Are electric skateboards legal in Maine?
Not allowed on public roads. Maine names the skateboard once — in the list of devices whose riders count as vulnerable users, a rule about who is protected in a collision, not about who may ride. For the question you are asking, the answer comes from the definitions: self-propelled means motor vehicle, and a motor vehicle on a public way must be registered.
What the law says
| What the text says | Section | |
|---|---|---|
| It is a motor vehicle | “A self-propelled vehicle not operated exclusively on railroad tracks”, excluding only the snowmobile, the all-terrain vehicle, the motorized wheelchair and the electric personal assistive mobility device. An electric skateboard is none of those four. | 29-A M.R.S. § 101 |
| And it must be registered | “The owner of a vehicle that is operated or remains on a public way is responsible for registering the vehicle.” The section then makes operating an unregistered vehicle an offence. | 29-A M.R.S. § 351 |
| Where the skateboard IS named, and what it means | Maine lists the skateboard among the devices whose rider is a “vulnerable user”, alongside bicycles, roller skates, scooters and wheelchairs. That is a protection owed by drivers, not a permission granted to riders — and it is written for the human-powered board. | 29-A M.R.S. § 101 |
| What this does not settle | A reading of the definitions, not a court decision. Maine municipalities regulate sidewalks and parks, and this page does not cover local ordinances. | 29-A M.R.S. § 351 |
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
- 29-A M.R.S. § 101 — Definitions — motor vehicle, vehicle, vulnerable user. Official source, read 2026-09-23.
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29-A M.R.S. § 351 — Registration required.
Official source, read 2026-09-23.
Read on the Maine Legislature’s own statute server.
Every source on this page is the text as published by the legislature or the state agency itself. Open them.
How Maine compares
The same four questions, across every jurisdiction whose primary sources we have read. Each row links to its own page and its own citations.
| Jurisdiction | Status | Helmet | Speed limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maine | Prohibited | 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, |
| Michigan | Regulated | “A person less than 19 years of age operating an electric skateboard shall wear a crash he | “An electric skateboard must not be operated at a speed of m |
| New York | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Texas | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Washington | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Florida | Unaddressed | no rule naming the device | — |
| Ontario | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Arizona | Named only | no rule naming the device | — |
| Georgia | Unaddressed | 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 |
| British Columbia | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Colorado | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Pennsylvania | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Alberta | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Illinois | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| North Carolina | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Virginia | Regulated | no rule naming the device | — |
| Missouri | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Iowa | Regulated | no rule naming the device | — |
| Connecticut | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Nova Scotia | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Manitoba | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| New Brunswick | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Prince Edward Island | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| New Hampshire | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| Vermont | Prohibited | 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 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.
Other jurisdictions: the full list. California · Michigan · New York · Texas
Questions this raises
Are electric skateboards legal in Maine?
The state says the device may not be operated on public highways. Maine names the skateboard once — in the list of devices whose riders count as vulnerable users, a rule about who is protected in a collision, not about who may ride. For the question you are asking, the answer comes from the definitions: self-propelled means motor vehicle, and a motor vehicle on a public way must be registered.
Do I need a helmet in Maine?
No rule naming this device addresses helmets in the sources we have read for Maine. Your municipality may have one.
How fast am I allowed to go in Maine?
No speed limit specific to this device appears in the sources we have read for Maine.
Does this cover city rules?
No. This page reads state or provincial 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.