California SB 1167: No E-Bike Ban, New Label Rules

The short answer

California is not banning e-bikes, and it is not going to make you licence or register one. The bill that keeps getting shared as proof of a crackdown — SB 1167 — does not regulate riders at all. It regulates the people selling the machines.

The two bills that would have affected riders are dead. AB 1942, which would have added licensing and registration, and AB 1557, which would have rewritten the classification system in a way that made many existing e-bikes illegal, both failed.

SB 1167 passed the Senate in May and was amended in the Assembly on 1 July 2026. Even if it becomes law, its labelling provisions do not become operative until 1 January 2028 (Veh. Code §26303(j)).

What SB 1167 actually does

Three things, all aimed at the seller.

1. It makes mis-selling an electric motorcycle as an "e-bike" a legal violation.

The bill adds to Vehicle Code §312.5 a list of devices that may not be advertised, sold or labelled as an electric bicycle:

• motor power exceeding 750 watts
• capable of more than 20 mph on motor power alone
• motor assistance continuing above 28 mph
• no operable pedals
• motorcycles, motor-driven cycles, mopeds, and off-highway electric motorcycles

Doing it anyway "shall constitute a misleading statement" under Bus. & Prof. Code §§17200 and 17500 — California's unfair-competition and false-advertising statutes. That is the part with teeth: those laws carry civil penalties and can be enforced by public prosecutors.

2. It requires a permanent certification label.

Under new §26302(e)(1), manufacturers and distributors would have to permanently affix "the logo, wordmark, label, or name of an accredited testing laboratory and the applicable certification standard used to show compliance" — in practice ANSI/CAN/UL 2849 or EN 15194.

3. It puts that label into crash data.

A new §21065 requires crash reports involving an electric bicycle, moped or motor-driven cycle to record the information on that label, or to note that no label was present. The point is to stop electric motorcycles being counted as "e-bike accidents" in the injury statistics that drive the next round of legislation.

Why this bill exists

Because the category has been abused. A large share of what sells online as an "e-bike" is a Sur-Ron-style electric motorcycle — thousands of watts, no functional pedals, 40+ mph. Those are not e-bikes under federal law (15 U.S.C. §2085) or California law, they cannot be ridden on bike paths, and in most states they cannot be registered as road vehicles either.

We wrote about that problem before this bill existed: are Sur-Rons street legal? The answer has not changed. SB 1167 is the legislature trying to stop the mislabelling at the point of sale rather than at the point of a traffic stop.

What this means if you are buying

This is the practical part, and it is worth acting on now rather than in 2028.

The label the bill would mandate is already the best single check a buyer has. A bike certified to UL 2849 has had its complete electrical system — battery, charger, controller, motor — tested as one unit. That certification is already required for indoor charging in New York City under Local Law 39 of 2023, and a growing number of apartment buildings and workplaces ask for it.

So the buying checklist California is heading toward is one you can apply today:

If a listing will not tell you the rated wattage, or the pedals are obviously decorative, it is not an e-bike — whatever the product title says. Our reviews record rated wattage, class and certification for every bike in the catalog, and the Class 1 vs 2 vs 3 explainer covers how the classes map to where you can ride.

What has NOT changed in California

None of the following is affected by SB 1167:

• No licence is required to ride an e-bike in California.
• No registration is required.
• No insurance is required.
• Class 3 riders must be 16 or older and must wear a helmet; riders under 18 must wear a helmet on any class.

The full current rule set is on our California state page, and the state-by-state table shows how California compares.

Where the bill goes next

SB 1167 is in the Assembly following its 1 July amendments. If it passes and is signed, the labelling requirements become operative 1 January 2028, giving manufacturers roughly a year and a half to comply. The marketing prohibition and the crash-reporting change would take effect on the standard timeline for the session.

Nothing about it requires a rider to do anything, in 2026 or in 2028.

Sources

• California SB 1167 bill text (07/01/26 version) — §312.5, §26302(e)(1), §26303(j), §21065
• NYC FDNY — lithium-ion battery rules, Local Law 39 of 2023
• 15 U.S.C. §2085 — the federal 750 W / 20 mph e-bike definition

Bill text last verified 26 July 2026. SB 1167 is still moving through the Assembly and may be amended again — check the bill page before relying on any specific provision.