Worthington City Council is scheduled to hold a public hearing on Oct. 5, 2026, to consider comprehensive regulations for electric bicycles, motorized scooters, and other personal transportation devices worth_intro.
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Introduce for public hearing on October 5, 2026.
Worthington municipal officials said consumer adoption of e-bikes and e-scooters for commuting and recreation has outpaced statutory standards at both state and local levels worth_memo.
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The absence of a comprehensive and cohesive legal framework
In a memorandum to councilmembers, Assistant Law Director Addison Spriggs said the lack of a comprehensive legal framework creates uncertainty for riders, law enforcement, and policymakers worth_memo.
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The absence of a comprehensive and cohesive legal framework
The measure creates a formal definition for a "Personal Transportation Device" (PTD), categorizing electric scooters, skateboards, hoverboards, and similar wheeled devices under uniform standards, while explicitly providing that golf carts do not fall under the classification worth_definition.
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Golf carts are not Personal Transportation Devices as utilized in this section.
Under proposed Section 373.15, no child under the age of 14 is permitted to operate a personal transportation device within the city worth_ages.
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No one under the age of fourteen shall ride or operate a Personal Transportation Device.
The section also bars minor operators from carrying passengers on personal transportation devices worth_passengers.
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No minor shall operate a Personal Transportation Device that is carrying
For electric bicycles governed under Section 373.14, children under 14 are prohibited from operating Class 1 or Class 2 e-bikes, though they may ride as passengers on models built to transport multiple people worth_ebike_ages.
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No person under fourteen years of age shall operate a class 1 electric bicycle
For Class 3 e-bikes, which provide motorized pedal assistance up to 28 mph, operators must be at least 16 years old worth_ebike_class3.
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No person under sixteen years of age shall operate a class 3 electric bicycle
Under Section 373.091, personal transportation devices operated on public sidewalks cannot exceed 8 mph worth_sidewalk_speed.
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speed greater than eight (8) miles per hour.
On municipal shared-use paths, devices face a 15 mph speed limit worth_path_speed.
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Use Path within the City at a speed greater than fifteen (15) miles per hour.
While personal transportation devices and bicycles may use paved roadways and multi-use paths, the ordinance strictly bans e-bikes, motorized bicycles, and personal transportation devices from operating on public unpaved paths or natural surface trails worth_unpaved_ban.
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un-paved paths or trails in the City.
To reduce head injuries among youth, Section 373.04 mandates helmets for riders under 18 on bicycles, motorized bicycles, or personal transportation devices worth_helmets.
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wearing a protective helmet on his/her head.
To emphasize education over punishment, the ordinance includes a dismissal remedy: first-time juvenile offenders can have citations dismissed by presenting proof of purchase of an approved helmet to the City Prosecutor within 30 days worth_helmet_dismissal.
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upon which the citation shall be dismissed.
In addition to or in place of monetary fines, judges and prosecutors are authorized to require offenders to complete a city-approved safety education program or bicycling skills course worth_education_opt.
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In lieu of a fine, any person violating this section may be required to complete a city-approved safety education program.