E-Bike Laws in Sacramento County, California
Sacramento County is the most enforcement-active jurisdiction in this survey. Under County Code Chapter 9.36, Class 3 e-bikes and motorized bicycles are prohibited on park roads and trails except where designated (§ 9.36.065) and prohibited on bicycle trails except crossing at intersections (§ 9.36.066). Bicycles are limited to 15 mph on designated off-street bicycle trails. Fines are $50, $100 and $250 (§ 9.36.035). A May 12, 2026 amendment targeted modified e-bikes, e-motorcycles and unauthorised jump courses, and made violations chargeable as either an infraction or a misdemeanour. Note that the American River Parkway is county-managed, so its rules apply inside city limits too.
The rules, line by line
| Subject | Rule | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Motorized vehicles in parks | Prohibits Class 3 electric bicycles (Veh. Code § 312.5) and motorized bicycles (§ 406) on park roads and trails except where designated, absent a Director's permit. Speed cap 25 mph for such vehicles on roads. | SCC § 9.36.065 |
| Bicycle trails | Motorized vehicles "including, without limitation, motorcycles, trail bikes, Class 3 electric bicycle," motorized bicycles and mopeds are prohibited on bicycle trails except crossing at intersections. Bicycles limited to 15 mph on designated off- street bicycle trails. Bicycles prohibited on any grassy area, path or walkway designated for pedestrian or equestrian use. Unsafe riding prohibited. | SCC § 9.36.066 |
| Penalties | Violations are infractions under § 9.36.030, with the fine schedule in § 9.36.035: $50 first, $100 second within one year, $250 each additional within one year. | SCC §§ 9.36.030, 9.36.035 |
| 2026 amendment | Adopted May 12, 2026, effective roughly June 12, 2026. Targets unpermitted, high-speed and modified e-bikes and e-motorcycles; Class 3 e-bikes, e-motorcycles, dirt bikes and quads; unauthorised off-road bicycle courses with jumps and tracks; unauthorised trail building and ground-disturbing activity; unauthorised use of golf courses and sports complexes. Violations may be charged as either an infraction or a misdemeanour. | no citation locatedCitation unconfirmed |
| American River Parkway | Rangers enforce: Class 3 prohibited, e-motorcycles not permitted, 15 mph posted limit, helmets (under 18 mandatory per Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail rules), and license, motorcycle-endorsement and registration requirements for anything meeting the motor-vehicle definition. | not a code provision |
| Ordinance number | Not found for the May 12, 2026 amendment, and the specific amended sections could not be confirmed. Note: SCC No. 1777 is an unrelated environmental-health fee ordinance — do not cite it for this. | no citation locatedCitation unconfirmed |
Actual documented enforcement, with numbers
Most California e-bike ordinances are enforced lightly or not at all. Sacramento County publishes what it does.
Early June 2026, targeted American River Parkway operation: 7 citations issued, 4 vehicles towed — Class 3 e-bikes and e-motorcycles. The violations: speeds approaching 30 mph against the posted 15 mph limit, operating unregistered vehicles, and riding without helmets.
Enhanced misdemeanour enforcement discretion began June 19, 2026.
Compare: Manhattan Beach's $500-and-a-misdemeanour ordinance produced zero citations on the Strand or the Marvin Braude trail. Marin County enforces its age rule only as a secondary infraction. Santa Barbara is the one jurisdiction with higher volume, at nearly 600 citations in 2026 — but that is a dense downtown, not a 30-mile river parkway.
The infraction-or-misdemeanour discretion
The May 2026 amendment's most consequential change is that violations may be charged as either an infraction or a misdemeanour, at officer discretion.
That is a substantial escalation. An infraction is a fine; a misdemeanour is a criminal charge with a
record, and for an adult it carries consequences well beyond the $250 maximum in § 9.36.035.
Other California jurisdictions with misdemeanour exposure: Manhattan Beach on a first offense,
Dana Point on a third (DPMC § 4.02.022), Westlake Village on a fourth, Newport Beach for unsafe
operation (NBMC § 12.54.070), and Irvine where a violation may be charged as a misdemeanour rather
than an infraction.
Jump courses and trail building
The May 2026 amendment also targets unauthorised off-road bicycle courses with jumps and tracks, unauthorised trail building and ground-disturbing activity, and unauthorised use of golf courses and sports complexes.
This is the same underlying behavior that four Southern California ordinances address from a different angle — Carlsbad, Seal Beach, Encinitas and Poway all prohibit riding on public drainage facilities, culverts, ditches, channels and water detention basins. Concrete flood-control channels and dirt jump lines built in riverside scrub are where unsupervised teenage riding actually happens, and they are dangerous for reasons that have nothing to do with traffic.
Sacramento County's version adds the environmental dimension: ground-disturbing activity in a riparian corridor is a habitat problem as well as a safety one.
The jurisdictional point that catches people out
The American River Parkway is county-managed. Its rules come from Sacramento County Code
Ch. 9.36, not from the City of Sacramento's code — and they apply along the Parkway's length
including the stretches inside city limits.
The City of Sacramento has no e-bike ordinance located. So a rider in the city is under state law on the streets and under county park rules on the Parkway, with no city rules in between. The Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail, the Parkway's main path, is where the 15 mph limit and the Class 3 prohibition bite.
The wider region
| Jurisdiction | Status |
|---|---|
| Sacramento County | Ch. 9.36 — Class 3 banned on trails, 15 mph, $50 / $100 / $250, misdemeanour discretion |
| City of Sacramento | No ordinance located |
| Folsom | Pending. Ords. 1376 and 1377 introduced September 8, 2026, then sent back to be merged. Combined version: 15 mph on paths and trails, pedestrian priority, $100 / $250 / $500 administrative, penalties expressly not charged to parents. Not adopted. |
| Roseville | No e-bike provisions in Ch. 11.14; sidewalk riding generally permitted with enumerated prohibited blocks |
| Davis | No e-bike provisions; the city's own police page states cities generally cannot create ordinances conflicting with state requirements |
| Folsom Lake SRA / Auburn SRA | State Parks added e-bikes to 40-plus dirt trails and roads under a 2025 trail-use policy — more permissive than the State Parks baseline |
Common questions
Are Class 3 e-bikes allowed on the American River Parkway?
No. Sacramento County Code § 9.36.066 prohibits Class 3 electric bicycles on bicycle trails except to cross at intersections, and § 9.36.065 prohibits them on park roads and trails except where designated. Rangers enforce this actively — a targeted operation in early June 2026 produced 7 citations and 4 vehicles towed.
What is the speed limit on Sacramento bike trails?
15 mph for bicycles on designated off-street bicycle trails, under SCC § 9.36.066. The June 2026 enforcement operation cited riders travelling at speeds approaching 30 mph against that limit. Note the American River Parkway is county-managed, so this applies inside city limits too.
Can you be charged with a misdemeanour for an e-bike violation in Sacramento County?
Since the May 12, 2026 amendment, yes — violations may be charged as either an infraction or a misdemeanour, and enhanced misdemeanour enforcement discretion began June 19, 2026. The infraction fine schedule under § 9.36.035 is $50, $100 and $250.
Does the City of Sacramento have its own e-bike rules?
No city-specific e-bike ordinance was located. That surprises people because the American River Parkway runs through the city — but the Parkway is county-managed, so its rules come from Sacramento County Code Ch. 9.36 rather than from the city code.
Sources
- Sacramento County Code Ch. 9.36 (eCode360)
- Sacramento County Park Ranger Division — Parks Ordinance (PDF)
- Sacramento County — Board adopts ordinance updates to protect parks and recreation facilities
- Sacramento County — Park rangers conduct targeted e-bike enforcement operation on American River Parkway