Are electric skateboards legal in San Francisco?
No statute names the device. The San Francisco codes we read do not name the electric skateboard. The Transportation Code rules on skateboards on sidewalks and streets sit in § 7.2.13, titled “NON-MOTORIZED USER-PROPELLED VEHICLES (NUV)”, so they are written for unpowered devices. The Park Code bans skateboarding, without distinguishing powered boards, in the Japanese Tea Garden, the Arboretum and Conservatory Valley of Golden Gate Park (§ 3.05). California state law also applies on top of these city rules; see the California page. California law applies too — read it here.
What the law says
| What the text says | Section | |
|---|---|---|
| Unpowered boards on sidewalks and streets | Transportation Code § 7.2.13 makes it unlawful “To ride a NUV upon any sidewalk in any business district within the City;” or on any sidewalk from half an hour after sunset to half an hour before sunrise, and “To ride a NUV upon any street in any business district within the City;”. The section heading limits it to non-motorized vehicles; we could not read the NUV definition (§ 1.1) at the source. | San Francisco Transportation Code § 7.2.13 |
| Golden Gate Park gardens | Park Code § 3.05: in the Japanese Tea Garden, the Arboretum and Conservatory Valley, “no person shall participate in any athletic activity, including, but not limited to running, jogging, volleyball, baseball, soccer, football, roller skating, bicycle riding, skateboarding, or frisbee.” | San Francisco Park Code § 3.05 |
| Vehicles in parks | Park Code § 6.01(a): “No person shall drive or propel any vehicle within any park except upon the paved roads, driveways, and highways provided or unpaved roads designated by sign or signal for use by such vehicular traffic;” The section does not say whether a motorized board is a vehicle. | San Francisco Park Code § 6.01 |
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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San Francisco Transportation Code § 7.2.13 — Non-motorized user-propelled vehicles (NUV).
Official source, read 2026-09-27.
Read via a web.archive.org capture of the city code on American Legal Publishing (the city's code host); the live page returned HTTP 403 to our tools. Capture dated 19 July 2026. -
San Francisco Park Code § 3.05 — Athletic activities prohibited in certain areas.
Official source, read 2026-09-27.
Read via a web.archive.org capture of the city code on American Legal Publishing (the city's code host); the live page returned HTTP 403 to our tools. Capture dated 14 June 2021, the only capture available; the section may have been amended since. -
San Francisco Park Code § 6.01 — Operation and parking of vehicles.
Official source, read 2026-09-27.
Read via a web.archive.org capture of the city code on American Legal Publishing (the city's code host); the live page returned HTTP 403 to our tools. Capture dated 16 June 2025.
Every source on this page is the text as published by the legislature or the state agency itself. Open them.
Riding in San Francisco: what it costs
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.
Buying in the United States. Electric skateboards from the 254 shops we read there, priced in the currency they charge.
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 San Francisco 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | Unaddressed | 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 |
| Ireland | Prohibited | no rule naming the device | — |
| 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 | — |
| 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 San Francisco 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 repeat California law. The city's rules sit on top of it; read that page too. Park, transit and campus rules can add more.
- 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: California. Every other jurisdiction: the full list.
Questions this raises
Are electric skateboards legal in San Francisco?
No law we can find defines an electric skateboard. What applies instead is a general vehicle classification and, in practice, your municipality. The San Francisco codes we read do not name the electric skateboard. The Transportation Code rules on skateboards on sidewalks and streets sit in § 7.2.13, titled “NON-MOTORIZED USER-PROPELLED VEHICLES (NUV)”, so they are written for unpowered devices. The Park Code bans skateboarding, without distinguishing powered boards, in the Japanese Tea Garden, the Arboretum and Conservatory Valley of Golden Gate Park (§ 3.05). California state law also applies on top of these city rules; see the California page.
Is a Onewheel legal in San Francisco?
No statute we read for San Francisco names a board with a single wheel, so the law there does not answer directly. For electric skateboards, the status we found is: no statute names the device. 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 San Francisco?
No rule naming this device addresses helmets in the sources we have read for San Francisco. Your municipality may have one.
How fast am I allowed to go in San Francisco?
No speed limit specific to this device appears in the sources we have read for San Francisco.
Does state law still apply in the city?
Yes. This page reads the city's own code; California law applies on top of it, and where the two differ, the stricter rule is the one you meet on the street. The state reading is on its own page, with its own sources.
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.