Do you have to wear a helmet on an electric skateboard?
It depends entirely on where you are, and the range is wider than the question suggests. Among the jurisdictions we have read, one requires a helmet at every age, another only under 19, and several have no rule naming the device at all — which does not mean no helmet rule reaches you, only that no state statute puts one there.
Helmet and age, where a statute names the device
| Jurisdiction | Helmet | Minimum age |
|---|---|---|
| California | Required at every age: a properly fitted and fastened bicycle helmet meeting the standard in section 21212. | Not specified |
| Hawaii | “No person under eighteen years of age shall operate a skateboard upon a street, roadway, or bikeway, or any other public property, unless the person is wearing a properly fitted and fastened helmet”. For that section, “skateboard” means “a short board that is on wheels that a person stands on to move along a surface or to perform tricks.” The definition says nothing about a motor either way, and the section adds that it “shall not be construed to legalize the use of skateboards in violation of any county ordinance.” It is a helmet rule, not a permission. | Not specified |
| Michigan | “A person less than 19 years of age operating an electric skateboard shall wear a crash helmet on his or her head.” And the board “shall not be used to carry more than 1 person at a time.” | Not specified |
| Oregon | It is an offence if a person “is under 16 years of age, rides on a skateboard or scooter or uses in-line skates on a highway or on premises open to the public and is not wearing protective headgear”. The fine is $25. The text does not distinguish a motorized board from a push board. | Not specified |
| Utah | “An individual under 21 years old may not operate or ride the following on a highway unless the individual is wearing protective headgear”, and the list includes “a high power electric device”. The self-balancing electric skateboard is not on that list. | Not specified |
| Virginia | No rule naming the device | We found no helmet requirement and no minimum age attached to a motorized skateboard in these sections, and we do not infer one from silence. Nor do we cover what happens on the roadway itself beyond the vehicle classification above, or what a board faster than 20 mph becomes. |
| Quebec | Required. A rigid shell, padded inside, with a chin strap, correctly fitted and firmly fastened (s. 17). | Only a person at least 14 years old may ride an ATPM on a public road, and must carry proof of age and show it to a peace officer on request (s. 16). |
| Australian Capital Territory | s 244H(1): “A person travelling in or on a personal mobility device must wear an approved bicycle helmet securely fitted and fastened on the person’s head.” | Not specified |
| Queensland | “When you ride a personal mobility device, you must wear an approved bicycle helmet or an approved motorbike helmet. You must securely fit and fasten it.” | “As of 31 August 2026, you must be 16 and hold a valid driver licence (minimum learner) to ride an e-scooter, e-skateboard, e-unicycle, or Segway in Queensland.” Supervision, place and medical or disability exemptions are available. |
| South Australia | “PMD riders must: be aged 16 years or over wear a helmet”. “When you ride a PMD, you must wear an approved bicycle helmet or an approved motorbike helmet.” | “PMD riders must: be aged 16 years or over wear a helmet”. “When you ride a PMD, you must wear an approved bicycle helmet or an approved motorbike helmet.” |
| Tasmania | “Yes. All PMD users must wear an approved helmet.” | “A person must be 16 years or older to ride a PMD.” “Children under 16 will still be permitted to use low-powered e-scooters which do not exceed 200 watts and 10km/h.” |
| Western Australia | r 223B(2): “A person must not ride an electric rideable device on a road or path unless the person is wearing a protective helmet (bicycle) or protective helmet (motor cycle) securely fastened on the person’s head.” | r 228(2): “A person who is under 16 years of age must not ride an electric rideable device with its motor, or any of its motors, engaged.” |
| Belgium | Art. 8.2, 7°: “16 ans pour les conducteurs d'engins de déplacement motorisés, sauf:” (16 years for riders of motorised personal mobility devices, except: — our translation). The exceptions are residential and shared-space zones, reserved paths, pedestrian zones, play streets, and people with reduced mobility. Art. 36 requires a helmet for riders “d’engins de déplacement motorisés dont la vitesse maximale dépasse, par construction, 20 km à l’heure” (of motorised personal mobility devices whose maximum design speed exceeds 20 km/h — our translation). Art. 82bis.3: “Les engins de déplacement motorisés doivent être pourvus d’un système de freinage suffisamment efficace.” (Motorised personal mobility devices must have a sufficiently effective braking system — our translation.) | Art. 8.2, 7°: “16 ans pour les conducteurs d'engins de déplacement motorisés, sauf:” (16 years for riders of motorised personal mobility devices, except: — our translation). The exceptions are residential and shared-space zones, reserved paths, pedestrian zones, play streets, and people with reduced mobility. Art. 36 requires a helmet for riders “d’engins de déplacement motorisés dont la vitesse maximale dépasse, par construction, 20 km à l’heure” (of motorised personal mobility devices whose maximum design speed exceeds 20 km/h — our translation). Art. 82bis.3: “Les engins de déplacement motorisés doivent être pourvus d’un système de freinage suffisamment efficace.” (Motorised personal mobility devices must have a sufficiently effective braking system — our translation.) |
| Denmark | § 12 a, inserted by BEK 56/2021 from 1 January 2022: “Under kørsel på selvbalancerende køretøj og motoriseret skateboard skal enhver person, der anvender køretøjet, anvende fastspændt cykelhjelm.” (Anyone riding a self-balancing vehicle or motorised skateboard must wear a fastened bicycle helmet — our translation.) | § 12: “må alene føres af personer, der er fyldt 15 år” (may only be ridden by persons aged 15 or over — our translation); under 15 only under the supervision of an adult or on signed play areas (stk. 2). |
| France | A helmet is required nationally only where the authority has opened a road limited to 80 km/h to these devices. Article R412-43-1 IV 1° a) requires the rider there to “Etre coiffé d'un casque conforme à la réglementation relative aux équipements de protection individuelle, qui doit être attaché” (wear a fastened helmet that complies with the rules on personal protective equipment — our translation). Service-public.fr also reports local helmet obligations (see the insurance and local helmet rule below). | Article R412-43-3 I: “Tout conducteur d'engin de déplacement personnel motorisé doit être âgé d'au moins quatorze ans.” (Every rider of a motorised personal transport device must be at least fourteen years old — our translation.) III: “Les engins de déplacement personnel motorisés ne peuvent transporter qu'un conducteur.” (They may carry only the rider — our translation.) |
| Germany | No rule naming the device | These rules apply only to vehicles covered by the eKFV, not to boards without a handlebar. § 3 eKFV: “Zum Führen eines Elektrokleinstfahrzeugs sind Personen berechtigt, die das 14. Lebensjahr vollendet haben.” (Persons who have reached the age of 14 may ride a personal light electric vehicle — our translation.) Under § 10(1), inside built-up areas these vehicles must use cycle tracks, shared foot and cycle paths, cycle lanes and cycle streets, and may use the carriageway only where none exist. Their design speed is capped at 20 km/h (§ 1(1)), and § 2(1) no. 2 requires “eine gültige Versicherungsplakette für Elektrokleinstfahrzeuge” (a valid insurance sticker for personal light electric vehicles — our translation). |
| Hong Kong | The 2023 LegCo paper (para. 14) proposes that “EMD users must be at least 16 years old” and “wear a helmet”, and it tabulates a proposed “Maximum design speed” of “25 km/h” and a “Maximum net weight” of “20 kg” for motorised PMDs. These are proposals; the Ordinance's s. 2, as read at point in time 03/08/2026, contains no EMD provisions. | The 2023 LegCo paper (para. 14) proposes that “EMD users must be at least 16 years old” and “wear a helmet”, and it tabulates a proposed “Maximum design speed” of “25 km/h” and a “Maximum net weight” of “20 kg” for motorised PMDs. These are proposals; the Ordinance's s. 2, as read at point in time 03/08/2026, contains no EMD provisions. |
| Italy | No rule naming the device | Highway Code, art. 190(8): “La circolazione mediante tavole, pattini od altri acceleratori di andatura è vietata sulla carreggiata delle strade.” (Riding on boards, skates or other speed accelerators is prohibited on the carriageway — our translation.) Art. 190(10) sets a fine of €26 to €102. The article appears among the rules for pedestrians and does not distinguish motorised boards. Normattiva's amendment history for art. 190 lists only a 2022 change to para. 7; Law 177/2024 did not amend it. |
| Japan | No rule naming the device | Art. 64-2(1): “十六歳未満の者は、特定小型原動機付自転車を運転してはならない。” (Persons under 16 may not ride a specified small motorised bicycle — our translation.) The National Police Agency adds that the class must meet the vehicle safety standards, carry compulsory liability insurance, and that owners must obtain a number plate from their municipality: “特定小型原動機付自転車の所有者は、市町村（特別区を含む。以下同じ。）の条例等の定めるところにより、標識（ナンバープレート）を取得し、車体の見やすいところに取付けなければなりません。” |
| New Zealand | The Road User Rule helmet requirement (cl. 11.8(1)) applies to anyone who rides “a bicycle on a road”. No official text read for this entry sets a helmet, minimum-age or speed-limit rule specific to electric skateboards. | Not specified |
| Norway | Statens vegvesen: “Aldersgrensen for å kjøre elsparkesykkel er 12 år.” (The age limit is 12 — our translation.) “Barn under 15 år er påbudt å bruke hjelm” (Children under 15 must wear a helmet — our translation.) The page adds that the general 0.2 per mille blood-alcohol limit applies. The page states these rules apply to every small electric motor vehicle. | Statens vegvesen: “Reglene gjelder for små elektriske motorvogner. Dette er for eksempel elsparkesykkel, ståhjuling og elektrisk skateboard.” (The rules apply to small electric motor vehicles. Examples are the e-scooter, the stand-up transporter and the electric skateboard — our translation.) The regulation itself does not name the skateboard. |
| Poland | New art. 33 ust. 1b (Dz.U. 2025 poz. 1676): a rider of a bicycle, electric scooter or UTO “który nie ukończył 16 roku życia, jest obowiązany używać w czasie jazdy kasku ochronnego odpowiadającego właściwym warunkom technicznym” (who is under 16 must wear a protective helmet meeting the technical requirements while riding — our translation). | Art. 33b ust. 3: the rider of a UTO is prohibited from towing, from carrying another person, animal or load, from holding on to vehicles, and from “jazdy po jezdni, z wyjątkiem korzystania z przejazdu dla rowerów” (riding on the carriageway, except when using a cycle crossing — our translation). |
| Singapore | No rule naming the device | LTA's registration, identification-mark and theory-test requirements, and the rule that “Individuals under 16 years old must not ride an e-scooter on cycling paths, unless they are supervised by an adult who is at least 21 years old”, are stated for e-scooters. The LTA page does not state that they apply to e-skateboards. No helmet requirement for PMD riders appears in the texts read; the helmet rule shown applies to cyclists and PAB riders on roads. |
| South Korea | Art. 50(3): “이륜자동차와 원동기장치자전거(개인형 이동장치는 제외한다)의 운전자는 행정안전부령 으로 정하는 인명보호 장구를 착용하고 운행하여야 하며” (riders of motorcycles and mopeds, personal mobility devices excepted, must wear the protective gear specified by ministerial rule — our translation). | Not specified |
| Spain | In the version of the Reglamento General de Circulación amended by Real Decreto 518/2026, in force from 1 October 2026: article 118(3), “Los conductores de vehículos de movilidad personal están obligados a utilizar adecuadamente abrochado casco de protección homologado o certificado.” (VMP riders must wear a properly fastened approved or certified helmet — our translation); article 155(3), “No podrán conducir vehículos de movilidad personal los menores de quince años.” (Persons under fifteen may not ride VMP — our translation.) Article 155(1) leaves it to the municipal authority to regulate where “los patines, monopatines y vehículos de movilidad personal” (skates, skateboards and personal mobility vehicles — our translation) may ride. | In the version of the Reglamento General de Circulación amended by Real Decreto 518/2026, in force from 1 October 2026: article 118(3), “Los conductores de vehículos de movilidad personal están obligados a utilizar adecuadamente abrochado casco de protección homologado o certificado.” (VMP riders must wear a properly fastened approved or certified helmet — our translation); article 155(3), “No podrán conducir vehículos de movilidad personal los menores de quince años.” (Persons under fifteen may not ride VMP — our translation.) Article 155(1) leaves it to the municipal authority to regulate where “los patines, monopatines y vehículos de movilidad personal” (skates, skateboards and personal mobility vehicles — our translation) may ride. |
| Sweden | Trafikförordning (1998:1276), 6 kap. 4 a §: “Den som är under femton år och färdas med en tvåhjulig cykel skall använda cykelhjälm eller annat lämpligt huvudskydd.” (Anyone under fifteen riding a two-wheeled bicycle must wear a cycle helmet or other suitable head protection — our translation.) The text speaks of two-wheeled bicycles only. | The Transport Agency's bicycle page describes item 4 as covering vehicles “som antingen har en elmotor vars kontinuerliga märkeffekt inte överstiger 250 watt (ex. elsparkcykel), eller är självbalanserande (ex. Segway)” (that either have an electric motor of at most 250 W continuous rated power (e.g. e-scooter), or are self-balancing (e.g. Segway) — our translation). It does not mention skateboards. |
Only jurisdictions whose law names the electric skateboard can appear here. Where a state regulates a neighbouring device — a scooter with handlebars, say — its helmet rule does not automatically reach a board, and treating it as though it did would be an interpretation rather than a reading.
Why “no law” is not “no helmet”
The most common finding on this whole subject is that no state statute names the device. It is tempting to read that as permission, and it is not.
A vehicle code is one layer of several. Below it sit municipal ordinances, which regulate sidewalks, parks, trails and campuses, and which very often name these devices precisely because the state did not. Above it sits the question of what the device is classified as when nobody has said — and in at least one state, the answer to that question is an unregistered motor vehicle, which is a prohibition rather than a permission.
So the honest reading of a blank row is not “anything goes”. It is “the answer is not in the vehicle code, and you have to look one layer down”.
Why the rules differ so much
Two jurisdictions that both wrote a statute can still disagree about the machine itself. California's definition caps the motor at an average of less than 1,000 watts; Michigan's allows up to 2,500. The same board can therefore be a regulated electric skateboard in one state and outside the definition entirely in the other — not more or less legal, but a different legal object.
The helmet rules diverge along a different axis. California requires one at every age and points at a specific bicycle-helmet standard. Michigan requires one only below 19, and pairs it with a minimum riding age of 12 that California does not have at all. Neither approach is a stricter version of the other; they are answers to different questions about who needs protecting.
This is worth understanding before reading any national table. A source that reports “helmet required” or “no helmet law” per state is flattening a definitional question, an age question and a standards question into one column, and the flattening is where the errors come from.
What we will not do
- We will not tell you a helmet is optional anywhere. Whether the law requires one is a different question from whether you should wear one, and only the first is answerable from a statute.
- We will not fill an empty row by analogy. Applying a scooter's helmet rule to a board because the two feel similar is exactly the reasoning that produces the confident, wrong tables elsewhere on the web.
- We will not summarise municipal codes. There are tens of thousands of them and we read none.
Helmets, and the boards they go with
Priced at the shops we read, in US dollars. Real deals and new lows first, then the lowest price; checked twice a day at the shop itself. We do not rate boards and take no payment for a place here.
| Product | Best price | Verdict | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
WowGo 2S MAX Electric Skateboard & Longboard
🇺🇸renewableoutdoors.com |
US$349.00 | ✓Real deal | |
WowGo Mini 2S Electric Skateboard & Shortboard
🇺🇸renewableoutdoors.com |
US$444.00 | ✓Real deal | |
Exway Flex Paragon Electric Skateboard
🇺🇸renewableoutdoors.com |
US$1799.00US$1059.00 | ✓Real deal | |
Onewheel Pint X
🇺🇸ridechargedwheels.com |
US$1100.00 | ✓Real deal | |
BOUNDMOTOR Flash Ultra Electric Skateboard
🇺🇸cyrusher.com |
US$1999.00US$1299.00 | ✓Real deal | |
Onewheel GT
🇺🇸boostedusa.com |
US$2000.00 | ✓Real deal |
Every electric skateboard we track · today's real deals · the cheapest one · 36 under $500 · 110 under $1,000 · what one costs · recalls and safety alerts.
What the law above asks you to wear or fit: 78 helmets and pads in stock — a rule above names the helmet.
Questions this raises
Is a helmet required by law on an electric skateboard?
In some places and not others, and the rules that exist are not similar to each other. California requires a properly fitted bicycle helmet at every age under Cal. Veh. Code § 21292; Michigan requires one only for riders under 19 under Mich. Comp. Laws § 257.658. Many states have no rule naming the device at all.
Is there a minimum age to ride one?
Where a statute names the device, sometimes. Michigan sets 12 as the minimum for public highways and streets. Most jurisdictions we have read set none, because most have not written about the device at all.
If there is no law, do I still need a helmet?
“No state statute” is not “no rule”. Your municipality may require one, a park or campus almost certainly can, and none of that appears in a vehicle code. This page reads state, provincial and national law only.
Does a bicycle helmet count?
Where a statute specifies, it usually points at a bicycle helmet standard — California names the standard in § 21212 explicitly. Where no statute names the device, there is no legal answer to give, and we will not invent one.
Why does this page not cover all fifty states?
Because we only publish a jurisdiction once we have read a primary source and can link it. The full list, including everything we have not read yet, is on the where-can-I-ride page.