Southington officials are considering a new ordinance that would give police another tool to crack down on reckless e-bike riding, after residents spent months complaining about riders weaving through traffic, performing tricks, and ignoring basic safety rules at Recreation Park and along the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail. The proposal, presented by the town's Ordinance Committee at a meeting Monday night, would set fines of $250 for a first offense and $750 for repeat violations.
David Kardok, who has lived in Southington for more than 30 years, said he regularly brings his dog to Recreation Park and has seen the reckless riding firsthand. According to WFSB, Kardok said the riders do not slow down and could hurt someone. Southington police have separately warned that e-bike riders in town were ignoring traffic and safety rules, prompting the committee to put the ordinance language together.
Tony Morrison, who chairs the Ordinance Committee, read portions of the proposed language at Monday's meeting. The committee has been working on the proposal since March, according to the same report, and the draft covers the definition of regulated vehicles, what counts as reckless or uncontrolled operation — including trick riding, weaving through traffic, or failing to maintain reasonable control — along with fines, penalties, parental responsibilities for minor riders, and how the local rule would work alongside existing state law.
How the Fine Structure Would Work
Under the draft ordinance, the vehicle's owner would be responsible for any fees assessed, and a confiscated e-bike could be released back to the owner or, in the case of a minor rider, to that rider's parent. The committee's research drew on three inputs: state e-bike statutes, Southington Police Department incident logs, and e-bike regulations already adopted by eight other Connecticut municipalities, according to The Southington Outsider. Officials reportedly tabled an earlier draft of the regulations earlier this year to watch how local riders behaved over the summer before moving the language forward.
Southington Ordinance Committee Chairman Tony Morrison said police records understate e-bike incidents, Patch reports.
State Rules Already on the Books
Southington's proposal would layer onto an existing set of state requirements. Back in May, the Southington Police Department released a public safety reference guide explaining Connecticut's three-class e-bike system, speed limits, and trail restrictions after fielding frequent questions from residents, according to a report distributed via Ebike Oracle. Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes are capped at 20 mph under motor assistance, while Class 3 models can reach 28 mph.
Under Connecticut General Statutes § 14-289k, all e-bike operators and passengers are required to wear protective headgear regardless of age or vehicle class — one of only a handful of states with a universal, all-ages helmet mandate for e-bikes, per Ebike Oracle. Connecticut also prohibits Class 3 e-bikes outright from multi-use trails, shared-use paths, and sidewalks statewide, a restriction that would apply directly to riding along the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail, according to Velosurance. State law does allow towns to layer additional local restrictions on top for Class 1 and Class 2 models, which is the gap Southington's ordinance is meant to fill.
Separately, state legislation that took effect in October 2025 created new vehicle categories, classifying high-powered two-wheelers between 750 and 3,700 watts with a seat height of at least 26 inches as motor-driven cycles requiring a valid driver's license, per CT Mirror. Anything above 3,700 watts is classified as a full motorcycle. A separate law expanded youth helmet requirements under Conor's Law, mandating that riders 17 and under wear CPSC-compliant helmets on bicycles, non-motorized scooters, and skateboards on public roads.
Penalties for Illegal Speed Modifications
Connecticut law also targets riders who tamper with an e-bike's motor or speed cutoff beyond its statutory class limit without updating the manufacturer's label, imposing fines from $100 for a first offense up to $300 for repeat violations, according to Upway.
Other Connecticut Towns Consider E-Bike Fines
Trumbull's committee advanced a $100 first-offense and $200 repeat-offense fine schedule in August.
The push for local rules also comes against a backdrop of rising injury numbers nationally. A 2026 report from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission found that emergency department visits tied to micromobility products nationwide climbed from 37,300 in 2017 to 149,100 in 2024, with 24% of e-bike injuries stemming from motor vehicle crashes. Southington's town council will hold a public hearing on the ordinance at its meeting on October 13, after which it will decide whether to finalize the regulations.
