May 3, 2026 - On January 19, the day before he left office, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed a controversial new e-bike bill S4834/A6235 into law, resulting in New Jersey having the strictest regulations for electric bikes in the USA.

The new law effectively removes the current three-tier classification system (Classes 1, 2, 3) for electric bicycles that New Jersey and 46 other states have been using, and instead requires registration and licensing for all e-bikes, including insurance for Class 3 electric bikes.

The new bill was sponsored by Senate President Nick Scutari (D-Union) due to a series of fatal crashes, including one that left a 13-year-old boy dead last year in Scotch Plains, NJ. Yet the vehicles involved in many of the crashes were “e-motos,” either electric motorcycles or off-road motorcycles that were sold and reported as e-bikes.

PeopleForBikes recently highlighted this growing issue in a three-part blog series called the “E-Moto Problem,” which explains that e-motos are not low-speed electric bicycles but rather are much faster electric motorcycles or electric dirt bikes that are not safe or legal for kids to use on public streets. “Far too many young people across the country are being seriously injured or killed while operating what they and their parents may believe are e-bikes,” notes PeopleForBikes.

The bill was heavily opposed by transportation groups and bike advocates who claim that the legislation is too restrictive for everyday e-bike riders and “would disproportionately harm immigrant and low-income riders who rely on them for work.”

U.S. Federal law defines a “low-speed electric bicycle” as a bike that has pedal assist up to 20mph/32kph and is regulated by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), rather than motor vehicles, which are regulated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). “So, there seems to be a high potential for S4834/ A6235 to be nullified by federal law if it does pass,” says PeopleForBikes.

Registration and licensing fees for e-bikes will be waived for one year, and riders will have six months to get the registration, insurance and licence that they need under the law.