Let's be Safer Together, Carlsbad!

The City of Carlsbad uses the three Es of traffic safety -- education, engineering and enforcement -- to help ensure everyone uses local streets safely. Thanks to your support, it's working! Please continue to look out for one another, follow our safety tips and share your commitment publicly so others will do the same.

New e-bike safety measures approved 

After reviewing community input and recommendations from staff and the city’s Traffic Safety & Mobility Commission, the City Council voted on Dec. 2 to move forward with the following e-bike safety measures: 

  • Pursue legislation prohibiting riders under age 16 from transporting passengers 

  • Pursue legislation that would allow Carlsbad to join Assembly Bill 1778, a pilot program in Marin County that allows local agencies to require anyone riding a class 2, throttle-assisted e-bike to wear a bicycle helmet and prohibit anyone under age 16 from riding a class 2 e-bike 

  • Update the existing local e-bike law to clarify unsafe riding behavior, equipment requirements and the responsibilities of parents and guardians 

  • Prohibit e-bikes at Poinsettia and Pine Avenue Community Parks and authorize the City Manager to expand the restriction to other parks as needed, following review of community feedback and calls for service received 

  • Establish cost-recovery fees, as allowed under Assembly Bill 875, which individuals must pay to retrieve impounded e-bikes 

Next steps

Staff will now develop the necessary ordinance for the City Council to review at a future meeting and pursue the appropriate state legislation to carry out the measures approved by the City Council.

The City Council also asked staff to gather more data on e-bike collisions that have occurred at night to evaluate an additional measure that could prohibit anyone under the age of 16 from riding an e-bike after dark. Staff will review this data and present the findings at a future City Council meeting.

More details on how the new laws will be rolled out will be available in the coming months. Sign up to receive email updates on the city’s traffic safety efforts.

You can view the staff report or watch a recording of the meeting for more details.

Current e-bike rules

The City of Carlsbad was the first city in the region to pass local laws that make it easier to enforce the safe and considerate use of e-bikes, scooters and other similar ways of getting around town.

  • The changes allow police to issue citations, but also allow most first-time violators to avoid penalty if they agree to take a safety course put on by the Police Department.
  • Overall, bicyclists and e-bike riders are subject to all the same rules of the road as drivers.
  • Riders who don’t follow the rules are subject to ticketing and fines as defined by the California Vehicle Code or Carlsbad Municipal Code.

Learn about the changes to the Carlsbad Municipal Code.

Download and print a one-page overview.

E-bike chart with e-motorcycles

*E-motorcycles have different requirements than e-bikes. Riders need a license, vehicle registration and insurance, and must follow the same rules on the road as motorcycles. 

Safety classes

The Carlsbad Police Department hosts quarterly bike and e-bike safety classes. The most recent classes were held in August 2025. Sign up to be the first to know when new classes are added.

Online resources are also available: 

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