Beverly Hills residents riding e-bikes, e-scooters and electric motorcycle-style devices face new speed limits, age minimums and helmet rules under an ordinance the Village Council adopted Sept. 15.

Ordinance #396 took effect Sept. 23 after publication in the Birmingham-Bloomfield Eagle, according to a notice signed by Village Clerk Carissa Brown. The law covers bicycles, e-bikes, e-scooters, e-skateboards, e-motos and mopeds, and spells out where each may operate on sidewalks, bikeways, public roads and village parks.

The ordinance sets age floors: riders must be at least 14 to operate a Class 3 e-bike and at least 16 for an e-moto on a public roadway, according to the village's published FAQ on the ordinance, which reflects the adopted ordinance and updates the lower age WXYZ reported the night of the vote, before adoption. Anyone under 19 must wear a helmet on any electric device. Bicycles, Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes, and electric scooters and skateboards may not exceed 10 mph on a sidewalk or bikeway, while Class 3 e-bikes provide motor assistance only up to 28 mph.

Class 3 e-bikes and e-motos are banned from village sidewalks and bikeways. In village parks, e-bikes of all classes and e-motos may only be parked in designated lots and may not be ridden through the park. Traditional bicycles, Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes, and electric scooters and skateboards are still allowed on sidewalks and bike paths.

Violations carry municipal civil infractions.

Village Council President John George told WXYZ on Sept. 15 that e-motos drove the push for new rules. "The e-motos are the biggest area of concern because they are one of the most prevalent and they are without definition," George said. He added that the council was responding to devices operating above speed limits on sidewalks and in parks.

Village officials told WXYZ the ordinance effort followed multiple crashes involving similar devices across the region in 2026, some fatal. Village Manager Warren Rothe told WXYZ on Sept. 15 that the devices had become impossible to miss, describing them as present on "every street" and along 13 Mile and 14 Mile roads.

Beverly Hills is not acting alone. Bloomfield Township's Board of Trustees enacted a six-month moratorium on e-bikes and e-scooters on sidewalks and township property Sept. 14, applying the ban to riders under 16. Under that moratorium, a confiscated device is returned to the rider's parent or guardian. The Bloomfield Hills Schools Board of Education held a Sept. 11 special meeting on a proposed electric-device policy for district property and was scheduled to continue the discussion Monday, Sept. 28. The outcome of that meeting was not available as of publication.

The village's meeting recap confirmed the council conducted a second reading and public hearing before adopting the ordinance. A full copy of Ordinance #396 is available on the village's Municode page and at Village Hall.

The next Beverly Hills Village Council meeting is Oct. 6 at 7 p.m.