As noted above, the cited counts don’t separate Class 3 from other devices.
Can an e-bike go 70 mph?
Not a legal one in the city. Anything with electric assist beyond 25 mph in NYC, or 20 mph outside it, isn’t an e-bike under state law. The attorney general says it may be an e-moto, moped or motorcycle that needs DMV registration, a license and insurance.
Before you buy or ride
- Keep riding as you do now. Nothing has passed, and Int. 244 would not make owning one illegal.
- If you plan to buy a Class 3 in the city, know that Int. 244 would end sales 180 days after enactment, if it passes. A Class 1 or 2 bike sits outside both Class 3 bills. Our pedal-assist e-bike roundup is a starting point.
- Check the permanent label. State rules require the class number, top assisted speed and motor wattage.
- Look for a lab certification mark on the battery, as DOT advises. Our guide to e-bike battery types covers the basics.
- Delivery workers should ask their platform about its plans. Several bills would put new duties on apps.
Streetsblog NYC reports a follow-up street-safety hearing on October 27, 2026. Check Legistar for Int. 244, Int. 985-A and T2026-2361, which still needs an Int. number, to see if they move.
