Laws by state / Vermont
Vermont
What Vermont's statutes say about riding each kind of personal electric vehicle. Local rules can be stricter.
E-bikes
How the law defines it: Three-class system. Working pedals, seat, motor under 750 W. Class 1: pedal-assist to 20 mph. Class 2: throttle, to 20 mph. Class 3: pedal-assist to 28 mph. Not a motor vehicle; governed as a bicycle.
Road
Allowed
May be ridden where bicycles are allowed, including highways, with a bicyclist's rights and duties.
Bike lane
Allowed
Expressly allowed in bicycle lanes.
Sidewalk
Not addressed in statute
Not addressed in statute.
Paths and trails
Local rules decide
Allowed on bicycle and multiuse paths. After notice and hearing, the managing agency may ban Class 1/2 for safety; it may ban Class 3 outright. Natural-surface nonmotorized trails are up to the managing agency.
- Helmet
- Not addressed in statute.
- Minimum age
- Class 3: 16 (younger riders may be passengers).
- Speed limit or cap
- 20 mph motor assist (Class 1 and 2), 28 mph (Class 3)
- Motor power cap
- Under 750 W
- License, registration, insurance
- Exempt from registration, inspection, title, operator's license and financial responsibility requirements.
- Also worth knowing
- Motor must cut out when the rider stops pedaling or brakes. Class 3 needs a speedometer. Manufacturers must label class, top assisted speed and wattage; tampering without relabeling is prohibited. A pedal bike with a motor up to 1,000 W and 20 mph that fits none of the classes is a 'motor-assisted bicycle', regulated separately under 23 V.S.A. 1136.
Checked October 26, 2026
Statutes: 23 V.S.A. 4(46); 23 V.S.A. 1136a
- 23 V.S.A. 4 (Definitions: electric bicycle, motor-assisted bicycle, EPAMD, pedestrian)
- 23 V.S.A. 1136a (Electric bicycles)
E-scooters
Not addressed in statute. We found no Vermont statute that covers this vehicle by name or by a definition that clearly fits it. That isn't permission: police and cities may treat it under another category. Vermont's 'pedestrian' definition (23 V.S.A. 4(67)) includes anyone operating a 'personal mobility device, whether motorized or not'. The term is not defined, so it is unclear whether it covers stand-up e-scooters; if it does, the rider would be treated as a pedestrian. Vermont has no e-scooter definition.
Electric boards (incl. Onewheel-style)
Not addressed in statute. We found no Vermont statute that covers this vehicle by name or by a definition that clearly fits it. That isn't permission: police and cities may treat it under another category. Vermont's 'pedestrian' definition (23 V.S.A. 4(67)) includes anyone operating a 'personal mobility device, whether motorized or not'. The term is not defined, so it is unclear whether it covers electric skateboards; if it does, the rider would be treated as a pedestrian.
Electric unicycles
Not addressed in statute. We found no Vermont statute that covers this vehicle by name or by a definition that clearly fits it. That isn't permission: police and cities may treat it under another category. Vermont's 'pedestrian' definition (23 V.S.A. 4(67)) includes anyone operating a 'personal mobility device, whether motorized or not'. The term is not defined, so it is unclear whether it covers electric unicycles; if it does, the rider would be treated as a pedestrian. The EPAMD definition requires two side-by-side wheels.