Vermont E-Bike Laws 2026: No Helmet, §1136a

The 30-second answer

E-bikes are legal across Vermont under the federal Class 1/2/3 framework adopted by S.66 / Act 40 of 2021, signed by Governor Phil Scott on 20 May 2021 and effective 1 January 2022. The definition is at 23 V.S.A. §4, with operating rules at 23 V.S.A. §1136a. Motor cap is less than 750 watts.

Three things make Vermont stand out:

1. No statewide helmet law — at all. Vermont has no statewide bicycle or e-bike helmet mandate for any age. It's one of 13 US states with no helmet law per the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute compilation. §1136a adds no e-bike-specific helmet requirement either. Helmets are still strongly recommended — and some programs (Burlington's bikeshare) and trail networks require them as a condition of use — but the state does not mandate them.
2. Kingdom Trails opened to Class 1 in June 2025. After a years-long ban tied to the 2019 "Kingdom Trails crisis" landowner-access fallout, the Kingdom Trails Association formally welcomed Class 1 pedal-assist eMTBs network-wide on 5 June 2025, with about 85% of the network open and several landowner-excluded sections remaining off-limits. Throttle (Class 2) and 28 mph (Class 3) remain prohibited.
3. Path access default is permissive, with asymmetric local opt-out. Under §1136a, e-bikes may be ridden anywhere bicycles are allowed by default. A municipality, local authority, or state agency may prohibit Class 1 or Class 2 on a specific path only after notice and a public hearing. For Class 3, the local authority may prohibit access without the notice-and-hearing requirement — a deliberate asymmetry to make the higher-speed class easier to restrict locally.

No license, no registration, no insurance under §1136a. Vermont treats e-bikes as bicycles for licensing/registration/insurance purposes as long as the motor is under 750 W and the bike falls within one of the three classes.

Quick reference

Two practical reads. First, Vermont's statewide statute is mainstream federal three-class — the law itself is straightforward. The standout is the complete absence of any helmet mandate, which makes it one of the most permissive helmet jurisdictions in the country. Second, the trail story is granular: the state's flagship MTB destinations (Kingdom Trails, Stowe Trails Partnership networks, Trapp Family Lodge) are Class 1 only — and the Green Mountain National Forest is closed to e-bikes on non-motorized singletrack under the USFS national policy. Plan accordingly.

The three-class system in Vermont

Vermont defines an "electric bicycle" at 23 V.S.A. §4 (Definitions), with the operating chapter at §1136a:

A bicycle equipped with fully operable pedals and an electric motor of less than 750 watts, and that meets one of the following requirements:

• Class 1 — motor "provides assistance only when the rider is pedaling, and ceases to provide assistance when the bicycle reaches the speed of 20 miles per hour."
• Class 2 — motor "may be used exclusively to propel the bicycle, and is not capable of providing assistance when the bicycle reaches the speed of 20 miles per hour."
• Class 3 — motor "provides assistance only when the rider is pedaling, and ceases to provide assistance when the bicycle reaches the speed of 28 miles per hour."

The framework was enacted by S.66 (Act 40 of 2021), signed by Governor Phil Scott on 20 May 2021, effective 1 January 2022.

Why some sources cite the wrong year or bill

A handful of common citation traps:

1. Vermont's three-class law is from 2021, not 2018 or 2019. Some secondary sources cite "Act 167 of 2018" — that is unrelated. The operative enactment is S.66 / Act 40 of 2021, effective 1 January 2022.
2. §1139 is NOT a helmet statute. §1139 is "Riding on roadways and bicycle paths." A few state-overview blogs misattribute a Vermont under-16 helmet rule to §1139 — the rule does not exist.
3. §1256 is the motorcycle helmet statute, not the bicycle helmet statute. Vermont has no bicycle helmet statute.
4. Class 3 in Vermont has no separate helmet rule. Several state-overview blogs claim "helmet required regardless of age for Class 3 in VT" — that is not in §1136a. The Class 3 operator-age-16 rule exists; the helmet rule does not.

License, registration, insurance, and helmet

Vermont's complete absence of a helmet law is the rule that surprises most out-of-state riders. Helmets are still strongly recommended (and required by most trail networks and Burlington's bikeshare program as a condition of use), but the state imposes no mandate.

Where you can ride

Roads + bike lanes

All three classes have the same rights and duties as a regular bicycle. Roads, road shoulders, and on-street bike lanes are open to all three classes statewide.

Multi-use paths — permissive default, asymmetric local opt-out

Under §1136a:

• Default rule: All three classes may be ridden anywhere bicycles are allowed, including highways, bicycle lanes, and bicycle/multi-use paths.
• Class 1 + Class 2 local restriction: Requires notice and a public hearing by the municipality, local authority, or state agency. This is a procedural protection — an agency cannot quietly post a Class 1/2 exclusion sign without first putting the action on a public meeting agenda.
• Class 3 local restriction: Simpler — the local authority may prohibit Class 3 on a specific path without the notice-and-hearing requirement, reflecting the legislature's recognition that Class 3 raises higher safety concerns on shared paths.

This is the opposite asymmetry of states like Idaho (where the procedural protection applies to all three classes equally) and West Virginia (where Class 3 is statutorily banned from paths by default).

Sidewalks

No statewide rule. Local ordinance controls. Burlington prohibits sidewalk and Church Street Marketplace riding in the downtown core (Title 8 / Chapter 6 / Chapter 27 of the City Code), with full prohibition in the City Center (bounded by Pearl St., S. Winooski Ave., Main St., St. Paul St.) and an over-16 sidewalk-riding ban within the inner fire district. Montpelier prohibits sidewalk cycling in the Central Business District.

Kingdom Trails — the 2025 reversal

Kingdom Trails in East Burke / Lyndonville is one of the top MTB destinations in the US — approximately 100+ miles of singletrack on private land managed by the Kingdom Trails Association (KTA). In 2019, several landowners revoked trail-access permission in what became known as the "Kingdom Trails crisis" — and KTA imposed an outright e-bike ban as part of the landowner-relationship reset.

After a multi-year landowner-consultation process from 2021 through 2025, KTA formally welcomed Class 1 pedal-assist eMTBs network-wide on 5 June 2025:

• Class 1 only — pedal-assist, ≤750 W (≤1 HP), assistance cuts out at 20 mph, disengages on coast or brake. The strict federal Class 1 definition.
• Class 2 (throttle) and Class 3 (28 mph) are prohibited.
• ~85% of the network is open to Class 1 eMTBs. Landowner-excluded sections remain off-limits and are shown on the official KTA map and signed at trailhead.

This is one of the highest-profile e-bike-policy reversals in US MTB. The trail-by-trail map at kingdomtrails.org is the authoritative source — check it before riding.

Stowe + Cady Hill + Trapp Family Lodge

Managed by the Stowe Trails Partnership:

• Cady Hill Forest — Class 1 pedal-assist eMTBs allowed.
• Adams Camp — Class 1 allowed.
• Sterling Forest — Class 1 allowed except the Billings Trail (closed to all e-bikes per landowner request).
• Trapp Family Lodge / von Trapp Outdoor Center — Class 1 welcomed since September 2024. Restricted to designated bike trails (foot/ski-only trails remain off-limits). Day-use pass required (~$15 adult / $12 senior / $8 child).
• Throttle classes (Class 2 + Class 3) are prohibited across all four networks.

Burlington Bike Path + Island Line Trail

The Burlington Bike Path runs about 8 miles along the Lake Champlain waterfront from Oakledge Park (south) to the Winooski River (north). Combined with the Colchester sections to the north, it forms the Island Line Trail (~14 miles total) — Oakledge Park to Allen Point — including the iconic ~3-mile Colchester Causeway across Lake Champlain toward the Champlain Islands.

Under the state default in §1136a, Class 1 and Class 2 are permitted; Class 3 may be locally restricted. Local Motion (the trail steward and advocacy organisation) supports e-bikes and rents Class 1 e-bikes on the path. Check signage at trailheads for any city-specific Class 2/3 posture.

Green Mountain National Forest

Approximately 150 miles of singletrack and trail are managed for mountain bike use across the Green Mountain National Forest. Per the USFS national e-bike directive (FSM 2355, applying DOI Secretary's Order 3376):

• E-bikes are classified as motor vehicles for USFS trail-management purposes.
• E-bikes are NOT allowed on non-motorized USFS trails unless the local unit has gone through environmental analysis and reclassified a specific trail to motorized.
• E-bikes ARE allowed on USFS-designated motorized trails and forest roads open to motor vehicles.
• The Appalachian Trail, the Long Trail, their side trails, and all Wilderness Areas are closed to all bicycles — motorized or not.

This is stricter than the NPS framework for federal-lands e-bike access. Plan on the Green Mountain NF as a forest-roads + designated-motorized-trails environment for e-bikes.

VAST snowmobile trails

Closed to e-bikes (and to all summer bike use) by default. The Vermont Association of Snow Travelers (VAST) landowner policy states:

"Permission to use snowmobile trails does not extend to use of these trails by Fat Bikes, ATVs, four-wheelers, motor or mountain bikes, hiking, cross-country skiing, or other uses, unless specifically authorized by the landowner and club, and properly signed. A VAST trail is a trail only during the snow season; any other use will be considered trespassing."

Some specific dual-use easements may permit summer e-MTB with explicit landowner + club authorization, but do not generalize "VAST allows e-bikes in summer." The default is summer closure.

Cross-state comparison (vs ME, NH, MA, NY)

Vermont is the outlier in the New England cluster for having no helmet law at all. Otherwise it's the most "vanilla" three-class adopter in the region, closest in structure to Maine. Massachusetts is unusual: it has not adopted Class 3, so a 28 mph pedelec is a "motorized bicycle" in MA requiring registration and a driver's license (Gov. Healey's Ride Safe Act S.3077, filed 4 May 2026, would change this).

Pending + recent legislation

• Act 165 of 2024 — strengthened cyclist protections; included the 4-foot safe-passing rule (minimum $200 fine for violations). Does NOT alter e-bike classification, helmet posture, or age rules.
• 2025 session (per Local Motion summary): bike use of pedestrian signals (cyclists may proceed on a WALK signal, effective 1 July 2026); statutory definition of "bike signal" added; education-campaign funding for the 4-foot passing rule.
• Did NOT pass in 2025: stop-as-yield (Idaho stop) — to be reintroduced; state e-bike rebate program — not funded for FY26.
• Utility-level e-bike rebates remain available: Burlington Electric Department and Green Mountain Power (amounts vary by program year — confirm directly with each utility).
• Current law remains: 23 V.S.A. §4 + §1136a.

Sources

• 23 V.S.A. §4 — Definition of electric bicycle
• 23 V.S.A. §1136a — Electric bicycles (operating rules, exemptions, age, path access)
• 23 V.S.A. §1139 — Riding on roadways and bicycle paths (NOT a helmet statute)
• 23 V.S.A. §1256 — Motorcycle helmets (NOT the bicycle helmet statute)
• Vermont S.66 / Act 40 of 2021 — bill status
• Kingdom Trails — Ride With Gratitude (Class 1 policy)
• Stowe Trails Partnership — e-bike policy
• VMBA — eMTB position
• Local Motion — 2025 biking legislation summary
• Vermont DMV
• Green Mountain National Forest — biking
• USFS national e-bike policy
• VAST landowner policy (summer bike use)
• Burlington City Code, Chapter 6 (Bicycles)
• DOI Secretary's Order 3376 — federal-lands e-bike policy