January 21, 2026 - (New Jersey, USA) New Jersey will perhaps have the strictest regulations on electric bikes in the USA as Gov. Phil Murphy signed bill S4834/A6235 into law on Jan. 19, the day before he left office reports the New Jersey Monitor and other outlets.
The controversial new law will require registration, licensing, and insurance for electric bikes and removes the current three-tier classification system (Class 1, 2, 3) of electric bicycles that the state has been using. The new law also bans online e-bike sales for one year.
A series of fatal crashes, including one that left a 13-year-old boy in Scotch Plains dead last year, led to Senate President Nick Scutari (D-Union) sponsoring the new bill. Yet the vehicles involved in many of the crashes are “e-motos”, either electric motorcycles or off-road motorcycles, but have been reported as “e-bikes”.
According to People for Bikes, “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.” Most often, these vehicles are not low-speed electric bicycles — they are actually much faster electric motorcycles or electric dirt bikes that are not safe or legal for kids to use on public streets. PeopleForBikes recently highlighted this growing issue in a three-part blog series discussing what we call the E-Moto Problem.”
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.”
“New Jersey has ambitious climate goals and a dire need to reduce traffic fatalities. We should be encouraging the shift toward sustainable, lightweight electric transportation, not building barriers against it,” said Zoe Baldwin of the Regional Plan Association.
US Federal law defines a “low-speed electric bicycle” with 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 People for Bikes.
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 license that they need under the law.
Read the new law here.
New Jersey Monitor here.
CBS News here
People for Bikes here.
