Parents, Heads Up: Fines Are Coming for Your Kid's Reckless E-Bike Riding

The Bottom Line

If you buy your teenager an e-bike, scooter, or electric dirt bike, this bill makes you legally and financially responsible if they ride it recklessly. Instead of ticketing the kid, police will issue civil fines directly to parents who let their children break traffic laws, ignore age restrictions, or ride dangerously on sidewalks and trails.

What This Bill Actually Does

Over the last few years, Colorado neighborhoods have seen a massive surge in kids zooming down sidewalks, streets, and trails on high-speed electric devices. The problem for law enforcement? It is incredibly difficult to enforce traffic and safety laws on a 14-year-old. This bill shifts the liability squarely onto the adults in the room by creating a new civil infraction for parents and guardians.

First, the bill clarifies exactly what types of rides are covered: electrical assisted bicycles, electric scooters, electric skateboards, and electric motorcycles. It specifically carves out a new definition for electric motorcycles—essentially classifying electric dirt bikes as off-highway vehicles that have foot pegs, rely entirely on a battery and motor, and don't have a pedal-assist option.

If a minor operates one of these vehicles in a way that violates existing laws—like ignoring helmet mandates, riding underage on certain classes of e-bikes, or riding in a way a police officer determines could cause "serious bodily injury" to themselves or a pedestrian—the parent gets the ticket. The penalty structure escalates: a first offense results in a written safety warning or a fine of up to $100. A second strike within two years jumps to $200. A third or subsequent violation maxes out at $300 and allows the police to impose additional "reasonable compliance conditions."

The law assumes that if a parent bought the e-bike, registered it, or primarily stores it in their garage, they permitted the minor to use it. However, parents have a built-in defense: you can rebut the fine if you can prove your kid took the bike without permission, bypassed your locks or safeguards, or modified the vehicle to go faster without your knowledge.

What It Means for You

If you are a parent trying to figure out how your teenager is going to commute to school or practice, this bill fundamentally changes the calculus of buying an e-bike. You aren't just purchasing a convenient mode of transport; you are taking on direct vicarious liability for exactly how your kid behaves when they leave the driveway. If your 15-year-old is caught weaving through pedestrians on a crowded trail or blowing through neighborhood stop signs, the citation is coming to you.

The most important thing to understand is that the bill explicitly protects parents who actively manage their kids' access. You are shielded from the fines if you can demonstrate that you put "access controls or safeguards" in place that your child circumvented, or if they took the vehicle without your consent. This means simply telling your kid "be careful" might not be enough to dodge a ticket, but physically removing the battery, using a heavy-duty lock, or keeping the keys secured isn't just good parenting—it becomes your legal defense.

It is also worth noting that this bill does not create a criminal record for you or your child. It is strictly a civil penalty, much like a parking ticket. Still, the financial hit and the potential for mandatory compliance conditions on a third strike mean you need to have very explicit conversations with your kids. They need to understand local traffic laws, when and where helmets are mandatory, and the difference between a pedal-assist e-bike and a much faster electric dirt bike. Your wallet now depends on their good judgment.

What It Means for Your Business

If you operate an e-bike retail shop, a sporting goods store, or a powersports dealership, this legislation shifts the conversation you'll have with your customers. When a parent walks in to buy an electric vehicle for their teen, they are going to need to know about these new liabilities. Smart retailers can use this as an opportunity to bundle sales with safety gear, heavy-duty locks, or local training courses. Since parents are specifically off the hook if a child defeats a security device, selling battery removal systems or key-fob locks that actually prevent unauthorized access could become a highly requested, profitable upgrade.

Pay close attention to the bill's new statutory definition of an "electric motorcycle." The state is drawing a hard line to define these as off-highway motorcycles powered exclusively by a battery and motor, equipped with foot pegs, and lacking any pedal-assist option (like popular electric dirt bikes). If you sell aftermarket modifications, be aware that the bill protects parents if a child modifies a vehicle to make it non-compliant without the parent's knowledge. Retailers and mechanics should be extra careful to verify they are dealing with the actual adult owner before disabling speed limiters or upgrading motors on youth-sized vehicles.

For property managers and Homeowners Associations (HOAs), this bill offers a powerful new enforcement tool. If your neighborhood or apartment complex is dealing with a nuisance issue—like teenagers tearing up landscaping or buzzing residents on sidewalks—you now have a clear path for resolution. Rather than trying to catch or discipline minors directly, this gives local law enforcement a tangible way to intervene by tracing the riders back to their parents and hitting them with escalating fines. It provides HOAs the leverage they've been asking for to curb reckless riding in their communities.

Follow the Money

According to the nonpartisan fiscal note, the financial impact on state and local governments is expected to be minimal. The state analyzed comparable crimes—specifically the existing class B traffic infractions for violating bicycle and scooter laws—and found only 33 convictions statewide over the last three years. Because this bill targets a very specific scenario, the state assumes it won't result in a massive flood of new court cases or enforcement costs.

Any revenue generated from these $100 to $300 fines would flow into state and local courts, and it would be subject to the TABOR revenue limit. However, the amount is expected to be so small that it won't move the needle on the state budget. The real financial shift here is strictly onto the individual households facing the penalties, rather than creating a new burden for taxpayers.

Where This Bill Stands

HB26-1125 is currently Dead. The latest official action came on 03/04/2026: House Committee on Transportation, Housing & Local Government Postpone Indefinitely.

That means the bill is no longer advancing this session. In practice, measures that are postponed indefinitely or otherwise declared lost generally stay dead unless they are reintroduced in a future session.