Hilliard City Council voted 6-0 on Monday to approve new rules governing e-bikes, scooters and other micromobility devices, requiring riders under 18 to wear a helmet and giving police the authority to impound devices involved in violations. The vote came after the city says it received resident feedback about the safety of children riding e-bikes, scooters and similar devices around town.
Ordinance 26-17, sponsored by Councilman Greg Betts, amends Chapter 373 of the city code and passed with Councilwoman Cynthia Vermillion absent, according to The Hilliard Beacon. The City of Hilliard, Ohio - Government also announced it added signs at Station Park reminding riders that e-bikes, scooters and other motorized mobility devices are prohibited inside the park itself, though those devices must remain on the bike paths adjacent to it.
Parents Could Face Escalating Misdemeanor Charges
The ordinance's most consequential piece may be its parental-responsibility standard. Under new Section 373.11, parents who recklessly permit their children to violate the city's micromobility rules face a minor misdemeanor on a first offense, escalating to a fourth-degree misdemeanor for a second violation within a year, and a third-degree misdemeanor for any violation after that, the Beacon's report notes. City Law Director Thad Boggs said the word “recklessly” was chosen intentionally, setting a legal bar above simple negligence for parents to be held liable.
The city's Ride Safely webpage lays out local laws, safety tips, and where different devices are permitted around Hilliard. When police impound an e-bike or scooter tied to a traffic code violation, officers will hold any device owned by a minor until a parent or guardian comes to claim it, per the same account — enforcement authority that applies across bicycle, e-bike, and low-speed mobility device violations under Chapter 373.
Class 3 E-Bikes Get New Path Restrictions
Hilliard's updated code also bars 28-mph Class 3 e-bikes from shared-use paths, with exceptions for paths that run adjacent to a vehicular roadway or where city council explicitly authorizes access. That marks a shift from the prior code, which had allowed all three state-defined e-bike classes on shared-use paths without any path-adjacent restriction, the outlet reports. Under Ohio Revised Code § 4511.01 and § 4511.522, e-bikes are split into three classes capped at 750 watts, with Class 3 operators required to be at least 16 years old and to wear a helmet under state law.
City Officials Signal More Rules Are Coming
City Manager Josh Rauch described the new ordinance as only step one in the city's oversight of micromobility devices, according to the Beacon, with Hilliard planning a community forum this fall to discuss additional restrictions and hear directly from residents. Councilmember Andy Teater said during the meeting that the ordinance, as written, does not go far enough.
Hilliard is not alone in tightening its rules. Central Ohio suburbs including Westerville and Fairview Park also enacted ordinance updates earlier this year mandating helmets for riders under 18 and restricting motorized micromobility on sidewalks and shared paths, according to 10TV WBNS, which frames the moves as a response to rising community complaints about high-speed youth e-bike riding across the region.
State Lawmakers and Hospitals Point to Rising Injuries
At the Statehouse, Ohio Representatives Kevin Miller and Andrea White introduced House Bill 948 in June to create a statewide e-bike public awareness campaign, add e-bike safety to driver's education curricula, and require retailers to hand out state educational materials, according to the Ohio House of Representatives. The bill remains under review in the House Transportation Committee.
The push comes amid data showing a sharp rise in youth injuries. Dayton Children's Hospital reported that youth e-bike and e-scooter injuries treated at its emergency facility doubled from 67 in 2025 to 135 by late 2025, with another 109 youth injuries treated through May of this year, per the Ohio House of Representatives. Nationally, Consumer Product Safety Commission data analyzed by ERideHero shows emergency department visits for e-bike injuries among children 14 and under jumped from 6,444 in 2024 to 17,206 in 2025, with head and face injuries accounting for nearly 29% of all e-bike emergency visits last year.
Open questions remain about how Hilliard Police will enforce the new helmet requirement in practice and how officers will distinguish between Class 1, 2 and 3 e-bikes on shared paths day to day. It is also unclear whether the pending state legislation would eventually set uniform statewide standards or continue to leave enforcement to individual cities like Hilliard.
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