New Jersey now requires e-bike owners and riders to carry a license, registration, and insurance following a series of deadly crashes that drew statewide attention in 2025. The legislation was signed into law by former governor Phil Murphy during his final days in office.
The new statute applies to all classes of electric bicycles and sets age and licensing thresholds for legal operation.
Riders must be at least 17 years old with a valid driver’s license, or at least 15 with a motorized bicycle license. Insurance coverage and vehicle registration are mandatory under the law, marking a significant shift in how e-bikes are regulated in the state.
State lawmakers framed the move as a response to rising accident severity rather than usage volume alone. Nick Scutari, who co-sponsored the bill, said e-bike adoption has outpaced safety standards.
He argued licensing, registration, and insurance requirements are intended to reduce accidents while ensuring financial protection for those injured in collisions.
The law follows a string of fatal incidents involving young riders. In September, two teenagers riding an e-bike were killed in a crash in Cranford. Earlier in the summer, a 14-year-old rider died in Somers Point.
Those cases intensified pressure on lawmakers to act as municipalities struggled with enforcement gaps and inconsistent local rules.
Support also came from local officials. Jay Gillian, who has long pushed for stricter e-bike regulation, said the added requirements impose inconvenience but deliver clear public safety benefits. He described the legislation as a necessary adjustment to changing transportation realities.
We are in a new era of e-bike use that requires updated safety standards to help prevent accidents, injuries, and fatalities. Requiring registration and licensing will improve their safe use and having them insured will protect those injured in accidents
Senate President Nick Scutari
To ease the transition, the state will waive registration and licensing fees for the first year. Riders have a six-month grace period to obtain the required license, insurance, and registration before enforcement begins.
The e-bike measure was one of several bills Murphy signed before leaving office. Among them was legislation requiring public elementary schools across New Jersey to include cursive writing instruction, underscoring the breadth of policy actions finalized in the administration’s closing days.
