Juneau staff recommend banning electric dirt bikes on all public property

Riding an electric dirt bike anywhere on Juneau public property would become illegal under a recommendation the city administration takes to the Assembly Committee of the Whole on Monday.

A memo from Deputy City Manager Robert Barr asks the committee to direct staff to introduce an ordinance prohibiting "e-motos." A vehicle would fall under the ban if it has no functional pedals installed by the original manufacturer, or if its motor can reach more than 20 mph on level ground using motor power alone, or if the motor is rated above 750 watts of continuous power. Such machines could be used on streets only if licensed and registered as a motorcycle or other vehicle under state law.

"Excepting noise, these vehicles share many of the same characteristics as motorcycles or dirt bikes and are generally not safe for use in shared public spaces without being subject to the same rules of the road as licensed vehicles," the memo said. It compares two e-bikes sold at local bike shops, rated at 750 to 1,300 watts, with two Surron models sold online at 3,500 and 8,000 to 10,000 watts, capable of 31 and 46 mph. All four are present in Juneau, and the memo places both Surrons at the low end of the e-moto power range.

"It's an electric motorcycle. These are very, very different from electric-assisted bicycles, or e-bikes as they're commonly called," Juneau Mountain Bike Alliance president Reid Harris told the Assembly at its August 17 meeting.

Staff cite ordinances in Fairbanks, Anchorage and Boise, Idaho, and note that HB 8, an electric-assisted bicycle bill, passed the Alaska State Legislature in 2023 but was vetoed by Governor Mike Dunleavy.

Ordinance 2026-41, which the manager introduced September 14, would limit certain recreation areas to Class 1 e-bikes, which assist only while pedaling and cut out at 20 mph, and carries a $150 civil fine. Barr recommends tabling it if the Assembly wants a single boroughwide rule, or postponing it so both ordinances reach public hearing together.

No public testimony will be taken Monday. The recreation-area ordinance is set for public hearing at the next regular Assembly meeting, not yet scheduled.