Can you ride an electric skateboard in a bike lane?
In a few places, yes — and those places say so. California lets you ride inside a Class II or Class IV bikeway even along faster roads, Quebec allows cycle lanes physically separated from the road, and Virginia opens shared-use paths. The City of Toronto says no, painted or protected. Of the 63 states and provinces we read, 58 say nothing about bike lanes at all.
Every state and province whose law speaks to bike lanes or paths
| Jurisdiction | What it means | What the text says |
|---|---|---|
| Quebec | Open, with conditions | Where you may ride. Riding is prohibited on a public road posted above 50 km/h, except to cross at an intersection, to move between two 50 km/h roads through a roundabout, or on a cycle lane physically separated from the roadway (s. 19). Cyclist obligations under the Highway Safety Code apply (s. 31), and a road authority may ban ATPMs from a lane or road by posting the sign set out in the regulation (ss. 33-34). — RLRQ c. C-24.2, r. 39.1.002, read 2026-09-20 |
| California | Open, with conditions | Where you may ride. Only on a highway posted at 35 mph or less — unless you stay entirely within a designated Class II or Class IV bikeway. — Cal. Veh. Code § 21294, read 2026-09-20 Speed limit. Not above 15 mph on a highway, bikeway, public bicycle path, sidewalk or trail. — Cal. Veh. Code § 21294, read 2026-09-20 |
| Virginia | Open, with conditions | Sidewalks and paths are open by default. The statute assumes you may be there and regulates how: a rider on a sidewalk, shared-use path, or crosswalk “shall yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian and shall give an audible signal before overtaking and passing any pedestrian”, and “shall have all the rights and duties of a pedestrian under the same circumstances”. — Va. Code § 46.2-904, read 2026-09-21 |
| Michigan | Left to your city or county | How to ride on the roadway. A rider “shall ride as near to the right side of the roadway as practicable”; riders “shall not ride more than 2 abreast except on a path or part of a roadway set aside for the exclusive use of those vehicles”; and a rider “shall not pass between lines of traffic”. Where a bicycle path runs beside the road, a rider “may, by local ordinance, be required to use that path.” — MCL 257.660(1), (3)–(6), (11)–(15), read 2026-09-24 Your town can say more — or say no. Counties, cities, villages and townships “may, by ordinance based on the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens, regulate the operation of electric personal assistive mobility devices, electric skateboards, or commercial quadricycles on sidewalks, highways or streets, or crosswalks”, and may prohibit them “in a downtown or central business district”, on waterfronts and trails, and on streets with streetcar tracks, with signs posted. By statute, “Operation of an electric personal assistive mobility device or electric skateboard is prohibited in a special charter city and a state park under the jurisdiction of the Mackinac Island State Park commission.” — MCL 257.660(1), (3)–(6), (11)–(15), read 2026-09-24 |
| Ontario (City of Toronto) | Closed to electric skateboards | In bike lanes. Not allowed, “including painted and protected (physically separated) bike lanes”. — City of Toronto — Other Micromobility Devices, read 2026-09-20 |
Every row is quoted from the full reading of that jurisdiction — same words, same section, same date. Utah rides its one-wheel board under bicycle rules: Are Onewheels legal?
The other 58: no text we read mentions bike lanes
| Jurisdiction | General status for electric skateboards |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Unaddressed |
| Alaska | Unaddressed |
| Arizona | Named only |
| Arkansas | Unaddressed |
| Colorado | Prohibited |
| Connecticut | Prohibited |
| Delaware | Prohibited |
| Florida | Unaddressed |
| Georgia | Unaddressed |
| Hawaii | Unaddressed |
| Idaho | Unaddressed |
| Illinois | Prohibited |
| Indiana | Unaddressed |
| Iowa | Regulated |
| Kansas | Unaddressed |
| Kentucky | Unaddressed |
| Louisiana | Unaddressed |
| Maine | Prohibited |
| Maryland | Unaddressed |
| Massachusetts | Unaddressed |
| Minnesota | Unaddressed |
| Mississippi | Unaddressed |
| Missouri | Prohibited |
| Montana | Regulated |
| Nebraska | Unaddressed |
| Nevada | Unaddressed |
| New Hampshire | Prohibited |
| New Jersey | Prohibited |
| New Mexico | Unaddressed |
| New York | Prohibited |
| North Carolina | Prohibited |
| North Dakota | Prohibited |
| Ohio | Unaddressed |
| Oklahoma | Unaddressed |
| Oregon | Unaddressed |
| Pennsylvania | Prohibited |
| Rhode Island | Prohibited |
| South Carolina | Unaddressed |
| South Dakota | Unaddressed |
| Tennessee | Unaddressed |
| Texas | Unaddressed |
| Utah | Regulated |
| Vermont | Prohibited |
| Washington | Unaddressed |
| West Virginia | Prohibited |
| Wisconsin | Unaddressed |
| Wyoming | Named only |
| Alberta | Prohibited |
| British Columbia | Prohibited |
| Manitoba | Prohibited |
| New Brunswick | Prohibited |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | Prohibited |
| Northwest Territories | Unaddressed |
| Nova Scotia | Prohibited |
| Nunavut | Unaddressed |
| Prince Edward Island | Prohibited |
| Saskatchewan | Prohibited |
| Yukon | Unaddressed |
What this page does not tell you
This is a reading of state and provincial texts, not legal advice. City codes sit on top of everything here — and on sidewalks and paths, they are usually the rule that actually applies. Each row links to the full reading of its jurisdiction, with every source and the day we read it.
Questions this raises
Can you ride an electric skateboard in a bike lane in California?
Yes. California limits electric skateboards to roads posted at 35 mph or less, unless you stay entirely within a designated Class II or Class IV bikeway, and caps speed at 15 mph on bikeways, bicycle paths and trails.
Can you ride one on a bike path in Quebec?
Quebec's pilot project allows its motorized personal transport devices on a cycle lane that is physically separated from the roadway, even beside a road posted above 50 km/h, and applies cyclist obligations. Most electric skateboards fail the pilot's 190 mm wheel rule, so check that first.
Are electric skateboards allowed in Toronto bike lanes?
No. The City of Toronto says they are not allowed, “including painted and protected (physically separated) bike lanes”.
What about multi-use trails?
Virginia's statute assumes riders may use shared-use paths and sets how: yield to pedestrians and signal before passing. Michigan lets towns require riders to use a bicycle path where one runs beside the road — and lets them prohibit boards on trails.
What if my state is not listed?
Then no state text we read mentions bike lanes for electric skateboards, and the general status of the device in your state — linked in the table — is where the question starts.