A Bird eBike. (File image courtesy BIrd)
Carlsbad and Santee this month became the latest cities in to join a growing countywide program restricting children from using electric bicycles — and the city of San Diego could soon be joining them.
On Dec. 10, Santee’s City Council officially adopted an ordinance that altered the existing vehicle codes around e-bikes, just a couple of weeks after Carlsbad declared its intention to create such an ordinance.
Coronado, Chula Vista, Poway, San Marcos, and now Santee have all passed ordinances barring anyone under the age of 12 from riding an e-bike.
That group could soon get company from the largest city in the county, too. A city of San Diego spokesperson told Times of San Diego that staff members are currently reviewing options for an ordinance similar to what’s been passed elsewhere in the county.
Carlsbad’s crackdown earlier this month went further than other cities have, with the council voting to instruct staff to find a way in state law to raise the age restriction to anyone under 16.
Safety concerns are driving these regulations. Chula Vista’s ordinance came a month after an 8-year-old boy was struck and killed while reportedly riding an e-bike. In 2022, Carlsbad declared a local state of emergency for e-bike safety, citing a 233% increase in collisions involving bikes and e-bikes since 2019.
The city pointed to other data supporting the push to ban e-bikes among kids over 12 as well. Carlsbad Police Lieutenant Jason Arnotti told the council that half of reported e-bike injuries from 2019 to 2025 involved 12- to 17-year-old riders.
Encinitas Assemblymember Tasha Boerner started the wave of local policies in 2024, with AB 2234. That law created a countywide pilot program any city could opt into, banning children under 12 from riding class 1 or class 2 e-bikes, which reach a max speed of 20 mph. The pilot program runs through 2029.
Carlsbad’s council also voted to look into whether they could join a different pilot program, this one in Marin County, that prohibits anyone under 16 from riding a class 2 e-bike.
Class 3, the fastest e-bikes, reach 28 mph. AB 2234 doesn’t mention this class, because of a state law passed in January this year that stipulates that riders need to be at least 16 years old.
While AB 2234 outlines how local governments can enforce regulations and monitor violations, local communities can enact additional guardrails in their ordinances. Each city prohibits e-bikes for riders under 12, but here are some of the differences between each city’s ordinances:
Carlsbad
Carlsbad has yet to implement official local regulations, but the City Council’s Traffic Safety & Mobility Commission recommended that the following be included within its upcoming e-bike ordinance:
Pursue legislation that would add Carlsbad to the authority found in the state law “Marin Electric Bicycle Safety Pilot Program” that allows local authorities in Marin County to bar anyone under the age of 16 from operating a class 2 e-bike.
Ban regulated mobility devices at Poinsettia and Pine Avenue Community Parks.
Allow officers to impound e-bikes under certain circumstances.
Coronado
Coronado’s ordinance was adopted early January 2025. The city prohibits e-bikes and other mobility devices in the following areas:
All city sidewalks
Beaches and parks
The Paseo boardwalk near the Hotel del Coronado
The Boardwalk near the Coronado Shores
The Promenade between Glorietta Bay Park and the Bluewater Boathouse Seafood Grill.
Chula Vista
The city of Chula Vista approved its updated ordinance in July. Its ordinance bans mobility devices on sidewalks in business districts, and anywhere signs are posted. Class 3 e-bikes are banned on all city sidewalks and e-bikes are prohibited on roads with speed limits above 40 mph.
Poway
Poway passed its ordinance in late October. The city allows electric bicycles on any sidewalk, bike path, bike trail or roadway unless signs prohibit it. The ordinance specifies that e-bikes are not allowed in the following areas:
Tennis or pickleball courts
Shuffleboard facilities
Soccer fields
Baseball/softball fields
Passive lawn areas (natural or synthetic)
Water/sediment detention basins
Any other sport-related facility or open field
Sidewalks in business districts
Additionally, no electric bike operator can travel over 28 miles per hour on a public highway.
Santee
The city approved amendments for existing e-bike regulations in late October. In the approved ordinance e-bikes are not allowed on any sidewalk in the city where there is a sign prohibiting it.
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