Are electric skateboards legal in Ireland?
Not allowed on public roads. No Irish text names the electric skateboard. Since the Road Traffic and Roads Act 2023, the Road Traffic Act 1961 has a vehicle category called the “powered personal transporter”: a vehicle for a single person, of at most 25 kg unladen, with a design speed between 6 and 25 km/h and a motor of at most 0.5 kW. The only kind of powered personal transporter with its own rules is the electric scooter, which the 2024 regulations define as having handlebars and two axles. S.I. No. 224 of 2024 then provides: “The use of a powered personal transporter (other than an electric scooter used in accordance with the Electric Scooters Regulations) in a public place is prohibited.” A board that exceeds the weight, speed or power limits is not a powered personal transporter under the definition; we did not read what rules apply to it.
What the law says
| What the text says | Section | |
|---|---|---|
| Powered personal transporter defined | Section 16 of the Road Traffic and Roads Act 2023 inserts into section 3 of the Road Traffic Act 1961: “‘powered personal transporter’ means, subject to subsection (1A), a vehicle— (a) designed and constructed for the carriage of a single person, but not designed or constructed for a person with restricted mobility or for the carriage of goods, (b) with a maximum weight unladen of 25 kilograms, (c) with a maximum design speed of no less than 6 kilometres per hour and no greater than 25 kilometres per hour”, and with a motor or motors of a combined maximum continuous rated power of “less than or equal to 0.5 kilowatts”. The text does not name skateboards. | Road Traffic and Roads Act 2023 (No. 16 of 2023), Part 12 (ss. 16–41) |
| Only electric scooters may be used in public places | Regulation 3, S.I. No. 224 of 2024 (Road Traffic (Use of Powered Personal Transporters) Regulations 2024, in force 20 May 2024): “The use of a powered personal transporter (other than an electric scooter used in accordance with the Electric Scooters Regulations) in a public place is prohibited.” | S.I. No. 224 of 2024, reg. 3 |
| An electric scooter has handlebars | Regulation 2, S.I. No. 199 of 2024: an electric scooter means “a type of powered personal transporter with handlebars, two axles and at least one electric motor with mainly electric propulsion, designed for the carriage of one person in a standing position, with no provision for seating”. An electric skateboard does not have handlebars, so it is not an electric scooter under this definition. | S.I. No. 199 of 2024, reg. 2 |
| Motorways and busways | Sections 38 and 39 of the 2023 Act amend the Roads Act 1993: “A person shall not drive a powered personal transporter on a motorway.” and “A person shall not drive a powered personal transporter on a busway.” | Road Traffic and Roads Act 2023 (No. 16 of 2023), Part 12 (ss. 16–41) |
| Detention by the Gardaí | Section 32 of the 2023 Act extends the Garda power of detention in section 41 of the Road Traffic Act 1994 to cases where “the powered personal transporter is, or a member of the Garda Síochána is of the opinion that the powered personal transporter is, being so used in contravention of— (i) any regulations made under section 11 of the Principal Act”. S.I. No. 224 of 2024 was made under section 11 of the 1961 Act. | Road Traffic and Roads Act 2023 (No. 16 of 2023), Part 12 (ss. 16–41) |
Each row is the statute's own content, reduced to plain wording where it is long and quoted directly where the exact words matter. The section in the last column is a link to the text.
Sources
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Road Traffic and Roads Act 2023 (No. 16 of 2023), Part 12 (ss. 16–41) — Road Traffic and Roads Act 2023.
Official source, read 2026-09-27.
Enacted text on the Irish Statute Book; the definition is inserted into s. 3(1) of the Road Traffic Act 1961. - S.I. No. 224 of 2024, reg. 3 — Road Traffic (Use of Powered Personal Transporters) Regulations 2024. Official source, read 2026-09-27.
- S.I. No. 199 of 2024, reg. 2 — Road Traffic (Electric Scooters) Regulations 2024. Official source, read 2026-09-27.
-
Road Safety Authority, E-scooters — E-scooters — New laws on the use of e-scooters in Ireland.
Official source, read 2026-09-27.
rsa.ie refused our request (403); read from the Wayback Machine capture of 18 June 2026. The page covers e-scooters only.
Every source on this page is the text as published by the legislature or the state agency itself. Open them.
Before you buy one in Ireland
Read the rows above before you buy. The texts we read for Ireland keep this device off public roads. A board can still be ridden where the law does not reach — private land, a closed track — and some riders buy for a trip or a move. Check where you would actually ride it first.
What one costs today. The cheapest complete electric skateboard in stock at a shop we read is 38" Hurricane Electric Longboard Electronic Skateboard, at US$240 (the cheapest one, tracked daily). 34 boards under $500 · 94 under $1,000 — every price checked at the shop, not copied from an ad. The full picture, from entry boards to the top of the range: how much an electric skateboard costs.
Deciding between a board and a single wheel? Onewheel or electric skateboard. A word in the texts above you do not know? The glossary.
How Ireland compares
The same four questions, across every jurisdiction whose primary sources we have read. Neighbouring jurisdictions link to their own page and citations; every other one is a click away on the full list.
| Jurisdiction | Status | Helmet | Speed limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Alabama | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Alaska | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Arizona | Named only | no rule naming the device | — |
| Arkansas | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| California | Regulated | Required at every age: a properly fitted and fastened bicycle helmet meeting the standard | Not above 15 mph on a highway, bikeway, public bicycle path, |
| Colorado | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Connecticut | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Delaware | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Florida | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Georgia | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Hawaii | Unaddressed | “No person under eighteen years of age shall operate a skateboard upon a street, roadway, | — |
| Idaho | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Illinois | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Indiana | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Iowa | Regulated | no rule naming the device | — |
| Kansas | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Kentucky | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Louisiana | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Maine | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Maryland | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | Maryland’s stand-up electric class requires a vehicle that “ |
| Massachusetts | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Michigan | Regulated | “A person less than 19 years of age operating an electric skateboard shall wear a crash he | — |
| Minnesota | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Mississippi | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Missouri | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Montana | Regulated | no rule naming the device | — |
| Nebraska | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Nevada | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| New Hampshire | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| New Jersey | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | The 2019 class that New Jersey does allow on the road is def |
| New Mexico | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| New York | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| North Carolina | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| North Dakota | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Ohio | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | “Vehicle” does not include “any low-speed micromobility devi |
| Oklahoma | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Oregon | Unaddressed | It is an offence if a person “is under 16 years of age, rides on a skateboard or scooter o | — |
| Pennsylvania | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Rhode Island | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| South Carolina | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| South Dakota | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Tennessee | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Texas | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Utah | Regulated | “An individual under 21 years old may not operate or ride the following on a highway unles | — |
| Vermont | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Virginia | Regulated | no rule naming the device | — |
| Washington | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| West Virginia | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Wisconsin | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Wyoming | Named only | no rule naming the device | — |
| Alberta | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| British Columbia | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Manitoba | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| New Brunswick | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Northwest Territories | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Nova Scotia | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Nunavut | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Ontario | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Prince Edward Island | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Quebec | Regulated | Required. A rigid shell, padded inside, with a chin strap, correctly fitted and firmly fas | Maximum rated power 500 W, combined across motors, and the d |
| Saskatchewan | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | A “limited speed motor vehicle” is “any motor vehicle that h |
| Yukon | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Australian Capital Territory | Regulated | s 244H(1): “A person travelling in or on a personal mobility device must wear an approved | s 244FB: an offence is committed by travelling faster than “ |
| New South Wales | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Northern Territory | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Queensland | Regulated | “When you ride a personal mobility device, you must wear an approved bicycle helmet or an | “You may ride on paths unless there's a sign prohibiting per |
| South Australia | Regulated | “PMD riders must: be aged 16 years or over wear a helmet”. “When you ride a PMD, you must | — |
| Tasmania | Regulated | “Yes. All PMD users must wear an approved helmet.” | “PMD users must not exceed: 15km/h on footpaths 25km/h on sh |
| Victoria | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Western Australia | Regulated | r 223B(2): “A person must not ride an electric rideable device on a road or path unless th | r 15(2): a person “must not ride an electric rideable device |
| Austria | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Belgium | Unaddressed | Art. 8.2, 7°: “16 ans pour les conducteurs d'engins de déplacement motorisés, sauf:” (16 y | Brussels code, art. 8: speed is limited “à 20 km à l'heure p |
| Denmark | Regulated | § 12 a, inserted by BEK 56/2021 from 1 January 2022: “Under kørsel på selvbalancerende kør | — |
| France | Regulated | A helmet is required nationally only where the authority has opened a road limited to 80 k | Service-public.fr: “La vitesse maximum autorisée est de 25 k |
| Germany | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | These rules apply only to vehicles covered by the eKFV, not |
| Hong Kong | Prohibited | The 2023 LegCo paper (para. 14) proposes that “EMD users must be at least 16 years old” an | The 2023 LegCo paper (para. 14) proposes that “EMD users mus |
| Italy | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Japan | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Netherlands | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| New Zealand | Prohibited | The Road User Rule helmet requirement (cl. 11.8(1)) applies to anyone who rides “a bicycle | — |
| Norway | Regulated | Statens vegvesen: “Aldersgrensen for å kjøre elsparkesykkel er 12 år.” (The age limit is 1 | — |
| Poland | Regulated | New art. 33 ust. 1b (Dz.U. 2025 poz. 1676): a rider of a bicycle, electric scooter or UTO | Art. 20 ust. 6 pkt 4: the permitted speed of “hulajnogi elek |
| Portugal | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Singapore | Regulated | no rule naming the device | — |
| South Korea | Regulated | Art. 50(3): “이륜자동차와 원동기장치자전거(개인형 이동장치는 제외한다)의 운전자는 행정안전부령 으로 정하는 인명보호 장구를 착용하고 운행하여야 하며” ( | — |
| Spain | Unaddressed | In the version of the Reglamento General de Circulación amended by Real Decreto 518/2026, | — |
| Sweden | Unaddressed | Trafikförordning (1998:1276), 6 kap. 4 a §: “Den som är under femton år och färdas med en | — |
| Switzerland | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| United Kingdom | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Chicago | Regulated | no rule naming the device | — |
| Los Angeles | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Montréal | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | By-law 10-020, art. 12: whoever travels by bicycle, on in-li |
| New York City | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| San Francisco | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Seattle | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Toronto | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Vancouver | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
The spread is the point. These are neighbouring jurisdictions regulating the same object, and they do not agree on what it is, how fast it may go, who may ride it, or whether it may be ridden at all. A rider who crosses a state line is, quite often, subject to a different legal category rather than a stricter version of the same one — which is why a single national answer to this question does not exist and why anyone offering you one has stopped reading the law.
It also explains why so many rows say the device is unaddressed. Most vehicle codes were written before this machine existed, and a legislature that has not revisited them has not thereby permitted anything — it has left the question to a general classification and to your city.
What about a Onewheel?
No text we read for Ireland names a board with a single wheel. The reading above is for electric skateboards; whether a Onewheel falls in the same class, another one or none is a question the statutes here do not answer, and neither do we. 11 jurisdictions do name it — Are Onewheels legal?
What this page does not tell you
- It is not legal advice, and it never says you may ride. It says what the statute says, and links it.
- It does not cover municipal law. Cities regulate sidewalks, parks, paths and often these devices by name. Those rules sit on top of everything above.
- It does not cover private property, insurance, or what happens after an accident.
- It may be out of date. Every source carries the day we read it. A statute amended since then will not have updated itself here.
Across the border: United Kingdom. Every other jurisdiction: the full list.
Questions this raises
Are electric skateboards legal in Ireland?
The state says the device may not be operated on public highways. No Irish text names the electric skateboard. Since the Road Traffic and Roads Act 2023, the Road Traffic Act 1961 has a vehicle category called the “powered personal transporter”: a vehicle for a single person, of at most 25 kg unladen, with a design speed between 6 and 25 km/h and a motor of at most 0.5 kW. The only kind of powered personal transporter with its own rules is the electric scooter, which the 2024 regulations define as having handlebars and two axles. S.I. No. 224 of 2024 then provides: “The use of a powered personal transporter (other than an electric scooter used in accordance with the Electric Scooters Regulations) in a public place is prohibited.” A board that exceeds the weight, speed or power limits is not a powered personal transporter under the definition; we did not read what rules apply to it.
Is a Onewheel legal in Ireland?
No statute we read for Ireland names a board with a single wheel, so the law there does not answer directly. For electric skateboards, the status we found is: not allowed on public roads. Only 11 of the 99 jurisdictions we read name a one-wheel board: Utah, Quebec, Queensland, Tasmania, Seattle, South Korea, Belgium, British Columbia, New York, Victoria, the Netherlands.
Do I need a helmet in Ireland?
No rule naming this device addresses helmets in the sources we have read for Ireland. Your municipality may have one.
How fast am I allowed to go in Ireland?
No speed limit specific to this device appears in the sources we have read for Ireland.
Does this cover city rules?
No. This page reads state, provincial or national law only. Municipal codes frequently add rules — on sidewalks, parks and paths especially — and where the state has written nothing, the city has written everything.
How do I check this myself?
Open the links in the sources below. Every row in the table above names the section it comes from, and every source shows the date we read it. That is the whole point of the page: you should not have to take our word for it.