Fire Prevention Week ended Saturday, Oct. 10, and the National Fire Protection Association spent it on one subject: charging. The 2026 theme was “Charge into Fire Safety: Safe Charging Is a Superpower.”
If you ride or shop for an e-bike in New York City, the rule that matters most was written three years ago. It decides which bikes and batteries a store can legally sell you.
What New York City requires
Local Law 39 of 2023 took effect Sept. 16, 2023. Businesses that sell, lease or rent e-bikes, other powered mobility devices and lithium-ion batteries in the city must offer only products certified by an accredited testing lab. Second-hand sales and rentals count too.
| Standard | What it covers |
|---|---|
| UL 2849 | The electrical system of an e-bike |
| UL 2271 | Lithium-ion batteries for light electric vehicles |
| UL 2272 | Other personal mobility devices, such as e-scooters |
The law is aimed at sellers. According to the city’s consumer notice, a device you already own is exempt unless you later resell or rent it. Buyers are told to look for a certification label, logo or testing-lab name on the device, the box or the sales paperwork.
A sticker is easy to copy. I’d also ask the seller for the certificate number and look it up on the lab’s own database.
Penalties and enforcement
The 2023 notice set civil penalties of up to $1,000 per model for businesses selling uncertified products. Local Laws 49 and 50 of 2024 raised the maximum to $2,000 per device type. They also let the city padlock or close brick-and-mortar shops that keep breaking the rule.
Retailers must display safety disclosure signs. Online sellers must post certification details on product pages.
By the City Council’s October 2024 count, the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection had made more than 650 inspections, issued more than 275 violations and sent 40 cease-and-desist letters. FDNY’s task force had made 983 inspections and issued 782 summonses, 77 of them criminal.
The city also announced a $2 million trade-in program on July 22, 2024. Eligible delivery workers could swap unsafe devices for a UL-certified e-bike and two certified batteries, with applications due to open in early 2025.
What the fire numbers show
The trend in deaths is better than the trend in fires. FDNY data reported by FireRescue1 puts lithium-ion battery fire deaths at 18 in 2023, 6 in 2024 and 1 in 2025.
But incidents are climbing again. Through July 2026, FDNY counted 235 lithium-ion battery incidents, against 138 in the same stretch of 2025. That is roughly 70% more.
The city’s own breakdown for 2023 shows why certification alone doesn’t settle it. Of 268 fires that year, 133 started while the battery was not charging and 91 while it was. FDNY Commissioner Robert S. Tucker has said an uncertified battery can fail “at any moment, charging or not.”
Where you charge matters as well. FDNY First Deputy Commissioner Daniel Flynn said a fatal June 26, 2026 fire in Jamaica, Queens began when a tenant charged an e-bike battery indoors, between the front door and the victim’s bedroom. He said that blocked the occupants’ escape.
Charging advice from FDNY and NFPA
FDNY’s guidance from last year’s Fire Prevention Week and this year’s NFPA advice overlap heavily:
- Buy only batteries certified by a nationally accredited lab such as UL.
- Use the manufacturer’s charger. Skip aftermarket chargers and accessories.
- Charge and store outdoors when you can, and keep chargers away from exits.
- Charge on a hard, flat surface. Never charge on a bed, pillow or couch.
- Never charge while you’re out or asleep. Unplug once the battery is full.
- Stop using a battery that overheats, swells, leaks, smells odd or makes noises.
- Don’t repair a damaged pack. The city says to replace it.
Dead lithium-ion batteries can’t go in household trash or recycling in the city. They go to a battery drop-off site.
A 2024 survey by UL Standards & Engagement found 49% of riders who charge at home admit to blocking a fire exit. Another 53% leave the battery plugged in after it’s full, and 41% charge overnight.
My read
The UL rule works at the shop counter, and it’s the cleanest protection a buyer has. A bike certified to UL 2849 has had its battery, charger and wiring tested as a system, including overcharge faults and drops. That’s a lot more than a cheap pack off a marketplace listing offers.
But the 2026 numbers are a warning against treating it as a finished job. A certified bike charged on a couch is still a risk. And the law doesn’t reach the older bikes and aftermarket packs already in apartments, which is where I’d expect many of the remaining fires to start.
It also helps to know what isn’t in force. In August 2025 FDNY proposed a rule on uncertified storage batteries. The city’s rules site now lists it as withdrawn. Commenters had asked how it would be enforced and whether it covered e-bikes at all.
If I were buying in NYC, I’d do four things:
- Ask for the UL 2849 certificate before paying, and check it against the lab’s database.
- Buy a replacement battery that is certified and made for my exact bike. If you’re weighing what type of battery to get, don’t trade certification for a lower price.
- Be wary of any conversion kit or loose pack, since a certified bike doesn’t cover a battery bolted on later.
- Charge near an open window or in a shared charging spot if the building has one, never beside the door.
Our guide to charging tips from fire officials covers the daily habits. If you’re parking the bike for months, here’s how to store a battery for the winter. And if you’re also tracking city rules on speed, the Class 3 ban bills are a separate fight.
What’s still unknown is whether certification and enforcement can pull incident counts back down. FDNY hasn’t said what is driving the 2026 rise. I’d also like to see how many fires involve certified bikes, because the city’s notices don’t break that out.
Questions riders ask
Is my current e-bike illegal in NYC if it isn’t UL certified?
The city’s notices describe devices already in personal use as exempt. The rule applies when a business sells, leases or rents one, including second-hand.
Are e-bikes UL certified?
Some are. UL 2849 certification is what NYC requires of any e-bike sold there. Elsewhere in the US, check the product’s certification documents rather than assuming.
Are e-bike batteries a fire hazard?
Lithium-ion packs can enter thermal runaway, a self-heating reaction, if they’re damaged, defective or charged wrongly. Certification tests for many of those faults. It doesn’t remove the risk.
How do I know a battery or bike is certified?
Look for the label, logo or lab name on the product, packaging or invoice. Then confirm it. See our explainer on how to check a UL certification before you pay.
What do I do with a battery that’s swollen or dead?
Stop using it and keep it away from anything flammable. Don’t put it in household trash. We’re planning a guide on recycling an old e-bike battery.
Photo: Electric bike Charging station by Esthee2010, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped.
