Wyoming E-Bike Laws 2026: No Age, No Helmet, No DMV

The 30-second answer

E-bikes are legal across Wyoming under the federal Class 1/2/3 framework adopted by SF0081 (2019), signed by Governor Mark Gordon on 26 February 2019 and effective 1 July 2019. The definition is at W.S. §31-1-101(a)(xxxiv) and the operating rules at W.S. §31-5-707. Motor cap: less than 750 watts.

Three things to know about Wyoming:

1. One of the most permissive statewide regimes in the United States. No driver license, no registration, no certificate of title, no license plate, no insurance, NO statewide helmet rule for any class at any age, and — verified against the actual SF0081 text — NO statutory minimum operator age for ANY class, including Class 3 (Wyoming and Rhode Island are the cleanest "no age floor" three-tier states; most retailer blogs incorrectly say "16" for Wyoming Class 3, which is a copy-paste from the PeopleForBikes model bill the Wyoming legislature did not adopt verbatim).
2. The headline statutory restriction is the Class 3 path rule. §31-5-707 says a Class 3 e-bike shall not be operated on a bicycle or multi-use path unless the path is adjacent to a highway/roadway or a local authority or state agency with jurisdiction authorizes Class 3 operation.
3. The biggest practical overlay is the NPS multiplier. Wyoming has the smallest US state population (~580k) but hosts Yellowstone NP (~96% in Wyoming, the world's first national park, 1872) AND Grand Teton NP. Both have their own NPS overlays — different from the §31-5-707 default. The Jackson Hole Community Pathway System (~60 mi across Teton County) permits all three classes with a 15 mph in-town speed cap.

Quick reference

Two practical reads. First, Wyoming's statewide statute is among the cleanest three-class regimes in the country — no license, no registration, no title, no plate, no insurance, no statewide helmet rule, no minimum age for ANY class. Second, the bite is administrative: §31-5-707's Class 3 path restriction shuts Class 3 out of stand-alone bike paths unless local authorities opt in, and Wyoming State Parks limits Classes 2 + 3 to motorized routes. The marquee national parks (Yellowstone, Grand Teton) carry their own NPS overlays. Smallest population, biggest NPS multiplier — that is the Wyoming e-bike story.

The three-class system in Wyoming

Wyoming defines an "electric bicycle" at W.S. §31-1-101(a)(xxxiv): a bicycle or tricycle equipped with fully operable pedals, a seat or saddle for the rider's use, and an electric motor of less than 750 watts, meeting the requirements of one of the following three classes:

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

The framework was enacted by Senate File 81 (SF0081) during the 2019 General Session, signed by Governor Mark Gordon on 26 February 2019, effective 1 July 2019. The bill made Wyoming the 12th state to adopt the three-class framework promoted by PeopleForBikes and the Bicycle Product Suppliers Association.

Why some sources cite the wrong bill or wrong details

Three common citation traps in Wyoming e-bike SEO content:

1. HB0028 is NOT the Wyoming e-bike bill. Some rollout plans and secondary sources guess "HB0028" — that is an unrelated 2020 bill. The actual enacting bill is SF0081 (2019).
2. Governor Mead did NOT sign the e-bike bill. Matt Mead's term ended 7 January 2019. SF0081 was signed by Mead's successor, Mark Gordon.
3. There is NO statutory minimum age for Class 3 in Wyoming. Many retailer blogs say "Class 3 riders must be 16" — that is a copy-paste from the PeopleForBikes model-bill language that California, Connecticut, Maine, and most other three-class states adopted. The Wyoming legislature did not include any minimum-age provision in SF0081. Verify by reading §31-5-707 directly.

Where you can ride

Roads + bike lanes

Same rights and duties as a regular bicycle. §31-5-707 expressly classifies an electric bicycle as not a motor vehicle and applies the bicycle operating rules of W.S. §31-5-702 to e-bikes. All three classes.

Multi-use paths — Class 1 + 2 permissive, Class 3 restricted by statute

The statewide default under §31-5-707 is permissive for Class 1 and Class 2 on bike and multi-use paths. Class 3 is restricted by statute: a Class 3 e-bike shall not be operated on a bicycle or multi-use path unless the path is adjacent to a highway/roadway or a local authority or state agency with jurisdiction authorizes Class 3 operation. This is one of the few state statutes that bakes a Class 3 path restriction directly into the operating-rules section (Arizona, Connecticut, and Maine do the same in different forms; most states leave path access to local agencies).

Sidewalks

No statewide sidewalk rule for bicycles or e-bikes. Municipalities control. Cheyenne, Casper, Laramie, and Jackson each have their own bicycle ordinances — check the local code for the city you are riding in.

Wyoming State Parks — Class 1 only on non-motorized trails

Per Wyoming State Parks policy effective 1 July 2019 (coinciding with the SF0081 effective date):

• Class 1: ✅ permitted on non-motorized trails where bicycles are allowed.
• Class 2: ❌ on non-motorized trails — restricted to motorized routes or park roads (a Class 2 pilot launched in 2019 has not produced a general approval).
• Class 3: ❌ on non-motorized trails — restricted to motorized routes or park roads.

The two marquee Class 1 e-MTB destinations:

Curt Gowdy State Park (~35 mi, IMBA Epic)

Curt Gowdy State Park, between Cheyenne and Laramie, has ~35 miles of purpose-built mountain bike singletrack and was awarded IMBA Epic status in 2009. Class 1 e-MTBs are permitted on the bike trails under Wyoming State Parks policy. Classes 2 and 3 are not.

Glendo State Park (~45+ mi)

Glendo State Park, east of Casper, hosts 45+ miles of trails. Class 1 ✅; Class 2 + 3 ❌ on non-motorized trails.

Yellowstone National Park — Class 1 + 2 + 3 on roads, Class 3 paved only

Yellowstone National Park (~96% in Wyoming, also extending into Montana and Idaho — the world's first national park, 1872) is the single biggest NPS overlay in Wyoming. Per the NPS Yellowstone bicycling page and the NPS September 2019 e-bike rule:

• All three classes ✅ on established public roads, parking areas, and designated routes — during the summer, when those roads are open to motor vehicles.
• Class 3 ❌ on unpaved / gravel routes — Class 3 is restricted to paved roads only inside Yellowstone.
• All bicycles (including all e-bike classes) ❌ on backcountry trails, boardwalks, and oversnow routes — Yellowstone has no dedicated bike paths along roadways.
• Spring and fall: bikes permitted on certain established roads when they are closed to public motor vehicles, weather permitting.
• Throttle restriction (NPS Sept 2019): the motor may not propel the e-bike without the rider also pedaling, except on routes open to public motor vehicle traffic. This effectively limits Class 2 throttle-only operation off-road.

Grand Teton National Park — e-bikes where bikes are allowed

Grand Teton National Park has the same NPS framework. Per NPS Grand Teton:

• All three classes ✅ wherever traditional bicycles are allowed — paved roads, the Grand Teton Pathway, Two Ocean Lake Road, Grassy Lake Road (gravel), and Teton Park Road seasonally.
• Grand Teton Pathway (~20 mi from the town of Jackson north to Antelope Flats Road and following Teton Park Road to Jenny Lake): all three classes; six hub stations (Gros Ventre Roundabout, Blacktail Butte, Dornans, Moose, Taggart Lake, Jenny Lake). Closed seasonally until snow melts; closed dusk-to-dawn; closed 1 Nov–30 Apr along the National Elk Refuge segment from Jackson to Gros Ventre Road.
• No bikes on hiking trails, in backcountry areas, or on roads closed to vehicles.
• NPS Sept 2019 throttle rule applies: the motor may not propel the e-bike without pedaling except on motor vehicle routes.

Jackson Hole Community Pathway System (~60 mi)

The Teton County / Town of Jackson pathway system runs ~60 miles total, connecting Jackson to Hoback Junction, Wilson, Teton Village, and Grand Teton National Park. Per Teton County policy:

• Class 1, Class 2, and Class 3 ✅ all permitted on the pathway system.
• 15 mph in-town speed cap — riders must not exceed 15 mph on pathways within the Town of Jackson.
• Pathways are open dawn-to-dusk; no pets except service dogs on the NPS-managed Grand Teton Pathway sections.

This is the most permissive municipal pathway overlay in Wyoming — most other Wyoming cities (Cheyenne Greenway, Casper Rail Trail, Green River Greenbelt, Cody Shoshone River Pathway) follow the §31-5-707 default with no published speed-cap overlay.

Yellowstone Shortline Trail — Montana, not Wyoming, but worth knowing

The Yellowstone Shortline Trail — a 9-mile rail-trail opened 11 June 2025 following the historic Oregon Short Line Railroad from Reas Pass (Montana–Idaho border) to West Yellowstone, MT — is in Montana, not Wyoming. Managed by the Hebgen Lake Ranger District of Custer Gallatin National Forest, it bans all e-bikes (Class 1, 2, and 3) under USFS motorized-vehicle policy: "motorized vehicles, including E-bikes, ATVs, UTVs, and dirt bikes, are not permitted." Worth flagging because West Yellowstone is the most common Wyoming-rider gateway into Yellowstone NP, and the trail looks like the natural connector but is closed to e-bikes.

Federal lands in Wyoming

Beyond Yellowstone and Grand Teton, Wyoming has substantial USFS and BLM acreage:

• Bighorn National Forest, Shoshone National Forest (the first US national forest, 1891), Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest, Bridger-Teton National Forest, Caribou-Targhee National Forest, Black Hills National Forest (small WY portion): per the USFS national e-bike policy, all three classes generally permitted on motorized roads/trails; on non-motorized singletrack only where specifically designated. Varies by Ranger District.
• BLM lands in Wyoming (extensive — Wyoming is ~48% federal land): per DOI Secretary's Order 3376, e-bikes treated as bicycles for trail-access purposes — wherever a regular bicycle is permitted, an e-bike is permitted; wherever a bicycle is banned (designated wilderness), an e-bike is banned.
• Devils Tower National Monument (the first US national monument, 1906, in northeastern Wyoming): per NPS, bicycling permitted on park roads only; not on trails.
• Fossil Butte National Monument + Fort Laramie National Historic Site: bicycles on roads only; no trail access.

Helmet, age, license, registration

Wyoming's permissive baseline — no helmet, no age floor for any class, no license/registration/title/plate/insurance — makes it one of the simplest statewide e-bike regimes in the United States. The administrative trade-offs are (1) the §31-5-707 Class 3 path restriction, (2) the WyoParks Class 1-only policy on non-motorized state-park trails, and (3) the Yellowstone + Grand Teton NPS overlays.

Pending + recent legislation

• 2026 budget session — no e-bike-specific bills enacted that change the §31-1-101 / §31-5-707 regime. Verify against the Wyoming Legislature bill tracker before relying on this for any active dispute.
• 2024 + 2025 sessions — no e-bike-specific bills enacted.
• 2023 session — no e-bike-specific bills enacted; the 2019 framework (SF0081) remains the operative law.

Current law remains: W.S. §31-1-101(a)(xxxiv) (definition + classes) + W.S. §31-5-707 (operating rules, license/registration/insurance exemption, labeling requirements, CPSC standard, Class 3 path restriction).

Penalties for non-compliance

Wyoming does not impose a specific statutory penalty for operating an out-of-class e-bike (e.g., a 1,500 W direct-drive at 35 mph). Two enforcement pathways apply:

1. Reclassification as a motor vehicle. A two-wheeler that exceeds the §31-1-101(a)(xxxiv) motor cap (≥750 W) or whose throttle alone propels it past the class speed cap falls outside the electric bicycle definition. It then defaults into the motorcycle / moped regime under Title 31 — full driver license, registration, title, plate, and liability insurance required, with the usual misdemeanor penalties for driving without each.
2. Local ordinance penalties. Riding a Class 3 on a Wyoming State Parks non-motorized trail or on a stand-alone bike path that hasn't opted in to Class 3 violates the agency's posted rule, typically a written warning escalating to a citation under the agency's general code-of-conduct authority.

Special situations

Out-of-state riders

A bicycle that meets the §31-1-101(a)(xxxiv) definition is street-legal in Wyoming regardless of where it was bought. The bike does not need a Wyoming-issued label as long as it carries the manufacturer's permanent class label in at least 9-point font.

DIY / converted e-bikes

A homebuilt or conversion-kit e-bike still qualifies under §31-1-101(a)(xxxiv) if it has fully operable pedals, a seat/saddle, a motor under 750 W, and behaves within one of the three class speed caps. The §31-5-707 labeling requirement is on the manufacturer — for a DIY build the practical workaround is a sticker or plate noting "Class 1/2/3", top assisted speed, and motor wattage so that an enforcement officer can read the configuration without disassembly.

Cargo e-bikes and family hauling

Wyoming has no specific cargo-e-bike or passenger-carrying rule. Because there is no statutory minimum age for any class, a Class 3 longtail or front-loader carrying children is street-legal — but Class 3 remains restricted from stand-alone bike paths under §31-5-707 unless the path is adjacent to a highway or locally authorized.

National-park visitors

The biggest practical takeaway for visitors: Yellowstone allows all three classes on paved roads (Class 3 paved-only); Grand Teton allows all three classes wherever bikes go, including the 20-mile Grand Teton Pathway; the Jackson Hole Pathway System allows all three classes with a 15 mph in-town cap. The throttle restriction (NPS Sept 2019) effectively limits Class 2 throttle-only operation off-road in both parks.

Bottom line

Wyoming runs one of the cleanest three-class statewide regimes in the United States: no license, no registration, no title, no plate, no insurance, no statewide helmet rule, no minimum age for any class. The two practical wrinkles to remember are (1) the §31-5-707 Class 3 path restriction (Class 3 needs an adjacent road or local authorization to use a stand-alone bike or multi-use path) and (2) the Wyoming State Parks Class 1-only policy on non-motorized trails. The headline practical context: Wyoming is the smallest state by population but hosts Yellowstone and Grand Teton — the highest per-capita NPS visitation multiplier in the lower 48. Read the trailhead sign, ride within your class, and the Wyoming statute leaves you alone.

Sources

• W.S. §31-5-707 — Electric Bicycles (operating rules + labeling + CPSC standard)
• Wyoming Statutes Title 31 Chapter 5 Article 7 — Bicycles and Electric Bicycles
• SF0081 (2019) — enacting bill, full record on wyoleg.gov
• SF0081 enrolled bill PDF
• Wyoming State Parks — E-Bike Trail Allowance announcement
• Wyoming State Parks — Biking at Curt Gowdy
• NPS Yellowstone — Bicycling
• NPS Grand Teton — Biking in the Park
• NPS — Electric bicycles in Glacier, Grand Teton, Yellowstone, and the National Elk Refuge (Sept 2019)
• Teton County WY — Pathways
• Yellowstone Shortline Trail (USFS Custer Gallatin NF, opened 11 Jun 2025, Montana)
• USFS national e-bike policy
• DOI Secretary's Order 3376 — federal lands e-bike policy
• PeopleForBikes — Wyoming Lawmakers Pass E-bike Bill (Feb 2019)
• PeopleForBikes — Wyoming E-Bike Law Handout (2020)
• PeopleForBikes State E-Bike Law Tracker