Mobility & Curb Rules in Tempe, AZ (2026)

3 verified mobility & curb rules for Tempe, Arizona, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.

Verified from official government sources

Shared E-Scooter Rules

Tempe classifies electric standup and miniature scooters as 'non-human powered vehicles,' a category barred outright from City parking structures, City parks except designated paths, and City preserves. Section 19-214(i) also requires written permission before riding one across private property, on top of the general bike-lane traffic rules in Article XVI.

Tempe Electric Scooter No-Ride Zone Rules

Significant Restrictions

Tempe City Code §§ 19-1, 19-214(i)

Sec. 19-1: Electric standup scooter means a device which weighs less than seventy-five (75) pounds, has two (2) or three (3) wheels, has handlebars, has a floorboard on which a person may stand while riding, is powered by an electric motor or human power, or both, has a maximum speed that does not exceed twenty (20) miles per hour, with or without human propulsion, on a paved level surface, and...

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Bike Lane Rules

Tempe's general code sets direction-of-travel and right-of-way rules for bike lanes and sidewalks. Riders must travel with vehicular traffic on the roadway side where the lane sits, yield to pedestrians, and slow to 5 mph when passing. Violations are civil traffic tickets with a mandatory $100 minimum fine.

Tempe Bicycle Lane Riding Rules

Some Restrictions

Tempe City Code § 19-212(B)

No person shall ride or operate a bicycle, electric bicycle or non-human powered vehicle in any direction except as permitted by vehicular traffic on the same side of the roadway where the sidewalk or bicycle lane exists; provided, that bicycles, electric bicycles or non-human powered vehicles may proceed either way where signs or pavement markings on the sidewalk or bicycle lane appear designa...

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

E-Bike Classes

Tempe treats a single class of electric bicycle: a two- or three-wheeled bike with working pedals and a motor of 750 watts or less that tops out at 20 mph on motor power alone. City Code Section 19-212(E) shuts off sidewalk riding while the motor is engaged, and Section 19-214 caps speed at 28 mph in a bike lane or street.

Tempe Electric Bicycle Speed and Sidewalk Rules

Some Restrictions

Tempe City Code §§ 19-1, 19-212(E), 19-214(e)-(f)

Sec. 19-1: Electric bicycle means a two- or three-wheeled vehicle with fully operable pedals and an electric motor of no more than seven hundred and fifty (750) watts (1 h.p), the maximum speed of which on a paved level surface, when powered solely by such a motor, is 20 mph. Sec. 19-212(E): No person shall operate an electric bicycle on public sidewalks when the helper motor is engaged. Sec. 1...

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Looking for Maricopa County county-wide rules?

County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Tempe city rules.

Mobility & Curb Rules in Maricopa County →